Murrayville Man Pleads Guilty, Sentenced to 7½ Years for Child Pornography

Corey Lucas, 42, of Murrayville was sentenced to 7½ years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography, Morgan County court records show. Judge Chris Reif imposed consecutive terms to be served at 50 percent, and the court credited Lucas with 361 days already spent in the Morgan County Jail. The court recommended placement at Taylorville Correctional Center. Four additional charges were dismissed under the negotiated plea agreement.

The case traces back to an investigation initiated in March 2024 by the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation and the Office of the Illinois Attorney General Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Investigators received information indicating Lucas possessed child sexual abuse material, and digital evidence collected during the probe indicated he both possessed and produced such material at his Morgan County residence.

Authorities say Lucas became aware of the pending charges on January 10, 2025, and made suicidal statements. Deputies from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office went to conduct a well-being check and reported finding Lucas armed with a handgun. He barricaded himself inside his home on Clausse Road, prompting the sheriff’s office to request assistance from Illinois State Police. ISP SWAT officers and members of the Crisis Negotiation Team responded, and Lucas was taken into custody without injury at approximately 7:25 p.m. on January 11, 2025. He was transported to the Morgan County Jail and was formally booked the following morning, where he remained after being detained under provisions of the SAFE-T Act as an imminent danger to the community.

For Morgan County residents, the case highlights multiple layers of institutional response to online child exploitation: county deputies who conducted the welfare check, state police investigators and tactical units who effected the arrest, and the attorney general’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that assisted the probe. The plea and sentence close the criminal case in court, but they also raise policy questions local voters and officials may want to track, including how digital investigations are coordinated across jurisdictions and how pretrial detention standards under the SAFE-T Act are applied in cases involving threats to community safety.

The sentence and the recommendation for placement at Taylorville Correctional Center mean Lucas will serve his state prison time away from Morgan County, while law enforcement and victim services continue to contend with the local aftermath of crimes involving child sexual abuse material. For residents, the outcome is a reminder to report suspected abuse to law enforcement and to remain engaged with county leaders about resources, prevention strategies, and the enforcement priorities that protect children in rural communities.