FBI arrests Dixon man on 6 charges of disseminating child sex abuse images: Illinois attorney general

DIXON – A Dixon man was charged with disseminating images of child sexual abuse after federal and state law enforcement agencies searched his home.

Heath A. Knipple, 46, was charged Wednesday, July 2, in Lee County Circuit Court with six counts of Class X felony dissemination of child pornography, with each listing the victim as younger than 13.

The charges are all alleged to have occurred on June 27, 2024, according to Lee County court documents. Each charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison if Knipple is convicted.

The charges were filed the same day that state and FBI investigators, along with Illinois State Police officers, searched Knipple’s residence in the 1200 block of Fourth Avenue in Dixon, according to a news release from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

The release stated Knipple was taken into custody after investigators discovered evidence of child sexual abuse material.

He is being held in the Whiteside County Jail in Morrison, with a detention hearing set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, in Lee County Circuit Court. He is being represented by Sterling Attorney James Mertes.

According to the news release, the case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online.

“Child exploitation is a horrific crime that is made even more reprehensible when the alleged offender is an active and trusted member of the community,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to partner with law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels to locate and bring to justice individuals who engage in the exploitation of minors.”

Raoul’s office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives online reports of child sexual abuse material from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Over the past several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2024, reports to the ICAC increased by 11% over 2023, according to the release.

Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is composed of a network of more than 200 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 60,000 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 1,000 arrests of sexual predators.

In 2024, the task force was involved in rescuing more than 45 child victims from ongoing abuse. The task force has also provided internet safety training and education to tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students and law enforcement professionals.

Raoul is reminding the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported online at cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. Local child advocacy centers can be found at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org. Deputy Bureau Chief Shannon O’Brien is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.