A retired Jacksonville District 117 school superintendent has been arrested on child pornography charges, according to authorities.
Robert Crowe, 88, of Jacksonville was arrested Thursday at his Justin Drive home, according to Illinois State Police. He was charged with one count of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of dissemination of child sexual abuse material.
State police’s Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 4 began investigating Oct. 15 after a tip that someone was possessing and disseminating abuse material. Agents assigned to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General Internet Crimes against Children Task Force gathered digital evidence that led to the arrest.
Crowe was booked into the Morgan County jail and later released with a notice to appear in court.
Dissemination of child sexual abuse material is a Class X felony, the most serious type of felony under Illinois law short of first-degree murder. If convicted, Class X felonies carry a mandatory sentence of between six and 30 years in state prison with no possibility of probation.
Crowe was superintendent from 1975 to 1992 and is the author of several children’s books.