A former elementary teacher has admitted to soliciting sexual images from minors. When the judge reads his sentence, 25-year-old Jonathan C. Villmer is facing up to 20 years in prison.
Villmer pleaded guilty to soliciting child sexual abuse material from minors when he appeared at the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois. His victims include a 13-year-old whom he met via Snapchat.
What investigators and the prosecution found equally disturbing was that Villmer was once a teacher at New Baden Elementary School in New Baden, Illinois. Villmer also served as a coach for several girls’ sports teams across the Wesclin Community Unit School District.
“We know child predators lurk in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe in a statement. “but it’s especially disturbing when a former first-grade teacher and coach admits to asking minors for inappropriate images,” she continued.
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Crowe was also full of praise for everyone who made Villmer’s arrest possible. “I highly commend the several law enforcement departments who contributed to this investigation and identified an extremely dangerous individual working directly with minors,” she said.
Judicial authorities have scheduled Villmer’s sentencing for 1:30 p.m. on April 24, 2024. The most lenient punishment he can get is 5 years in federal prison.
Villmer caught the attention of law enforcement agents in Carmi, Indiana, who were working on an unrelated case. The Carmi Police Department was pursuing a case involving the distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The investigation then led them to a Snapchat account connected to Villmer. Investigators then obtained legal permission to search the account and fish out its owner using its I.P. address. The operation led them to Villmer.
Police discovered chats between Villmer and the 13-year-old where he solicited her “sexiest images.” Villmer also specifically asked for photos of her genitals and talked about deflowering her.
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Villmer confessed to receiving topless photos from the 13-year-old. He then threatened to release the photo to the public if she didn’t send more pictures to him.
Law enforcement also discovered other conversations between Villmer and several other suspected minors on his Snapchat. Police then swooped on Villmer, arresting him in his apartment on August 18, 2023, after obtaining a search warrant. They confiscated two cell phones during the arrest.
The investigation was a joint effort between Homeland Security Investigations, the New Baden Police Department, and the Carmi Police Department. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department are also involved in the investigation. Ali Burns, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, is leading the prosecution.
“The importance of this case and guilty plea cannot be overstated,” said Special Agent Sean Fitzgerald of the Homeland Security Investigations, Chicago.
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“Investigations involving the exploitation of children are horrible,” he continued. “But it is particularly troubling when the accused occupies a position of public trust and seeks to exploit the most vulnerable in our society.”
In 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 29 million online reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. Many hopes rest on law enforcement to stem the evil tide.
“HSI will continue to work closely with our local, state, and federal partners to bring those who would sexually exploit children to justice,” Fitzgerald assured.
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