Scheller man facing child porn charge in Jefferson County

SCHELLER, Ill. (KBSI) – A Scheller man faces child porn charges in Jefferson County.

James M. Payne, 39, was arrested by Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies at his home on E. Providence Road in Scheller on January 26.

He was arrested for an active Jefferson County warrant charging child pornography.

Payne was taken to the Jefferson County Jail.

The warrant and arrest were a result of a sheriff’s office investigation, initiated on December 15, 2023 when sheriff’s office members of the Internet Crime Against Children Task Force received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The tip led to multiple search warrants for data and records which led to a search warrant for Payne’s home.

The search warrant was served on January 2.

Evidence was discovered and collected during the search.

Payne was interviewed and released pending the forensic examination of the evidence collected.

When that was completed an arrest warrant was issued.