Millstadt man and Boy Scout leader was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly possessing “child sexual abuse material,” according to a Jan. 28 press release from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office.

Kaleb C. Rakers, 25, has been charged in St. Clair County Circuit Court with 15 counts of possessing child pornography (moving depiction), each charge a Class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. 

Rakers was transported to the St. Clair County Jail, after which a detention hearing was held Jan. 30. Rakers, who entered a not guilty plea, was ordered to remain in jail.

On Jan. 28, Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department and Millstadt EMS, conducted a search of Rakers’ residence in the 5000 block of Algonquin Forest in Millstadt. 

Rakers was arrested after evidence of child sexual abuse material was found. Rakers had been affiliated with Boy Scout Troop 8622 in Millstadt. If anyone has any additional information, they are encouraged to contact the Illinois Attorney General’s office at 217-782-1090.

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

“Child exploitation is particularly reprehensible when committed by someone children should be able to trust. That exploitation leaves life-long scars for survivors and their families, which is why it is essential to hold the perpetrators of these horrific crimes accountable,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to find and stop individuals who exploit 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 CyberTips, or online reports of child sexual abuse material, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.