Monticello police officer arrested for child pornography

MONTICELLO, Ill. (WCIA) — A Monticello police officer was arrested Tuesday morning for disseminating child pornography.

WCIA confirmed with Zack Cooper, the Superintendent of the Piatt County Jail, that Craig Griswold was booked into the jail on Tuesday, with the Illinois State Police as the primary arresting agency. Cooper said Griswold was booked on a single count of dissemination of child pornography, a Class X felony.

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State Police said special agents served a search warrant Tuesday morning after receiving multiple cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding child pornography. They said 39-year-old William C. Griswold was taken into custody shortly before that search warrant was served.

Monticello Police said in a press release that they were informed of the investigation into Griswold Tuesday morning. When the department learned of his arrest, Griswold was immediately placed on unpaid leave. Pending further investigation, other action may be taken against Griswold including termination.

The investigation into Griswold was described as a collaborative effort between the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Piatt County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Monticello Police Department and Illinois State Police.

This is a developing story.

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