Sterling man arrested on child pornography charges

STERLING, Ill. (KWQC) – A Sterling man was arrested Wednesday on child pornography charges as part of an ongoing investigation that began in December 2022 by the Sterling Police Department.

Jonas M. Gragert, 34, of Sterling, was arrested Wednesday in the 400 block of West 14th Street on a Whiteside County warrant for possession of child pornography, a second-degree felony, according to a news release from the Sterling Police Department. Detectives began an investigation in December 2022, and during the investigation, police said Gragert was identified as a suspect.

On Feb. 21, the Sterling Police Department executed a search warrant at Gregert’s residence in the 400 block of West 14th Street, police said. During the search, several items of evidence were taken and sent for analysis, and based on the analysis of these items, investigators were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Gregert with bail set at $500,000 and he was taken into custody.

Gragert was taken to the Whiteside Jail after failing to post the required bail, police say.

The Sterling Police Department was assisted in the investigation by agents of the Black Hawk Area Task Force, Illinois State Police, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office Digital Forensics and the Whiteside State’s Attorney’s Office, according to a media release.

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