Metropolis Man Arrested for Possession of Child Pornography

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on October 14, 2010, DENNIS LAUGHTON McCREE, age 57, of Metropolis, Illinois, was charged in a criminal complaint in United States District Court in Benton with one count of possession of child pornography.

McCREE was taken into custody on October 14, 2010, and made his first appearance in federal court. On October 18, 2010, McCREE was ordered held without bond and was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal, pending further action.

If convicted, McCREE faces a sentence of imprisonment of up to 10 years, a $250,000 fine, or both, and a term of supervised release to follow incarceration of five years to life.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Southern Illinois Cyber Crimes Task Force. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, in which the United States Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with federal and state law enforcement authorities, is actively investigating and prosecuting individuals who produce, distribute, or possess child pornography. Anyone with information concerning the use of the Internet for the purposes of possessing, producing, or trafficking in child pornography is encouraged to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation or their local police department.

The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney George A. Norwood for prosecution.

Individuals charged by criminal complaint have the constitutional right to have the case presented to a grand jury to decide whether to return an indictment which is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.