By JOHN A. BALLENTINE
and JEFF LAMPE
For The Prairie News
TOULON – Jason R. Musselman, of Toulon, faces nine felony charges of possession of child pornography following a Jan. 21 hearing in the Stark County Courthouse. After the hearing, Musselman was released from custody when $25,000 was posted – 10 percent of the bond of $250,000 set at the hearing.
Conditions of Musselman’s release are that he must wear a GPS tracking monitor device, have no contact with minors, not use the Internet and surrender his passport.
Musselman, who is married and has two children, has retained private counsel, attorney Kevin F. Sullivan of Peoria, as his defense counsel. Musselman and Sullivan are scheduled to make an attorney’s appearance at the Stark County Courthouse in Toulon today, Jan. 28.
The possibility also exists that Musselman’s case could be tried on the federal level.
On the basis of an investigation regarding possession of child pornography that lasted for several months, a search warrant was obtained by the Illinois State Police. On Jan. 19, officers conducted a search of the vehicles and home of Musselman, 34.
After seizure of various electronic devices – including telephones, thumb drives, computers and an SD card – Musselman was arrested for possession of child pornography and incarcerated in the Stark County Jail in Toulon.
According to the Illinois State Police, the investigation stems from an Aug. 1, 2021, tip that was received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip alleged that child pornography was being sent on a messaging app, Kik. Using the IP address linked to the Kik account, State Police investigators narrowed the search to a user in Toulon. After receiving a subpoena, Mediacom connected the IP address to Musselman and his job.
Musselman’s initial court appearance on Jan. 21 was for an arraignment and bond setting. He was charged with nine felony counts of possession of child pornography: eight Class 2 felonies and one Class 3 felony. Class 2 felonies are each punishable with 3-7 years in prison. Class 3 felonies face 2-5 years in prison.
Stark County State’s Attorney Caroline Borden Campion indicated that analysis of the volume of the evidence is ongoing and said more charges may be filed.
Prosecutors allege that images of girls between the age of 10-12 “engaged in sexual acts” were found on the devices seized. Explicit images of a child under the age of 13 were also allegedly found.
During court proceedings, Borden Campion sought bond of $750,000.
Circuit Judge Bruce P. Fehrenbacher appointed Robert M. McBride, Stark County Public Defender, as temporary defense council for Musselman. McBride requested bail bond be set at $100,000, arguing that Musselman is not a flight risk and has no criminal background.
Judge Fehrenbacher found probable cause and set Musselman’s bail bond at $250,000.
Musselman will remain on the Toulon City Council, where he serves as an alderman for Ward Two, unless he is convicted of a felony, Mayor Larry Hollis told WMBD.
“I’m disappointed in all this. It’s a shock to the community because he was involved in a lot,” Hollis was quoted as saying by WMBD.
In addition to serving as an alderman, Musselman has been affiliated with the Toulon Fire Department, the Toulon Civic Association, the Toulon Old Settlers Association and was an announcer at Stark County High School football and basketball games and a football statistician. He also worked as a DJ and farmed.
Musselman is former publisher of the Stark County News weekly newspaper, a job he held from 2009 until 2018. He is also the former Stark County ESDA Director. Musselman resigned from that position on Dec. 15, 2015. His resignation came two days after the Stark County Board tabled a plan to terminate Musselman from the position during a meeting when several supporters spoke on his behalf.
