A 54-year-old former Mt. Vernon Township High School Spanish teacher has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to three child pornography charges.
David Edwards received three consecutive 10-year prison sentences for possession of child pornography involving a child under the age of 13, as required under Illinois law. He was also fined $2,000 on each count. A request for a brief furlough before his transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections was denied by the court.
Edwards was arrested by Palatine Police in suburban Chicago on a Jefferson County warrant following an investigation that began in July after a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department executed multiple search warrants for electronic devices and data, resulting in the seizure of several items of evidence.
Following the arrest, Mt. Vernon Township High School Superintendent Chad LeCrone stated that the district was not aware of any allegations involving school-related conduct or students at the high school.