PAXTON — A Melvin man remains jailed on charges alleging he possessed and distributed child pornography.
Michael M. McPherson, 46, who listed an address in the 300 block of East Third Street in Melvin, was arrested on a warrant on Monday, July 28, and charged in Ford County Circuit Court with five felony counts of child pornography, including Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 counts and two Class X counts.
The charges filed by Kate Kurtz, a special prosecutor for the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutors Office, allege that McPherson, between March 20, 2024, and June 11, 2025, used the apps SnapChat and Kik to send videos and photos of children engaged in sex acts and unclothed. Additional lewd and explicit photos were found on his Samsung Galaxy cell phone, the charges alleged.
Michael M. McPherson
Kurtz filed a petition to deny McPherson’s pretrial release, which was granted by Judge Matt Fitton during a detention hearing on Wednesday, July 30.
McPherson is due back in court at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, with his attorney, Jamie Rollins of Urbana-based Bruno Law Offices.
If convicted of the most serious charges, McPherson faces a mandatory prison sentence ranging from six to 30 years in prison for each count. The other counts carry mandatory prison terms of four to 15 years for the Class 1 felony, three to seven years for the Class 2 felony and two to five years for the Class 3 felony, according to truth-in-sentencing guidelines.