State's Atty: Man arrested for child porn is security officer at school for the blind

PETERSBURG, Ill. (WAND) — A Petersburg man charged with dissemination and possession of child pornography worked as a security officer at a school for visually impaired children according to court documents obtained by WAND News.

Shane E. Guernsey, 51, was arrested by Illinois State Police after an investigation over the summer.

ISP said that agents began the investigation in June and obtained a search warrant for Guernsey's home last week.

In the petition filed to deny pretrial release, Menard County State's Attorney Gabe Grosboll noted that Guernsey is "a danger to the community, his neighborhood, and his place of employment." Grosboll further states that Guernsey works as a security officer at a school for children who are visually impaired and that "no combination of conditions can protect the community from the defendant."

The Illinois Department of Human Services confirmed to WAND News that Guernsey was a security guard at the Illinois School for the Visually Impaired. He has been placed on suspended leave without pay while the criminal investigation is pending.

"Our students’ safety and well-being are our highest priority, and we take this matter very seriously," said the statement from IDHS.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

WAND News is working to learn more, and will update this story with the latest information.

Anonymous tips of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials can also be reported through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's (NCMEC) cyber tip line at www.cybertipline.com. To keep kids safe online, learn more at: https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/onlinesafe/; www.cybertipline.org; For resources for survivors of sexual abuse visit: https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources.