One of three Pike County men indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of sexual exploitation of a child nearly 3 years ago has pleaded guilty.
36-year old Anthony M. Westemeyer of Nebo pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a child back on July 31st.
Westemeyer was indicted along with 40-year old Bobby J. Warner and 58 year old Michael Wallace on September 2021 on the charges. Westemeyer was already in custody at the Pike County Jail at the time of his indicted. He had been arrested by Pike County Sheriff’s Deputies on May 19, 2021 at his residence in Nebo for two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. The Pike County Sheriff’s Department also executed a search warrant at his Nebo residence, and several items of evidence were collected.
The federal indictment of the 3 men alleges that in May 2021 the three men caused a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct, which was recorded and stored on a computer.
Agencies participating in the investigation include U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations; the Illinois Attorney General’s Office; the Pike County Sheriff’s Office; and the Pike County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Westemeyer is due to be sentenced on October 29th.
Warner is set to return to federal court on December 4th. Wallace is set for a video conference later this morning before Judge Colleen Lawless in Springfield in the Central District Court of Illinois.