Pretrial Release Denied For McHenry Man Accused Of Disseminating Child Sex Abuse Materials

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — A 20-year-old McHenry man has been charged with ten counts of dissemination of Child Sexual Abuse Material, all Class X felonies.

Payton McIntosh was arrested and appeared in an initial court appearance on Wednesday, where a judge granted the state’s petition to deny him pretrial release due to the severity of the charges, according to prosecutors.

McIntosh is accused of disseminating child sex abuse materials after a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Internet Crimes Against Children led to an investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators linked McIntosh’s phone number to a cloud account, where they discovered over 250 images and videos of child sex abuse materials, according to a news release. Further investigation also found additional files on McIntosh’s telegram account, which he allegedly shared with other users on January 24, according to prosecutors.

McIntosh will remain in McHenry County Jail pending further court proceedings. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 4.