Toulon's Musselman released on bond, to appear again Friday to face child porn charges
At the very courthouse that he helped decorate for the holidays just a few months before, a Toulon alderman made his first court appearance Friday to face charges of multiple counts of possession of child pornography.
The small tight-knit community of Toulon was rocked Thursday when the Illinois State Police announced the arrest of Jason R. Musselman, 34, of Toulon. Musselman is a volunteer for the fire department, an alderman for ward 2 and was the publisher of The Stark County News up until 2018.
According to a press release issued by the Illinois State Police, Musselman was the subject of a months-long investigation that culminated last week with his arrest on Wednesday, Jan. 19.
According to several media reports, around Aug. 1, 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip that child pornography images were being sent via a messaging app, Kik.
Law enforcement was able to link the Kik account to an IP address that was associated with a user in Toulon. A subpoena to Mediacom connected that computer address to Musselman.
A search warrant of his residence was executed on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Law enforcement seized Musselman’s phone, thumb drives, and computer.
The prosecution is alleging that the devices contain images of girls between the ages of 10-12 engaged in sexual acts. Other explicit photos of a child under the age of 13 were also reportedly found.
Musselman is charged with eight counts of possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony, and one count of possession of child pornography, a Class 3 felony. In Illinois, a Class 2 felony carries a potential sentence of three to seven years in prison.
A bond of $250,000 was set. Musselman was released on a 10 percent bond with conditions that he wear an electronic ankle monitoring device, have no contact with minors, not use the internet and must turn over his passport, according to online records.
One Toulon resident, who declined to be identified, told the Star Courier that the community has been "hit pretty hard" by the arrest. Musselman not only served on the city government and the ambulance service, but he has been heavily involved in the community since returning to Toulon after finishing college. The source said Musselman not only worked as a volunteer to organize the annual Old Settlers Days, he also oversaw live streaming of extra-curricular sporting events and assisted in broadcasting games,
The next scheduled court appearance is set for this Friday, Jan. 28.
This article originally appeared on Star Courier: Toulon's Musselman released on bond; appears Friday on child porn charges
