A former elementary school teacher in southwestern Illinois appeared in federal court recently to plead guilty to soliciting child sexual abuse material from minors.
The U.S. attorney reports 25-year-old Jonathan Villmer, Jr. of New Baden was charged in August 2023. Prior to his charge, Villmer was a teacher at New Baden Elementary School and coached girls’ sports teams for Wesclin Community Unit School District Number 3.
The case was initiated by an otherwise unrelated investigation by the Carmi Police Department regarding the distribution of child sexual abuse materials. The investigation led law enforcement officers to a Snapchat account soliciting these materials connected to Villmer.
According to court documents, after obtaining a search warrant for Villmer’s Snapchat account, police discovered explicit conversations with a 13-year-old minor.
Villmer’s sentencing carries a minimum of five years and a maximum of up to 20 years in prison.
