PAXTON, Ill. (WCIA) — A man from Melvin has been arrested and charged with multiple counts that accuse him of possessing and disseminating child pornography.

Court records show an arrest warrant was issued for 46-year-old Michael McPherson on Monday, and he was arrested the same day. He is facing five counts, two of which are Class X felonies for disseminating videos depicting child sex abuse.

The charging document, provided to WCIA by our partners at the Ford County Chronicle, alleges that between March 20, 2024, and June 11, 2025, McPherson committed five crimes. Three of the counts accuse McPherson of using Snapchat and Kik to send two different videos depicting female children “whom the defendant knew or reasonably should have known to be under the age of 13 [and] 18” engaged in a sex act with an adult male or exposing themselves.

The remaining two counts accuse McPherson of possessing still images on his phone that depict similar or identical content.

McPherson appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday for arraignment and the subject of pretrial detention was decided on Wednesday. The Ford County Chronicle reported that McPherson was denied pretrial release and is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 9.