A Mt. Carmel man convicted of multiple child pornography charges will be resentenced after the Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court partially overturned his convictions.
Thirty-nine-year-old Zachary Reed was sentenced in January 2024 to 60 years in prison after a Wabash County jury found him guilty on eight Class X felony counts of possessing child pornography involving a 12-year-old girl.
Reed was arrested in September 2022 after investigators discovered pornographic images of the juvenile victim on his cell phone and laptop. During the investigation, prosecutors also presented evidence that Reed had placed a motion-activated camera inside a bathroom to secretly record the child.
Following a week-long trial in September 2023, jurors deliberated for just over an hour before returning guilty verdicts on all eight counts. During closing arguments, State's Attorney Kelli Storckman urged jurors to rely on the evidence and common sense, arguing the defense's explanations were not supported by the facts.
At Reed's January 2024 sentencing, Judge William C. Hudson imposed a 60-year prison sentence. In addition, Hudson ordered Reed to serve a term of mandatory supervised release ranging from three years to life if he is ever released from prison.
On appeal, Reed's attorney argued several of the convictions violated Illinois' one-act, one-crime rule and that the trial court relied on an incorrect sentencing range when imposing the prison term.
The Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court agreed in part, vacating two of Reed's eight convictions while affirming the remaining convictions. The appellate court also vacated Reed's 60-year sentence and remanded the case to Wabash County Circuit Court for a new sentencing hearing under the proper sentencing guidelines.
A resentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Reed remains incarcerated at Big Muddy River Correctional Center in Ina. Under his original sentence, he was not eligible for parole until September 2052.
WSJD File Photo From 9/8/23: 36 year old Zachary Reed of Mt. Carmel is led back to the Wabash County Jail after being found guilty on 8 counts of child porn.