A Pana man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison following an investigation by the Illinois State Police into the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

31-year-old Braxton D. Schaffenacker was sentenced Tuesday in Christian County Court after pleading guilty to one count of child pornography — reproducing or moving depictions. As part of the plea agreement, counts two through eight were dismissed. Schaffenacker will serve 18 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, with credit for 263 days already served. He must serve 50 percent of his sentence and will be on mandatory supervised release for three years to life following his prison term.

According to the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation, the case began in January 2025, when agents with the ISP Zone 4 Major Crimes Unit in Springfield learned that a subject was possessing and disseminating child sexual abuse material.

During the investigation, ISP investigators assigned to the Illinois Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force gathered digital evidence indicating that Schaffenacker possessed the material at his residence in Christian County.

On February 13, 2025, state police, along with the Pana Police Department and the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, executed a search warrant at Schaffenacker’s home and took him into custody. He was initially charged by the Christian County State’s Attorney’s Office with dissemination of child pornography, a Class X felony, and possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony.

The Illinois State Police encourage anyone with information about crimes against children to report tips anonymously through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com

Resources for parents and survivors can also be found through the Illinois Attorney General’s website at illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/onlinesafe