BENTON, Ill. — A 45-year-old former paraprofessional at Tri-County Special Education Center in Murphysboro has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempted sex crimes against a minor.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois, Jon P. Crawford, of Pinckneyville, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted enticement of a minor and one count of solicitation of child pornography.

According to court documents, an agent with Homeland Security Investigations conducted an undercover operation online and created an account for a purported 13-year-old child in April 2023.

Law enforcement began speaking with Crawford online, and he asked for photos and videos of sexual acts from the purported 13-year-old child.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.