JEFFERSON COUNTY — Attorneys confirmed a jury trial date Tuesday in Jefferson County Court for a 27-year-old Mt. Vernon man charged with multiple child pornography offenses.

Jacob Higgins is currently facing 10 counts of possessing child pornography – all Class 2 felonies – dating back to alleged incidents in August 2020, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

A final pretrial hearing in the case is scheduled for August 9, with a jury trial the following week on August 16.

Detective Bobby Wallace with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported his office received a tip through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force of suspected child pornography activity in the Jefferson County area.

Wallace says the initial investigation confirmed criminal activity, a suspect, and the involved internet accounts.

Search warrants were obtained to access suspected accounts, which led to additional evidence and an additional search warrant for the residence at 813 S. 25th Street in Mt. Vernon.

The warrant was served on May 23rd and evidence was collected at the residence. Det. Wallace says 10 separate files of child pornography were discovered in a dropbox account associated with Higgins’ cell phone.

Deputies ultimately arrested Higgins who has remained in the Jefferson County Jail since that arrest with bail set at $200,000.

The defense on Tuesday withdrew a motion requesting a bond reduction for Higgins.