A former McLean County staffer who helped run elections has been arrested on nearly three dozen child pornography charges.
Bradley W. Beyer, 56, was taken into custody Wednesday, charged with 34 felony counts of receiving and possessing child pornography depicting children under the age of 13. The charges include static and video images.
Beyer, who lives in the village of Stanford about 15 miles west of Bloomington-Normal, was the co-director of elections for the county for more than four years. Charging documents indicated some imagery had been viewed at work. A spokesperson for the Bloomington Police Department said the Cyber Crimes Unit received a tip in August, triggering a joint investigation with the McLean County Sheriff's Office [MCSO].
McLean County Human Resources confirmed Beyer's last day in the clerk's office was Sept. 3, 2025. He had started in that role on Feb. 28, 2021.
McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael declined to say why Beyer left his position. She said her office is "devastated" to hear of his arrest, which Michael called "shocking."
In a joint press release, officials said BPD and MCSO executed several search warrants related to the case. On Wednesday, a McLean County grand jury returned the 34-count indictment on Beyer and he was taken into custody by MCSO without incident during a traffic stop in Bloomington.
Beyer appeared in court Thursday and has been released awaiting trial.
He's required to submit to a sex offender evaluation within seven days and begin receiving treatment within two weeks as conditions of his release. Beyer has been placed under supervision and may not have contact with anyone under the age 18.
His next court date is April 29.
