East Dubuque Man Indicted on Eight Child Pornography Felony Counts

A 58-year-old East Dubuque man is facing nine felony counts following an investigation that began with reports of suspected child sexual abuse material sent to authorities earlier this year.

Get our free mobile app

According to a report from the Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, Shad Joseph Fiferlick was indicted by an Illinois statewide grand jury on October 9th on eight Class 1 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and one Class 3 felony count of failing to register as a sex offender.

Credit: Illinois State Police Offender Registry

Fiferlick turned himself in at the Jo Daviess County Jail on October 9th and was being held pending a detention hearing under the Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act.

The investigation began on April 23rd, when the Jo Daviess County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Authorities said four additional CyberTipline reports involving the same suspect were generated during the investigation.

The CyberTipline, operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, allows the public and online service providers to report suspected online child exploitation. Reports can be reviewed and forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, helping investigators identify leads and pursue cases involving suspected child sexual abuse material and other forms of online exploitation.

On August 13th, investigators executed a search warrant at Fiferlick’s home in East Dubuque. Electronic devices were taken from the residence for examination by the Illinois Attorney General’s Digital Forensic Examiner’s Office.

The Illinois State Police sex offender registry listed Fiferlick as a sexual predator and lifetime registrant. The registry showed he first registered on March 24th, 2011, and most recently updated his registration on January 28th, 2026. His status was listed as compliant at that time. The registry also lists two entries for predatory criminal sexual assault, each identifying the victim as 6 years old and the offender as 32 at the time of the offense. In this recent matter, Fiferlick is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.