EAST ALTON – A man from East Alton accused of sharing child pornography via the Kik messaging application remains in custody on a Class X felony charge.
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Dalton Stahlhut, 23, of the 400 block of Washington Ave. in East Alton, was charged on Aug. 8, 2025 with a Class X felony count of child pornography.
On Jan. 3, 2025, Stahlhut allegedly disseminated child pornography via Kik in the form of a video depicting a child under the age of 13 engaged in a sex act.
The investigation began after the East Alton Police Department received a report on Jan. 30, 2025 from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, originating from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
The initial report from NCMEC stated a Kik user was using the application to share child pornography. The email address associated with the Kik account in question contained Stahlhut’s entire first and last names, and the associated IP address was linked to Stahlhut’s East Alton address.
“Also shared from the same Kik account was a photograph of the defendant which was obtained after a search warrant was sent to the Kik,” the petition states. “In the Kik records are various conversations where the defendant discusses sharing and paying for child pornography as well as conversations where the defendant provides identifying information about his age, sex, and place of employment.”
Authorities executed a search warrant at Stahlhut's residence on Aug. 6, 2025, and he was taken into custody.
The East Alton Police Department presented the case against Stahlhut, who currently remains in custody at the Madison County Jail.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
