EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – A Granite City, Illinois, man appeared in Madison County Circuit Court last week and admitted committing child sex crimes with an underage girl and fathering a child with the victim.
Eli L. Winters, 26, pleaded guilty Tuesday, July 28 to child sexual abuse material and child sexual abuse, both felonies. Winters admitted filming himself engaged in a sex act with a minor in December 2024.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office reopened the investigation in March 2026 after receiving additional information from a social-services agency.
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After his arrest, Winters admitted having a relationship with the victim and said he got her pregnant…