BRADLEY, Illinois — Illinois State Police special agents arrested a 46-year-old Bradley man at his home on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, on a warrant carrying 26 sex-crime charges, and investigators say they believe there may be more victims who have not yet come forward.
Source: Illinois State Police
Michael L. Wiggins was taken into custody without incident at his residence in the 500 block of South Blaine Avenue in Bradley, the Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation said in a release issued the same day. He was transported to the Iroquois County Jail, where he remains in custody pending his first court appearance.
The charges in the warrant
An arrest warrant was obtained on October 26, 2026, after ISP presented its investigation to the Illinois State's Attorney's Appellate Prosecutor. The 26 charges include multiple counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, which the warrant lists as a Class X felony; criminal sexual assault, listed as a Class 1 felony; and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, listed as a Class 2 felony. In Illinois law, Class X is the state's most serious regular felony class, ranked above Class 1 and Class 2.
How the case began
The investigation began in June 2026, when a sexual assault response team notified ISP that multiple victims — who are now adults — alleged that Wiggins had sexually assaulted them when they were juveniles, the state police said. ISP described what followed as an extensive investigation before the case was presented to the Appellate Prosecutor. The allegations are claims made to investigators; the state police release does not name any victim, and no victim is identified in this report.
The arrest
ISP Special Agents from Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 5 executed the warrant on October 28, assisted by the Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group and the Bradley Police Department, according to the release. Wiggins was arrested at the home without incident. WCIA, the television station covering central Illinois, reported the same details from the state police announcement, including that he will be held at the Iroquois County Jail at least until his first court appearance.
Source: WCIA
ISP is urging anyone who may have been targeted by Wiggins, or who has additional information, to contact ISP Zone 5 Special Agents at (217) 278-5000 or by email at ISP.ZONE5COMMANDER@Illinois.Gov. Witnesses can remain anonymous, ISP says.
Why police believe there may be more victims
During the investigation, special agents found evidence indicating there are possibly other victims who have not yet been identified, ISP said. The agency said the crimes potentially occurred in the Kankakee, Watseka, Champaign or Decatur areas of Illinois — which is why the public appeal covers a wide stretch of central Illinois rather than Bradley alone. Bradley is a village in Kankakee County, south of Chicago.
What happens next
Wiggins remains in the Iroquois County Jail pending his first court appearance, where the charges against him will be formally addressed; the state police release does not give a date for that appearance. The investigation is continuing alongside the public appeal. ISP's own notice carries the standard caution, printed here in full because it governs how these charges should be read: the charges against the defendant are not evidence, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.