Story by Ethan
On October 16th, 2025, the arrest of Shakem T. Holmes, age 23, was announced by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. Shakem T. Holmes was charged with first-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, second-degree Sexual Assault, second-degree Attempted Sexual Assault, third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and third-degree Obscenity to a Minor. The arrest and charges against Shakem T. Holmes were a result of an investigation handled by the New Jersey State Police and the East Peoria Police Department.
According to theAttorney General’s Office, on March 30th, 2025, the East Peoria Police Department was tipped off about a 6-year-old on social media conversing with another popular social media account through the app’s direct messages. The conversations quickly moved to standard text messaging, the assailant allegedly using a phone number that linked back to Shakem T. Holmes. Allegedly Shakem T. Holmes sent the victim numerous videos of women engaging in sexually explicit acts, asking for her to recreate said videos and send them to him. The victim’s parents discovered the text messages and notified the East Peoria Police Department, a preliminary investigation being executed shortly after. Detectives from the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children division located Shakem T. Holmes’ whereabouts at a hotel he was staying at in Middlesex, New Jersey. A count-authorized search warrant was executed at the hotel room Shakem T. Holmes was a guest at, and the defendant’s phone, laptop computer, and tablet computer were seized.
The Attorney General’s Office stated that the charges against Shakem T. Holmes are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law
