A Galesburg man was sentenced to 15 years in prison earlier this month for dissemination of child pornography.
Nicholas Johnson plead guilty to the charge, a Class X felony that carries a sentencing range of 8-30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in an agreement that saw several other child porn charges and a meth possession charge dropped in Knox County Circuit Court.
Judge Raymond Cavanaugh on December 1 heard evidence of the defendant’s possession of hundreds of illegal photos and videos and, as a result of the evidence, rejected a request from Johnson for a minimum sentence of eight years.
Instead, Cavanaugh sided with the State’s argument that a shorter prison sentence would denigrate the seriousness of the offense and, given Johnson’s minimal criminal history, believed that 15 years was appropriate.
Johnson was arrested in July of 2020 at his residence on Pine Street by Knox County deputies and Galesburg Police officers.
State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin called child pornography repulsive and that, “It robs the child victim of his or her childhood only to revictimize him or her every time the pornographic image or video is transferred or downloaded from the internet. This sentence sends a strong message that a lengthy prison sentence awaits anyone convicted of disseminating child pornography in Knox County.”
