A Kewanee man was spared a prison sentence for possession of child pornography at his sentencing hearing on April 25, 2025. Matthew Derr was sentenced to four years of probation and 120 days in the Henry County Jail, with day-for-day credit. Derr must also register as a sex offender. Detective Trey Kazubowski testified at the trial that in February 2024, the Kewanee Police Department received a message from the Illinois Crimes Against Children (ICAC) for possession of child pornography. The phone number the cellular provider provided to ICAC led to Matthew Derr. State’s Attorney Runty said that Derr said it’s not that big of a deal; it was just one time, in the sex offender evaluation. Derr reportedly minimized his use of the video in his evaluation, but he took responsibility and said he learned his lesson in a letter to the court. Attorney Camp said that the mental health evaluation showed that he is to at risk of sexually deviant behavior.
Judge Patton said, “When someone films child pornography and puts it on the web, and you watch it, you become part of the problem.”
The Kewanee Police were able to intercept Derr as he was driving into Kewanee and take him into custody without incident in May 2024. Derr was transported to the Kewanee Police Department, where he was interviewed by Detective Kazubowski and Sergeant James Mock. Detective Kazubowski testified that Derr told them that the video was a one-time video that he saved to his cell phone. At the time of his interview, no child pornography was found on his phone or his Reddit account.
Judge Patton said that Derr admitted to police that he possessed the video and described the female in the video as “a little girl.” Judge Patton said, “There is no question in the court’s mind that this is a child.”
Matthew Derr also received a $1,000 fine plus assessments; he must reimburse $800 to court services for the sex offender evaluation; he is not to leave the state without permission; he is ordered to complete counseling and treatment; he is not to possess a firearm; he is not to possess sexually explicit materials; he must submit all cable services to court services; he is not to rent or buy sexually explicit materials; he is not to have a P.O. Box or fake addresses; he is not to enter establishments that solely have sexually explicit materials; and he must maintain full-time employment.