A Kewanee man charged with Possession of Child Pornography, child less than 13-years-old, mulls an offer received from the State. Attorney Ruud requested a continuance to allow him time to review the offer from the state with his client. Czolgosz was arrested on October 20, 2021, from a cyber tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Cyber Tip indicated an image of child pornography was uploaded from an IP address registered to Kewanee, which later led to Joseph Czolgosz. Detectives seized electronic devices belonging to Joseph Czolgosz and met with the Illinois Attorney General’s Digital Forensics Division where several child pornography images were discovered on the electronic devices. Joseph Czolgosz, 34, was arrested and charged with eight (8) counts of Possession of Child Pornography/Victim under 13 (Class 2 Felony). A Class 2 Felony carries a potential sentence of three to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. If convicted, each offense will be sentenced consecutively due to the nature of the crime. He faces a potential sentence of a minimum of 3 years up to a maximum of 56 years. Czolgosz is currently held at Henry County Jail on $150,000 bond. A Jury Pre-Trial is scheduled for February 16, 2023, at 11 AM.
In September 2022, Attorney Paulson made a motion for a sex offender evaluation at Henry County’s expense. The argument was that, if convicted, Czolgosz would require a sex offender evaluation. Judge Patton said Attorney Paulson would need to provide the cost for the evaluation before the court could rule. The motion was later denied because there hasn’t been a conviction yet.
