Hinckley man pleads not guilty to secretly videotaping multiple children

SYCAMORE – A Hinckley man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to criminal charges that he secretly videotaped children multiple times over the course of several days in September, according to court records.

Louis C. Martin, 66, was indicted Jan. 22 on seven counts of unlawful video recording of a juvenile, a class 3 felony, according to DeKalb County court records. He was charged Dec. 4 and released from police custody with an order to appear in court on the charges.

Martin appeared again in front of DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery on Tuesday morning for arraignment. Martin was represented by the DeKalb County Public Defender’s office.

He’s been out of police custody and on court-ordered release since his arrest, records show. Under the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act, Martin’s charges are not detainable, according to the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s office.

If convicted, Martin could face up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors allege Martin took multiple secret video recordings of two children between Sept. 23 and Sept. 30, 2023, according to court records.

Martin was ordered to appear again in court for a status hearing on the charges at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 27 in front of Montgomery.