Batavia man sentenced to 6 years in prison for child porn

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – A Batavia man was sentenced to six years in prison as part of a plea agreement on charges of disseminating child pornography involving a victim younger than 13, officials announced in a news release.

Associate Judge Alice Tracy accepted the plea from David P. Winecke, 67, of the 1200 block of Hazelwood Court, Batavia, on Sept. 21.

Winecke had been charged with three counts of reproducing child pornography – Class X felonies – and 15 counts of possession of child pornography, all Class 2 felonies.

Class X felonies are punishable by six to 30 years in prison and fines up to $25,000. Class 2 felonies are punishable by four to seven years in prison or up to 48 months of probation.

During the plea hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Ken Hudson said that prior to Dec. 20, 2022, Winecke disseminated and possessed multiple videos and still images of child pornography, according to the release.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Winecke was not prosecuted on the other charges, records show.

According to state law, Winecke is eligible for day-for-day credit. He received credit for time served in the Kane County jail. Winecke had been free on $10,000 bond, according to the release.

In addition to the prison term, Winecke must register for life as a sexual offender in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act.

The Kane County Child Exploitation Unit identified and investigated Winecke. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and Sheriff Ron Hain created the unit to investigate tips of individuals possessing or disseminating child pornography, according to the release.

Assistant State’s Attorney Bob Dore, chief of the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division, said in the release that “child pornography is not a victimless crime.”

“Children depicted in sexually compromising images and videos are victimized every time someone views them, even decades later,” Dore said in the release.”

Dore thanked Hudson, former Kane County ASA Margaret O’Brien, the Kane County Child Exploitation Unit, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, the High-Tech Crimes Bureau and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their assistance in the case.

Records show Winecke remains in the Kane County jail and has not yet been transferred to an Illinois prison.