Homeless man accused of watching video of child sex abuse at PADS shelter in McHenry

A homeless man is accused of watching a video depicting child sexual abuse while staying at the PADS shelter in McHenry.

Andrew Sennett, 38, is charged with one count of possessing child pornography, a Class 3 felony, according to records in McHenry County court and Judge Carl Metz. Sennett made his first court appearance recent, when Metz granted his pretrial release from jail with conditions including that he have no access to the internet and no contact with minors. The judge also ordered that Sennett undergo a sex offender evaluation.

In arguing that Sennett be detained while he awaits trial, Assistant State’s Attorney Anthony Marin said that while at the PADS shelter, Sennett had a video containing child sexual abuse on his cellphone that he downloaded from Pornhub. He also allegedly made self-incriminating statements, and three staff members saw the video. The staff members said the girl in the video appeared to be younger than 14, Marin said.

Sennett allegedly then reset the phone to factory settings, which Marin described as being “quick to destroy the evidence.” Sennett is a danger and, because he has ties to Boston, he also is a flight risk, Marin said.

Assistant Public Defender Gene Wilson argued for Sennett’s release, saying that he has a job lined up and is about to get housing. Wilson also said, “The allegations are based on three people who are not age experts.”

Sennett has no criminal history, and there is no proof of the age of the person in the video, Wilson said.

In releasing Sennett, Metz said the presumption is great that he committed a detainable offense, but he is not a flight risk. Metz acknowledged that Sennett did not create the video, but said that by viewing it, he creates a “demand” for it; therefore, he is a threat to the community.

Metz said that if Sennett gets another phone, it needs to be a flip phone that does not have access to the internet. He also is required to allow court services to put software on all his electronic devices to monitor his internet use and ensure that he does not access the internet or any websites that show videos depicting child sexual abuse.

In response to a request for comment from the Northwest Herald, PADS CEO Frank Samuel said his staff “promptly called the police when they detected [Sennett] viewing child pornography.”

McHenry police responded to the shelter “immediately,” questioned Sennett, found “valid evidence” and arrested him, Samuel said.

“The police team commended our staff on how well we handled this situation,” Samuel said. “In all situations, safety of our shelter clients and our staff is the utmost priority.”

Samuel said that to keep women and children safe, there are two separate sections dividing women and children from men. The shelter also has a “family room, if necessary, for mother and child.”

The shelter has a “special monitoring room that can view the sleeping area at night. We also have cameras inside and outside the building that monitors clients and movements,” Samuel said.

Samuel said that they were helping Sennett obtain permanent, long-term housing, which is standard practice after an average length of stay of 60 or more days in the shelter. But that assistance has ended.

“We were in the process of helping him, but this situation happened,” Samuel said. “He will absolutely not qualify to stay with us anymore given his arrest at the shelter. It is part of our screening and requirements for intake into the shelter.”

Sennett is due back in court Nov. 13.