A McHenry man has pleaded guilty to disseminating child sex abuse images and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Nicolas Riener, 24, is required to serve half his prison term, followed by three years to life of mandatory supervised release and must register as a sex offender, according to orders by Judge Tiffany Davis filed in McHenry County court.

After Riener’s arrest, prosecutors said he possessed and shared 14 images of child sex abuse involving children younger than 13 on the Kik Messenger app, according to court documents.

McHenry police said Riener’s arrest in August was the result of Kik reporting to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that a McHenry resident had been uploading and downloading child sex abuse images.

At Riener’s initial court appearance, Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel Conroy said Riener posed an “extremely high” level of danger to the community, specifically children. Viewing and sharing images of child sex abuse feeds a “global market with high demand,” Conroy said.

In exchange for the guilty plea Friday, to one count of Class X possession of child sex abuse materials, 13 additional Class X felonies were dismissed, records show.

Riener’s attorney, Matt Medina, said Riener has the support of his family as well as “zero criminal history,” and he scored low on evaluations that determine dangerousness and risk of reoffending. Medina said Riener wanted to take responsibility for his offenses.

After the images were discovered by authorities, Riener immediately took responsibility and sought intensive mental health treatment, which he plans on continuing, his attorney said.

Medina said Riener looks forward to putting this behind him and moving on with his life.