An 18-year-old Cary man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to allegations he possessed and disseminated multiple images and videos of child pornography, including videos depicting a sexual act with a dog, according to the criminal indictment.
Nikolas Sarabyn is charged with three felony counts of disseminating child pornography, two of which were Class X and the other Class 1, and 14 counts of possession of child pornography, 11 of which are Class 2 felonies and three are Class 3, according to the indictment filed in the McHenry County courthouse.
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The original complaint also charged Sarabyn with having sexual contact with a dog, but that was dismissed due to insufficiency of evidence, prosecutors said.
If convicted on the most serious Class X counts, Sarabyn could be sentenced up to 30 years in prison on each count. He also could be required to pay fines of up to $100,000 and register as a sex offender for life, according to the indictment.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force tipped off Cary investigators to Sarabyn’s alleged activities, said Scott Naydenoff, Cary’s deputy chief of police for support services at the time of the arrest.
“Our investigators conducted an investigation based on the initial information received and developed evidence that led to the charges,” he said in an emailed statement at the time.
Sarabyn was accused of possessing the images of child pornography on the SnapChat app, according to the criminal complaint.
Sarabyn’s attorney declined to comment Wednesday.