STERLING, Ill. — A Sterling man has been arrested for possession of child pornography while still moving through the court system for the same charges from a 3-year-old case.
Jonas Gragert, 36, was taken into custody on Tuesday, April 11 on a Whiteside County warrant for possession of child pornography.
The case dates back to December 2022 when police launched an investigation into Graget after he was identified as the suspect. A search warrant was executed at his home on Feb. 21, where police found several items of child sexual assault material.
Gragert was taken sent to the Whiteside County Jail on a $500,000 bond that he was unable to pay.
This is Gragert's second time receiving child porn charges, following a previous arrest on Sept. 2, 2020, where he was charged with five counts of possession.
The 2020 case has been stalled in the Whiteside County court system for several years, with no notable developments occurring since June 30, 2021. Gragert is supposed to appear before a jury in June of this year, according to online court records.
Gragert is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on the most recent charges on April 24.
Whiteside County has been in the spotlight regarding sex offense cases following accusations that State's Attorney Terry Costello has been letting offenders off easy due to a series of plea bargains that led to six sex offenders receiving no jail time.
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