A sexual predator was sentenced to prison in Grundy County on Monday afternoon. Joseph Hoggard, 31, of Crest Hill pled guilty in May of 2023 to failing to register as a sex offender, a class three felony. The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office received a report from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office that Hoggard was allegedly possessing child porn at a residence on Carpenter Road in December of 2022. During the investigation, Hoggard moved out of the Carper Road home and registered as homeless on January 19th.
Sheriff’s Investigators monitored Hoggard’s movements and determined he was living in an apartment in the 1700 block of Arbor Lane in Crest Hill, in violation of his sex offender registration status as homeless. Hoggard was charged with Especially Aggravated Exploitation of a Minor and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in the state of Tennessee back in 2013. He was found guilty and served 100% of a nine-year prison sentence and was released in February of 2022. After release from prison, Hoggard moved to Grundy County where he was required to register as a sex offender, but failed to do so.
As part of the plea agreement in Grundy County, four child porn charges were dropped. However, the Grundy County State’s Attorney’s Office said Hoggard could be facing federal child porn charges or could be charged with possessing child porn in another county in Illinois. During a sentencing hearing on Monday, prosecutors were seeking a five-year prison term on the charge of failing to register as a sex offender. Prosecutors argued that Hoggard poses a great risk to the community and would unlikely follow a probation sentence.
Grundy County Public Defender Angela Fillenwarth suggested Hoggard receive a 30-month probation term saying her client’s intent was to register to as a sex offender. She also said Hoggard suffers from nights terrors, depression and anxiety. Hoggard was sentenced to three years in prison by Grundy County Judge Sheldon Sobol, who agreed with the prosecution. Sobol said Hoggard should have known that he had to register as a sex offender. Hoggard will have to serve 50 percent of the sentence and was given credit for serving 117 days in the Grundy County Jail.
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