SYCAMORE – A DeKalb pastor headed for trial saw his motion to suppress evidence collected via a warrant shot down Friday morning.
Corey D. Butler, 36, of the 600 block of Kent Road in DeKalb, has said he’s continued preaching to his congregation since his arrest April 27, 2015, on possession of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography charges. If convicted of the most serious charge, he faces up to 30 years in prison.
His lawyer, Bob Motta, filed a motion claiming that the computer on which the content was found didn’t go through the proper investigative channels. Chief Judge Robbin Stuckert denied his motion Friday morning, and Butler still is slated to go to trial June 19, with a final jury setting set for June 14.
Police said in court records that officers with the Illinois Crimes Against Children Task Force learned that child pornography was being distributed from a computer at Butler’s address in the 600 block of Kent Road in DeKalb between Feb. 28 and March 2, 2015.
In an interview with DeKalb police after his arrest, Butler admitted to possessing the material and letting others view and download it, according to court records, but he later denied ever possessing or distributing child pornography. He admitted he’d visited an adult porn site and blamed internet pop-up ads for the child pornography being on his computer.
Since Motta replaced Tom Benno as Butler’s lawyer in May, Stuckert has urged all parties to have a sense of urgency in getting the case to trial.
At the time of Butler’s arrest, he was mentoring students at DeKalb High School in DeKalb and School District 428’s middle schools. He has been barred from any involvement with children as a condition of his bond.