Trial set for ex-W. Dundee church youth director accused of rape, child porn
A former West Dundee church youth group director accused of child pornography possession and sexually assaulting a teen girl in his group goes on trial Dec. 12.
Chad A. Coe, 35, of Lakewood, is accused of using his position of power and authority at the First Congregational Church of Dundee, 900 S. Eighth St., to assault and sexually abuse the girl in spring and summer of 2013.
Prosecutors filed additional child pornography charges against Coe in late 2013, but a judge's recent ruling will stop prosecutors from using an additional 255 images of alleged child pornography found on a media disk next to Coe's desktop computer to bolster their case against him, according to Kane County court records.
Defense attorney Brittany Pedersen argued to Judge James Hallock the images would be "too prejudicial," but could be introduced by the state if Coe argues at trial he acquired the images by mistake or accident.
Pedersen said in court papers prosecutors failed to prove Coe's knowledge or awareness of the images for them to be used to show intent or motive.
Prosecutors contended the images on the disk were consistent with child pornography and were created or procured on Coe's computer.
"The subject matter of the additional files are similar to the (criminally) charged files, in that every image contains a child depicted or portrayed in a matter prohibited (by state law)," prosecutors argued in court filings.
Coe is accused grooming the Sleepy Hollow girl when she was 14 and sexually assaulting her at 15 in the church basement.
If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
The child pornography charges accuse Coe of possessing it between September 2011 and August 2013, and have a punishment ranging from probation to up to seven years in prison.
Coe's family posted his $10,000 bond shortly after his July 2013 arrest.
The accuser and her parents filed a lawsuit against Coe and the church, arguing the church and its leaders should have done more to protect the girl, didn't do an adequate background check on him and disregarded warnings from parents in spring and summer 2013 about Coe's behavior.