Cary man sent to prison on child pornography charge

A Cary man and convicted sex offender who once faced 104 child pornography charges admitted guilt to one of them Friday and was sentenced to 4½ years in prison as part of a negotiated plea.

Christopher K. Brown, 35, formerly of the 0-100 block of Bright Oaks Circle, also pleaded guilty to unlawful failure to register as a sex offender as part of the plea bargain in which he received six months less than the maximum prison term he faced if convicted at trial.

"Based on all the facts and circumstances, we think it was appropriate he got just under the maximum for this offense," Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney David Johnston said.

Cary police arrested Brown in January after an investigation into other allegations of sexual misconduct led them to a computer on which, authorities said, he had downloaded hundreds of images of children in sexual situations. Charges never were brought on the sexual misconduct claims.

At the time of that arrest, Brown already was in custody at the McHenry County jail on a charge that he failed to register as a sex offender as required when he moved to the area from Indiana. Court records show Brown came to McHenry County after serving a prison sentence in Indiana on a 2006 conviction for sexual misconduct with a minor.

Under state law, Brown faced a maximum sentence of two to five years in prison whether convicted on one or 104 counts of possession child pornography.

His attorney, Senior Assistant Public Defender Richard Behof, declined to comment on the plea Friday.