Sauer told to have no contact with two women, stay off social media
Disgraced former state Rep. Nick Sauer was told by a Lake County judge to stay off social media and to have no contact with the two women pictured in nude images he's accused of posting to the internet without their consent.
Associate Judge Paul D. Novak ordered Sauer held on $30,000 bail during Thursday's bond hearing in Waukegan. Sauer later posted the required 10 percent of the bail - $3,000 - to be released from jail, authorities said.
He is scheduled to return to court for arraignment Feb. 6.
Sauer, 36, of Lake Barrington, was handcuffed as he stood in front of Novak and did not speak during the hearing.
Defense attorneys Daniel Locallo and Steve Landis requested Novak release Sauer without bond conditions because he was a former state legislator and former county board member, and willingly turned himself into police. The judge approved the bond conditions over the defense objections.
Locallo and Landis did not comment when they left the courtroom after the hearing.
Sauer was indicted Wednesday on 12 counts of nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images, Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said. Each felony count is punishable by up to three years in prison.
Sauer resigned from his state House District 51 seat last summer after an ex-girlfriend publicly came forward regarding the nude photos she said he posted of her on Instagram. The woman said Sauer created the Instagram account using her name and posted photos of her to lure men into graphic discussions.
The woman initially filed complaints with Chicago police and the Illinois legislative inspector general's office before the case was turned over to Nerheim in July.
During the investigation, the second woman surfaced.
According to the indictments released Thursday afternoon, Sauer is charged with nine total counts involving photos he's accused of posting of the first woman between March 24 and July 18, 2018. He is charged with three other counts for online images of the second woman that were posted between Sept. 8 and Oct. 31, 2017, the indictments read.
The indictments state that neither woman consented to their images being released online.
Melissa Kreithen, who identified herself in a news release as the second victim, said she met Sauer through social media and they began dating in mid-2016.
"At first, Nick seemed like a nice guy and as our relationship progressed, intimate and private images were exchanged with him in confidence," she wrote in the release. "However, after a few months, I broke up with him due to his unusual and erratic behavior."
She said she contacted police after seeing a news story about allegations that Sauer posted nude photos of his ex-girlfriend.
She said in the release she wants justice and a formal public apology.
"There's no excuse for someone using private intimate photos of someone without their consent in this matter," she wrote.
Sauer, a Republican, was elected to the state House in 2016. He previously served on the Lake County Board and the Barrington Unit School District 220 board.
In the House, Sauer was on a legislative task force on sexual harassment and co-sponsored legislation designed to require new sexual harassment training for lawmakers.
After Sauer resigned, Republican Party leaders named Helene Miller Walsh to replace him as the representative for the 51st District, which includes southern and central Lake County and some of the Barrington area in Cook County. Miller Walsh lost the seat to Democratic challenger Mary Edly-Allen in November.
Edly-Allen was sworn in as a representative Wednesday, shortly after Sauer's indictment was announced.
• Daily Herald staff writer Russell Lissau contributed to this report