Pretrial release denied for woman facing child pornography charges
A Kane County judge has denied pretrial release for a Campton Hills woman facing child pornography charges.
Judge John Barsanti ruled Friday that Rebecca Pappas presented a danger to specific people and the community. He said there were no conditions he could impose that would ensure Pappas would not be able to access the internet. He also expressed concern about her access to children.
Pappas, 32, is charged with three Class X felony counts of reproduction of child pornography. She also faces 13 felony counts of possession of child pornography and three felony counts of posting graphic images.
The posting images charges allege Pappas used a messaging app to distribute photos of two children she knew to online groups dedicated to sharing child pornography. Authorities said the images did not depict sexual activity, and the children were not harmed.
Authorities allege Pappas received messages from some people who expressed interest in having sex with the children.
Pappas, meanwhile, claimed in messages that she had access to children, officials said.
Barsanti said even if he placed Pappas on electronic home monitoring, she would be allowed under state law to leave home at least two days a week to do certain things, such as shopping for food and necessities. The judge said he could not guarantee Pappas would not buy or otherwise access a device capable of accessing the internet.
Barsanti said he did consider her psychological history, noting that after Pappas learned earlier this month about the pending charges, she checked in to a mental health hospital and was diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety. Her lawyers have argued Pappas was suicidal and said that if she were released, she would enter a residential treatment program.