Ex-state prosecutor suspended: Attorney admits touching victim in child porn case

MOUNT CARROLL – A former Carroll County prosecutor has been suspended from practicing law after he admitted to improperly touching a victim from a child pornography case he had prosecuted.

Former Assistant State’s Attorney Hunter Hogan, 37, agreed to resign in February 2010. He reportedly has been homeless for much of the time since.

In March, the state Supreme Court suspended Hogan’s legal license on an interim basis until it could make a final decision, which is expected later this year or early next.

The state’s Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission is investigating. The commission’s hearing board has recommended Hogan’s disbarment.

According to the agency, Hogan engaged in criminal sexual abuse with the child pornography victim and made sexual advances toward a defendant in another criminal matter that he was prosecuting.

In Illinois, an adult commits “aggravated sexual abuse” if he has sexual conduct with someone younger than 18.

Carroll County’s online court records show no criminal charges against Hogan, who started with the state’s attorney’s office in 2008, shortly after he graduated from law school. State’s Attorney Scott Brinkmeier didn’t return two calls for comment Wednesday.

Document: Click here to view the filing against Hunter Hogan

According to the attorney commission:

In June 2009, Hogan charged a man with taking pictures of a 14-year-old girl in several positions with her genitals exposed.

During the prosecution, Hogan developed a personal relationship with the girl, who referred to him as her “hero” on her MySpace page because of his role in the prosecution. She testified that she saw the attorney once or twice a week.

In July 2009, the defendant’s attorney raised questions about Hogan’s impartiality in the case because of his interactions with the victim. Hogan then requested that his boss, Brinkmeier, remove him. His request was granted.

After that, Brinkmeier became aware that Hogan remained in contact with the victim and her mother, but allowed it. By January 2010, Brinkmeier had had enough of Hogan’s involvement with the family and barred Hogan from further contact.

That same month, Hogan told the girl that after she turned 17, she could have sex with anyone of her choosing. The age of consent is 17 in Illinois, but people in positions of trust or authority over 17-year-olds are not allowed to have sexual relations with them.

In February 2010, a few weeks after the girl’s 17th birthday, Hogan kissed her and touched her breasts – to which he has admitted, according to documents.

Around that same time, Hogan already was in hot water with his boss.

In 2009, he prosecuted cases involving a 19-year-old woman with a drinking problem who had had a number of brushes with the law.

In October 2009, Hogan visited the woman in jail to talk about what would happen at her court appearance the next day. He asked her repeatedly about her boyfriend.

In January 2010, Hogan saw the woman outside the circuit clerk’s office. Noting her interest in photography, he offered her the use of his camera. He later went with the 19-year-old to Walmart and Applebee’s.

At the restaurant, they were seated near the bar area. The terms of her probation barred her from going into restaurants with bars. He asked her whether she wanted a drink. She said no, fearing that he was “setting her up, big time.”

On the way home, he put his hand on her inner thigh. She pushed him away and told him to quit. He also tried to kiss her.

Hogan asked her whether she wanted to go to his place. She declined.

The next day, he sent her a text: “Good morning! I had fun last night, and I am looking forward to seeing you again tonight. Also, for right now, let’s not create gossip. Let’s be discreet.”

In his deposition, Hogan denied that he had asked the woman to go to his place, although he acknowledged placing his hand on her leg or knee.

Hogan also said the woman told him that she had had “a crush on him forever.”

On Feb. 11, 2010, the woman told her probation officer about Hogan’s advances. Five days later, the probation officer sent a memo to Brinkmeier about the accusations.

The next day, Brinkmeier gave Hogan an ultimatum: Resign or be fired. Hogan chose to resign, although he later asked Brinkmeier to allow him to work in the office until he found a new job, a request his boss denied.

Jim Grogan, a spokesman for the attorney commission, said he couldn’t comment on whether any criminal investigation of Hogan is taking place. In general, he said, the agency cooperates with law enforcement authorities.

In documents filed with the commission, Hogan said he had been homeless for 21 months.

“My car was repossessed months ago; and I only eat and survive because of the kindness of other people,” he wrote.

A 2008 graduate of Chicago-Kent School of Law, Hogan keeps a blog at hunterthinks.com online.

Stafford Henry, a psychiatrist assigned by the commission to examine the attorney, diagnosed Hogan with a depressive disorder, with a “very prominent” narcissistic personality with “an overwhelming sense of entitlement,” according to the attorney commission’s filings.

A woman who claimed to be the victim in the child pornography case defended Hogan Wednesday.

“They’re making me seem like the victim,” said the woman, now 20. “They’re victimizing Hunter. He is a good man.”

Hogan didn’t return a message left at a phone number that he had listed on documents that were filed with the commission.