Ex-prosecutor Hogan now living in Egypt

MOUNT CARROLL – If prosecutors wanted to pursue a criminal case against former Carroll County Assistant State’s Attorney Hunter Hogan, they might have lost their chance.

He moved to the Middle East in October, according to his blog.

In November, the state Supreme Court disbarred Hogan, meaning he can no longer practice law in Illinois. In documents he had filed with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Committee, he acknowledged that he touched a 17-year-old victim in a pornography case that his office had been prosecuting.

In a Jan. 9 posting on his Hunter Thinks blog, Hogan revealed that he had moved to Cairo, Egypt, saying he hadn’t told anyone before leaving.

“It is one of the least expensive cities in the world,” the Houston native wrote. “It has problems, but it is much safer than any American city: I just stay away from riots.”

One of his life’s goals, he said, is to learn Arabic.

“I love Egypt, even though the systematic oppression and abuse of women here is horrifying,” he said in the blog.

State’s attorney won’t return calls

According to the state, Hogan pursued a personal relationship with a 19-year-old woman he had prosecuted as a defendant. He also pursued a relationship with the 17-year-old in the pornography case he prosecuted on behalf of the state, public records say.

According to the disciplinary commission, Hogan’s actions with the 17-year-old rose to the level of criminal conduct.

In early 2010, after the girl turned 17 – by Hogan’s admission – he kissed her and touched her breasts, according to public records. In Illinois, the age of consent for sexual contact is 17, although an adult with authority over a 17-year-old is barred by law from having such relations.

It’s unclear whether law enforcement has investigated Hogan, who is in his late 30s.

For months, State’s Attorney Scott Brinkmeier, Carroll County’s lead prosecutor, has not returned calls about Hogan. Assistant State’s Attorney Aaron Kaney on Thursday referred questions to his boss, who was out of the office.

Sauk Valley Media has found no evidence that the state’s attorney’s office has referred the case to a prosecutor in another county or the attorney general. The attorney general’s office said it doesn’t comment on whether it is investigating someone.

For a time, Hogan and the 17-year-old in question, now 21, lived together. She has taken to the Internet to defend Hogan, saying the disciplinary commission had been unfair to him.

Sauk Valley Media hasn’t printed the woman’s name, because it doesn’t typically identify people believed to be victims in sex crimes.

Woman: Hogan didn’t know I was safe

A week ago, Hogan put an alert on his blog and Facebook page that the woman was missing.

“Multiple people told me that they had not heard from [her] and that they were worried about her,” he wrote.

Hogan also wrote that she was missing in action for her 21st birthday Jan. 16. She had plans to start partying at 12:01 a.m., when she could start legally drinking alcohol, but no one reported seeing her have the first drink, he said.

He later wrote that some family members were angry that he had stated she was missing.

In an interview Thursday, the woman said her cellphone was broken, and her Internet went out for a while.

“Those are the only two ways I have to contact Hunter. All of my friends knew I was here,” she said. “Hunter had no way of knowing I was safe. It was uncalled for that my family attacked him.”

Because of the dispute, she deactivated her Facebook account this week. She wouldn’t disclose where she lives. At one point, she lived in Fulton after leaving Carroll County.

Hogan didn’t respond to a Facebook message left Thursday.

In June, the woman sought an order of protection against Hogan in Whiteside County Court, according to court documents. But in an interview with Sauk Valley Media over the summer, the woman said she never had sought that order. She said she knew who did, but wouldn’t identify the person.

In 2009, Hogan developed a close relationship with the girl and her family. The defendant’s attorney thought Hogan was so close that he questioned the prosecutor’s impartiality.

In response, Hogan asked his boss, Brinkmeier, to take him off the case. Hogan later improperly touched the girl, public records say.

In early 2010, Brinkmeier found out about the accusations that Hogan was making advances toward the 19-year-old defendant. He told Hogan he must resign or be fired. Hogan, who had worked at the office since 2008, decided to quit.