North Aurora man pleads guilty to disseminating child sexual abuse images

A North Aurora man, who last year faced 14 felony charges related to dissemination and possession of sexual abuse images of a child under age 13, agreed to plead guilty to one charge and go to prison for 11 years, according to a joint news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney and Sheriff.

Aaron L. Latham, 46, had initially been charged with seven counts each of dissemination and possession, according to the news release of his arrest and court records. The seven charges for disseminating were all Class X felonies, which could have been punishable by six to 30 years in prison.

Kane County Circuit Judge Bianca Camargo accepted the plea.

Assistant State’s Attorney Ken Hudson said in court that on July 13, 2024, Latham used a social media platform to upload and share a video of sexual abuse images that depicted a child who the defendant knew was under the age of 13, according to the release.

“Child pornography is not a victimless crime,” Hudson said in the release. ”Children depicted in sexually compromising images and videos are victimized every time someone views them, even decades later. My thanks to the investigators in the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office’s Child Exploitation Unit.”

Special Investigator Andrew Uhlir of the Kane County Child Exploitation Unit investigated this case. The unit is a collaboration of the State’s Attorney’s Office and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office launched in 2022.

In addition to the prison term, Latham must register for life as a sexual offender in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act, according to the release.

In accordance with Illinois law, Latham is eligible for day-for-day sentencing and will receive credit for 322 days he already served in the Kane County jail, according to the release.