A Rochelle man pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Dec. 31, to possessing and intending to disseminate images of child sexual abuse.

Matthew S. Robinson, 29, waived his right to a preliminary hearing, entered the not guilty plea, and asked for a jury trial while appearing with his attorney, Assistant Ogle County Public Defender Eric Morrow in front of Associate Circuit Judge Russell Crull.

Robinson is charged with dissemination of images of child sexual abuse and possession with the intent to disseminate images of child sexual abuse – both Class X felonies – and possession of child sex abuse images, a Class 2 felony.

Morrow again argued for Robinson’s pretrial release, telling Crull that Robinson was asking to be released from custody so he could provide financial support for his family.

“He does have five children. The mortgage is now past due because he has been unable to work while in custody,” Morrow told Crull. “He is asking to be released so he can keep a roof over his family’s heads.”

Morrow said Robinson could be released under very strict conditions – a similar argument he had made at Robinson’s court appearances on Dec. 17 and Dec. 24.

Assistant Ogle County State’s Attorney Matthew Leisten argued against Robinson’s release.

During a Dec. 17 detention hearing, Leisten said Robinson possessed and shared the images through SnapChat between July 25 and Dec. 16. Leisten said the girls depicted were under the age of 13.

Leisten also said Robinson’s criminal history included a previous adjudication for a similar offense when he was a juvenile in another county. He said Robinson was listed as a sex offender after his juvenile charge was adjudicated.

Crull denied Robinson’s pretrial release, agreeing with Associate Judge Anthony Peska’s previous rulings.

Robinson was arrested Dec. 16 after Ogle County sheriff’s detectives executed a search warrant at his residence in the 10000 block of East South Woodlawn Road in rural Rochelle.

Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said in a news release that the arrest was made after a lengthy investigation. He said Ogle County detectives were assisted by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

During a Dec. 24 hearing, Robinson was appointed the public defender’s office after a change in his employment status following his arrest.

Defendants can request to be represented by the public defender’s office, but they must fill out a financial affidavit that a judge then uses to determine whether they qualify for the service.

Robinson’s next court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Feb. 5.

Class X felonies are punishable by 6 to 60 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, with 3 years to natural life of mandatory supervised release. If convicted, defendants must serve 85% of their sentence and register as a sex offender upon their release.

Class 2 felonies are punishable by 3 to 7 years in prison with 2 years of mandatory supervised release to follow.