Former Sangamon Co. police chief gets 1 year of jail for child pornography charges

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A former police chief from Sangamon County has been sentenced to jail time after he pleaded guilty to charges of possessing child pornography.

Sangamon County court records show that last week, James Hillyer took a plea deal with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to half the charges against him. He pleaded guilty to four charges of possessing child pornography, two of official misconduct and one of grooming; the remaining counts against him were dismissed.

As punishment, Hillyer will spend 364 days in the Sangamon County Jail, getting credit for one day already served in custody, and will have to serve four additional years on probation. He must also register as a sex offender for life.

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As a former Police Chief in Spaulding, Hillyer was working as a school resource officer in the Riverton School District at the time of his arrest. Hillyer’s actions, the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office said, happened outside his official capacity as a police officer.

Arrest and changing documents showed that Hillyer was accused of enticing a minor into sending him sexually explicit content in October of 2022 and using his position to gain a personal advantage while doing something he knew was illegal.

Hillyer was charged in May of 2023. He paid bail to get out of jail after his arrest and remained free until he pleaded guilty.

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