Former UTHS resource officer pleads guilty to child pornography charge

A former United Township High School resource officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of unlawful possession of child pornography in Rock Island County Circuit Court.

Online court records show that 48 year old Kirk DeGreve, of Moline, will be sentenced December 14th. Unlawful possession of child pornography is a Class 3 felony punishable by two to five years in prison, however, prosecutors will cap their sentencing recommendation at three years.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors have dismissed two counts of criminal sexual assault and one count of unlawful possession of child pornography.

The Illinois State Police was contacted in August by then-East Moline Police Chief John Reynolds to conduct an independent criminal investigation of a suspected inappropriate relationship between DeGreve and a UTHS student, according to state police. Investigators say DeGreve was immediately removed from the school and reassigned to patrol duties during the investigation.

State Police say on January 16th, after numerous search warrant executions and interviews, investigators recovered evidence of suspected criminal conduct. Current Police Chief Jeff Ramsey was informed of the new information and placed DeGreve on administrative leave, according to state police.

DeGreve was arrested January 23rd in Springfield and on February 11th, a Rock Island County grand jury handed up a four-count indictment against him.

(Photo by KWQC / Illinois State Police)


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