Quincy man sentenced to seven years in Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to child pornography

QUINCY — A Quincy man was sentenced Friday afternoon to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to two counts of child pornography involving possession of a photo of victim under the age of 13.

Denario K. Brooks, 28, appeared before Judge Tad Brenner in Adams County Circuit Court with his attorney, Public Defender John Citro. 

Brooks was eligible to receive between three and seven years on each of the child pornography charges, both Class 2 felonies. Brenner sentenced Brooks to 3½ years on charge, and the sentences must be served consecutively. As part of the plea negotiations, a third charge of child pornography involving possession of a photo of a victim under the age of 13 was dropped. Also dropped was a Class X felony of child pornography with a victim under the age of 13.

Brooks will get credit for 90 days already spent in the Adams County Jail. 

Assistant State’s Attorney Laura Keck told Brenner she would present evidence that, after an investigation, Sgt. James Brown of the Quincy Police Department went to Brooks’ residence at 523 S. Sixth on Nov. 10, 2022. Brown and Brooks then went to the Quincy Police Department, and Brooks gave Brown his cell phone, telling him he had been looking at child pornography since he was 13 years old and as recently as a week earlier.

Keck said Brooks admitted he would look at pornography on his phone. Brooks allowed Brown to look at his phone and found a video of a male adult male penetrating the anus of a female child under the age of 13 with his penis. He also found another video of an adult male placing his penis into the vagina a female child under the age of 13, and the female child placing her mouth on the penis of the adult male.