A Viola senior citizen’s child porn case has been continued to next year. 77-year-old Richard Hockenberry appeared in Mercer County Circuit Court Tuesday morning for a pre-trial conference with the matter delayed to Jan. 10. The defense asked for the continuance. He faces two Class 2 felony counts, which are the result of a search warrant executed at his home on Aug. 18 by Illinois State Police investigators along with the Illinois Attorney General’s High Tech Crime Bureau and the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office. Hockenberry is free on a $50,000 recognizance bond.
