A Viola man facing 16 felony counts in a child porn investigation, has retained a private attorney. 44 year old James Eric Haley told Judge Peter Church this morning that he has hired David Morrison of Rock Island as his defense counsel. Haley was arrested last Thursday following a search warrant executed at his home. He is facing a single Class X felony, one Class 2 felony and 14 Class 1 felonies. The case involves one victim–a 15 year old girl with alleged offenses occurring in 2014 and 2015. Class X felonies are punishable by 6-to-30 years in prison upon conviction with Class 1 felonies carrying a 4-to-15 year term and Class 2 felonies punishable by 3-to-7 years in prison. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 3 in Mercer County Circuit Court. Bond remains at $500,000.
