A Viola senior citizen’s child porn case has been continued to this spring. 77-year-old Richard Hockenberry appeared in Mercer County Circuit Court Monday morning for a pre-trial conference with the matter delayed to April 11. 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.
