GURNEE, Ill. _ After turning himself in Thursday on charges accusing him of distributing sexual pictures online without permission of the subjects, former Illinois state Rep. Nick Sauer was granted a bail reduction in Lake County Circuit Court.
Sauer has been indicted on 12 counts of non-consensual dissemination of sexual images for allegedly posting separate photos of two fully naked women online without their permission, according to the indictments.
The indictments, released by the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, state that Sauer allegedly knew the women involved; that "a reasonable person would know that the image was to remain private"; and that the defendant "knew or should have known" that the alleged victims did not consent to dissemination of their images.
Neither of the women was a minor, according to the court documents.
Sauer, 36, who resigned as a state representative in August, initially faced a $50,000 bail, but after a reduction request from Sauer's defense attorney, bond court Judge Paul Novak reduced his bail to $30,000.
In making the case for a reduced bond, defense attorneys noted Sauer turned himself in voluntarily and has close ties to the community, including former positions on both the Lake County Board and in the state legislature.
Defense attorney Daniel Locallo said after the hearing he believed Sauer would be able to post 10 percent of the bail amount and gain his release Thursday. Locallo and co-counsel Steve Landis had no further comment.
Later in the afternoon, Sauer left the courthouse without commenting to reporters.
Novak scheduled Sauer's arraignment for Feb. 6 before Lake County Circuit Judge Patricia Fix. Terms of his bond include no contact with the victims and no use of social media.
The indictments were approved by a circuit court judge Wednesday and released in a statement from the State's Attorney's Office.
Spokeswoman Cynthia Vargas said the office had no further comment beyond the information released in the statement Wednesday and copies of the indictments.
Sauer, who was a first-term Republican from Lake Barrington, resigned in August as a result of the allegations made by a former girlfriend, Politico reported at that time.
The woman accused Sauer of posting nude photos of her on an Instagram account he opened under a false name, according to Politico's story. The accusations reportedly were detailed in complaints filed with the Chicago Police Department and the state legislative inspector general.
The Lake County State's Attorney's Office began its investigation in late July, after being contacted by Illinois Legislative Inspector General Julie Porter, officials said.
In his August letter of resignation, Sauer wrote that he decided to step down "as a result of the allegations" by "a former girlfriend." He did not address them further beyond calling them "a distraction."
"After speaking with my family, I feel it best to step away from my public responsibilities," he wrote.
