Augustana College senior Emmeline Kenealy, who works as a community advisor (CA) on campus, was arrested Monday afternoon on pending charges of child pornography, according to records published by the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department. She is being held on no bond.
Kenealy, 21, is a CA for the third floor of Westerlin’s Jenny Lind wing.
The Observer reached out to the college late Monday night to ask how the arrest might affect residents of the wing. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
UPDATE
On Oct. 4, Kenealy appeared in court, and a plea of not guilty was entered on her behalf at the Rock Island County Courthouse.
Kenealy has been charged with three counts of child pornography, allegedly committed on Aug. 17, 2022, according to court documents. The counts, involving a toddler and an adult male, are Class X felonies.
If found guilty, these charges warrant six to 30 years in prison followed by anywhere from three years to life of mandatory supervision upon release.
Kenealy was appointed a public attorney and will appear at a detention hearing on Oct. 5 at 1:30 p.m. This will be followed by a preliminary hearing on Oct. 24 at 8:30 a.m. All hearings are to take place at the Rock Island County Courthouse.
According to records published by the Rock Island County case database Kenealy was issued a mittimus, which is a warrant for her to be taken to jail. Kenealy is still being held without bond.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Emmeline Kenealy is a former employee of the Observer.
John Duncan • Oct 3, 2023 at 5:40 pm
Awful to hear. What is a CA?
Elise Brenner • Oct 6, 2023 at 7:26 am
A CA is a residential assistant (RA), like at other schools. A student that’s in charge of a specific floor/wing of a residence hall
Anon Ymous • Oct 6, 2023 at 10:12 am
A CA is Augustana’s version of an “RA,” or a resident assistant. She was someone who lived in a freshman dorm and essentially monitored the hall for safety.