Montgomery Woman, 23, Charged After Failing To Register As Sex Offender: Sheriff

MONTGOMERY, IL — A Montgomery woman, 23, was apprehended March 31 after the Kendall County Sheriff's Office said she failed to register as a sex offender.

Deputies began an investigation Dec. 29 into Emmeline Kenealy, leading to the Kendall County State's Attorney's Office issuing a warrant for her arrest on three felony counts of unlawful failure to register as a sex offender, according to a news release.

The Illinois Sex Offender Registry indicates Kenealy, who registered on Dec. 17, 2026, was in possession of child sexual abuse material depicting a 13-year-old victim. The Rock Island Police Department investigated the incident.

Kenealy pleaded guilty last year to possessing child sexual abuse images, which she shared on Snapchat in 2022 while she attended Augustana College, according to a report from Shaw Local.

With assistance from the United States Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, deputies brought Kenealy, of the 0-99 block of Woodridge Road in Montgomery, into custody March 31 at the Kendall County jail.

According to jail logs, she was charged with one count of failure to register. She was released from custody April 1 on pre-trial conditions.