Blackhawks prospect charged under Illinois’ ‘revenge porn’ law

A Chicago Blackhawks prospect has been charged under Illinois’ so-called “revenge porn” law stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred last August.

Garret E. Ross, 23, who is on the roster of the Rockford IceHogs, a Blackhawks affiliate, was charged last month with non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images, according to a complaint filed Feb. 3 in DeKalb County Circuit Court.

Ross is accused of disseminating an image of a woman “engaged in a sexual act, which was obtained under circumstances which Ross should have known the image was to remain private and should have known that [the alleged victim] had not consented to the dissemination,” according to the complaint.

The incident allegedly occurred in Sycamore on Aug. 31, the complaint states. Sycamore is just north of DeKalb, and about 70 miles west of Chicago.

Ross, who lives in Dearborn Heights, Mich., is due back in court March 28.

Neither Ross nor the Blackhawks could immediately be reached for comment. A phone call left with the IceHogs was not immediately returned.

In December 2014, then-Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law the revenge porn bill. At the time, Quinn said cyber-bullying can have lasting and devastating effects. He said the law would crack down on perpetrators and would prevent more people from becoming victims.

Contributing: AP