Aurora Beacon News Saturday, April 25, 2009 By Dan Campana ELGIN – The 2nd District Appellate Court has thrown out a St. Charles man's 2007 child pornography conviction on the grounds police went too far to collect evidence. Robert Prinzing was arrested in 2004 after a six-month investigation by the Kane County sheriff's office that began after a federal agent reported Prinzing's credit card had been used for child-pornography purchases. During his lengthy case, Prinzing's attorney (Kathleen Colton) argued Prinzing did give police consent to search a computer because they initially said they were investigating possible fraudulent use of the credit card. The computer analysis, and a subsequent seizure of other computers and disks, turned up a large number of pornographic images, police said at the time. A judge denied Prinzing's attempt to suppress that evidence, and Prinzing was later found guilty of six counts during a bench trial. Prinzing received a sentence that included 2½ years of probation and registration as a sex offender for life. The appellate court sent the case back to Kane County.