Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a St. Clair County jury on Wednesday found a registered sex offender is a Sexually Violent Person (SVP).
St. Clair County Judge Elaine LeChien ordered Danny Schwab, 56, be remanded to the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). Schwab had been detained in the IDHS Treatment and Detention Facility awaiting his jury trial.
“The offender’s lengthy criminal history of sexually assaulting children proves he is a danger to the community,” Raoul said. “I am pleased this verdict prevents him from being able to harm anyone else, and I appreciate the jury and court’s work in this case.”
According to Raoul, Schwab is alleged to have assaulted or abused 29 children and adolescents ranging in age from eight to 17 years old since 1988. In 2000, Schwab pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and was sentenced to a total of 28 years in prison.
Under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act, Raoul’s office files cases seeking to commit offenders to the custody of IDHS. To be committed under the act, a person must have been convicted of a sexually violent offense and suffer from a mental disorder. The Attorney General’s office must also prove that the offender is likely to commit future acts of sexual violence if released from custody. Once committed to IDHS, offenders are re-evaluated on a regular basis to determine if they continue to meet the criteria for commitment as a sexually violent person.
Assistant Attorneys General Megan Lintker and William Bryant handled the case for Raoul's Sexually Violent Persons Bureau.
