McHenry Times

State Rep. Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) is working to keep child sex offenders away from events such as state fairs.

“Parents and children should feel safe while enjoying themselves at the state fair,” Weber said on his website. “Unfortunately, our laws have not been sufficient enough to keep these kinds of people away from the children. This law will close the loophole that allowed a child sex offender to work a kiddie ride at the state fair last year. These people have no business being anywhere near children and unfortunately around children is likely where they would want to be employed.”

There have been incidents of this happening.

Jason Flynn, 41, was operating carnival equipment at the Illinois State Fair just six months after he was released from prison for sexually abusing a 12-year-old child, WCIA reported. 

“Despite background check protocols and state laws designed to keep child sex offenders away from children at fairs,” Flynn was hired by Miller Spectacular Shows and worked at the State Fair for at least four days.

Safehome reports that 32,541 Illinoisans are registered as child sex offenders.

Weber’s press release mentions the recent arrest of four Disney employees involved in a human trafficking ring in Florida. One of the employees was a 27-year-old lifeguard who sent inappropriate photos and messages to a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, CBS reported. The three other Disney employees who were arrested were allegedly attempting to solicit prostitutes.

Christopher Ohm of Mattoon, Ill., was sentenced to 38 years and two months of imprisonment for enticement of a minor, sex trafficking of a minor and receipt and possession of child pornography, according to a Department of Justice release.

Weber sponsored Senate Bill 3019, which will ban sex offenders from working at the state fair, carnivals and amusement parks. Last year, the Illinois Department of Agriculture had to fire Miller Spectacular Shows in the first year of its 10-year contract because Miller had hired a convicted child sex offender to operate a children’s ride at the Illinois State Fair. Although current Illinois law prohibits sex offenders from working at county fairgrounds, a release from Weber’s office said it does not extend to cover state fairgrounds.

“Senate Bill 3019 makes it illegal for a child sex offender to knowingly, operate, manage, be employed by, or be associated with any carnival, amusement enterprise, or county or State fair when persons under the age of 18 are present.” The legislation has passed the House and the Senate and is now awaiting Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature to become law.