Former carnival worker sentenced to 12 years for abusing toddler

Calling Adam J. Moyers “a parent’s worst nightmare,” a Cook County judge Thursday sentenced the 20-year-old former carnival worker to 12 years in prison for molesting a 3-year-old during Schaumburg’s 2012 Septemberfest celebration.

Cook County Judge Thomas Fecarotta handed down the sentence in exchange for Moyers’ guilty plea to predatory criminal sexual assault. The judge also ordered Moyers to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The Franklin Park resident was working at a funhouse on Sept. 2, 2012. Prosecutors say the victim — who attended the festival with her parents and a sibling — decided she didn’t want to enter the funhouse. Moyers escorted her from the attraction, taking her down a slide where prosecutors say the abuse occurred.

Prosecutors said the girl told her parents two days later and they contacted police.

Moyers, who has no criminal background, received credit for the 491 days he has spent in custody since his arrest. He must complete at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.