State wants McHenry sex offender locked up beyond prison term

An imprisoned sex offender who says he is sure he will rape, and possibly kill, a young child if set free may never get that chance.

State lawyers filed a petition in McHenry County court today asking a judge to declare Christopher J. Tatara a sexually violent person, a ruling that would allow authorities to keep him locked up indefinitely while he undergoes treatment.

Tatara, 26, formerly of McHenry, is about 19 days away from being released from prison after serving an 8-year term on charges he sexually assaulted two minor girls. One of his victims, court records state, became pregnant when she was 12.

That release date could become moot on Monday, however, when McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather will determine whether there is probable cause to keep Tatara locked up at least until a trial on the sexually violent person petition.

According to that petition, Tatara told a psychologist in prison last year that he began sexually abusing children when he was as young as 7 years old and, in the nine years before his 1999 arrest in McHenry, had victimized as many as 58 women, boys and girls.

He listed John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer as heroes, according to the report from psychologist Ray Quackenbush, and believed he might murder his next victim.

"He stated to this examiner that he was certain he would rape a young child when he is released from prison," Quackenbush wrote in his report. "He also said that he would kill the child to avoid being caught."

Tatara, court documents say, participated in sex offender treatment for one year at the Big Muddy Correctional Center in downstate Ina, but was thrown out of the program for playing banned role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.

Given his record and statements about himself, Quackenbush states, it is not safe to let Tatara free.

"There is a substantial probability Mr. Tatara will engage in acts of sexual violence in the future," he reported.

If a judge or jury agrees, state law allows authorities to detain Tatara in an Illinois Department of Human Services facility until mental health professionals and a court agree he no longer is a threat to re-offend.