30 years later, state fighting to keep McHenry Co. sex offender locked up

A McHenry County man who has confessed to sexually abusing at least 56 children in the 1970s remains too dangerous to go free, even after nearly three decades in state institutions, county prosecutors argued in court Tuesday.

Prosecutors are trying to prevent the release of David P. Hoffman to a halfway house or similar facility, disputing claims he has made progress through treatment and painting him as a pedophile unwilling to change.

"He knows and recognizes his mindset, he just refuses to change it," Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Philip Hiscock said.

Hoffman, 48, is asking for a partial release from the state's sex offender treatment program, now at the Big Muddy Correctional Center downstate, to live in a less restrictive environment and prove he is no longer a danger to children.

After a daylong court hearing Tuesday, Judge Sharon Prather took the matter under advisement and indicated she would issue a decision Sept. 30.

Hoffman, formerly of Woodstock, has been in state custody since 1980, when he agreed to be declared a sexually dangerous person in connection with charges he repeatedly abused two teenage boys in the late 1970s.

Since then, a state psychiatrist testified, Hoffman has admitted to molesting at least 56 children, both boys and girls, ranging from 2 to 16 years old.

Despite his long incarceration, and years of treatment, Hoffman still shows a sexual predisposition toward children, psychiatrist Angeline Stanislaus said.

"He doesn't just have a sexual interest in children and keep it to himself," she testified. "He engages in sexual acts with children and commits criminal offenses."

As recently as last year, prison authorities found magazine photographs of children in Hoffman's cell, some hidden within the pages of his Bible.

"He's still engaging in deviant behavior, and he's still focused on children and teens," said psychologist Mark Carich. "He sees kids as objects, sexual objects and minimizes the harm (he's done)."

Hoffman's court appointed lawyer, however, argued that his client has shown a legitimate effort to get better and that his offenses, as egregious as they were, occurred 30 years ago.

"There is no reliable way to predict future human behavior," attorney Colin MacMeekin said. "Give Mr. Hoffman a chance to show that he's learned from his incarceration and that with the rest of his life he can be a productive citizen."