Judge changes mind, orders child sex abuse defendant be detained pretrial
A Kane County judge changed his mind Thursday and ordered that a Montgomery man charged with child sex crimes be detained pretrial.
Judge John Barsanti granted prosecutors’ motion to have 85-year-old Michael Farris await trial in jail.
Farris faces 219 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, criminal sexual abuse, aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a relative and aggravated criminal sexual abuse by a person more than five years older than the victim. The charges say many of the victims were teenagers. The assaults and abuse took place between 2008 and 2022, according to the charges.
Farris is a former Boy Scouts leader, according to prosecutors, and they believe there may be more victims than the initial five.
Prosecutor Lori Schmidt argued that Farris posed a danger to the community. Farris’ attorney, Seth McClure, argued that there was no evidence Farris had violated any of the terms of his pretrial release.
Farris walked with a cane and sat in a chair during his hearing. Defendants usually stand for such hearings. Barsanti said Farris appeared frail.
“This defendant continued to sexually abuse minors all the way well into his 80s,” Schmidt wrote in a court filing. “Despite the infirmities of this defendant, the described sexual abuse does not require great physical mobility.”
Farris was initially detained following his first court appearance on Feb. 27. However, he was released on electronic home monitoring on March 24.
State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser criticized the decision afterward, saying, “EHM does not allow authorities to monitor whom the defendant is with or what they are doing, which is especially concerning given the heinous allegations here — including the assault of a victim who went to Farris’ door to offer his snow shoveling services.”
Prosecutors then filed a motion for reconsideration, a necessary step toward appealing Barsanti’s decision.
McClure said Thursday that he is filing a motion for reconsideration. Barsanti will hear that on May 7.