Septemberfest carnival worker charged with assault of child

Schaumburg police have accused a carnival worker at last weekend’s Septemberfest of the sexual assault of a 3-year-old child in the festival’s fun house.

Adam J. Moyers, 19, whose last known address was the 3500 block of Hawthorne in Franklin Park, was charged with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, both felonies.

According to police, on Saturday, Sept. 2, the victim and an older sibling entered the fun house on Schaumburg’s municipal grounds during Septemberfest. The sibling went down a slide that the younger child was too scared to follow.

The sibling told their father who attempted to enter the fun house to help the younger child.

Moyers, who was the carnival employee monitoring the fun house, stopped the father from entering and had all other patrons remain outside while he went into the fun house to find the child, police said.

According to police, Moyers committed the act he was charged with while alone in the fun house with the victim. The next day, the victim advised the parents of inappropriate physical contact with the offender, police said.

The child’s parents reported the contact to Schaumburg police and an investigation was started. Moyers was taken into custody Thursday and was positively identified by the victim’s family.

If any other parents believe their children had inappropriate contact with Moyers over the Labor Day weekend in Schaumburg, they are urged to call the Schaumburg Police Department’s Investigations Division at (847) 882-3534.

Moyers is an employee of Fantasy Amusement Co. and had no criminal record at the time of his arrest, Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said.

The family-owned company released a statement on Moyers’ arrest Friday, stating that it is cooperating fully with police. “As required by state law, we complete background checks on every employee and this employee passed that background check,” the statement said.

Despite Moyers’ lack of criminal history, Schaumburg detectives said they have reason to believe he’s committed similar offenses involving children at other carnivals throughout the Chicago area.

Anybody who believes their child may have been a victim is urged to call the police department within the community where the carnival was held.

Moyers’ bail was set at $200,000 Friday morning at the Cook County Courthouse in Rolling Meadows. His next court date is Sept. 28.