Waukegan man accused of locking daughter in basement to be evaluated again for fitness to stand trial
A Waukegan man accused of locking his 10-year-old daughter in a basement because, he claimed, she was demonically possessed once again will be evaluated by doctors to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
Randy Swopes, who is representing himself in court, is charged with felony unlawful restraint and two misdemeanor counts of child endangerment. He could be sentenced to a maximum three years in prison if found guilty of the felony charge.
Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti ordered the new evaluation and said Wednesday that Swopes had filed documents to the court that she found concerning.
"The arguments that Swopes filed had drawings and words and numbers which make absolutely no sense to this court," Rossetti said.
After the judge said he was to be evaluated again, Swopes leaned back in his chair and smiled in the direction of the prosecution and the media.
Swopes previously was deemed unfit to stand trial during a rare "fitness trial" in December. The proceeding included testimony from a psychologist who said Swopes believed current and former United States presidents and other politicians sneaked into his house at night and sexually assaulted him and his family as they slept.
After the one-day trial, Swopes was transferred to a department of public health facility until he was mentally fit for trial. Under state law, a person is mentally unfit if he or she cannot understand the court proceedings or assist in his or her defense. After a month in a mental health facility, he was deemed mentally fit and returned to Lake County jail in January.
Swopes' second fitness trial is scheduled for July 16.
Swopes, 49, and his wife, Katherine, were charged July 17, 2018, with child endangerment and unlawful restraint for locking their daughter in the basement of their single-family house on the 200 block of Liberty Street, authorities said. Police officers discovered the girl was forced to live in the basement because the parents believed she was "possessed by a demon," police said.
In subsequent court appearances, Swopes claimed Lake County judges, lawyers and politicians were part of rituals that involved drinking blood and sexually assaulting children.
Randy Swopes remains in Lake County jail on $750,000 bail, while his wife pleaded guilty in May and was sentenced to 30 months of probation and 12 months of periodic imprisonment as part of a plea deal approved by Rossetti. Under the agreement, Katherine Swopes must give truthful testimony against her husband should his case go to trial. She has also been ordered to be on a 24-hour curfew, is prohibited from having drugs or alcohol, and may not have any contact with her husband or children.