Sex offender deemed ‘sexually violent,’ committed to IDHS custody

A Cook County judge has committed a registered sex offender to a mental health treatment facility after a jury ruled the man a “sexually violent person.”

Circuit Court Judge Steven Watkins ruled earlier this week that 35-year-old Luis Tenorio was sexually violent and must remain in the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services for treatment, according to a statement from Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office.

Under the state’s Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act, prosecutors can seek to have a person who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense and who suffers from a mental disorder committed to IDHS custody, the attorney general’s office said. In such cases, prosecutors must prove that the person is likely to commit future acts of sexual violence if released from custody.

Tenorio has a “lengthy record” of sexual assault convictions, including a conviction for grabbing an 8-year-old girl from her porch and sexually abusing her, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to five years in prison for that incident.

Tenorio was added to the Illinois Sex Offender Registry for the aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under 13 when he was 17 years old, according to the registry.

“Releasing this offender would have seriously jeopardized the safety of women and young girls in the community, and I appreciate the judge’s decision to prevent him from reentering society,” Madigan said in the statement.

Tenorio was returned to an IDHS treatment facility in downstate Rushville following the ruling.