Woodstock man deemed ‘sexually violent,’ committed to IDHS custody

A McHenry County judge has ordered a north suburban sex offender committed to a mental health facility after ruling him a “sexually violent person.”

Judge Sharon Prather ruled that 47-year-old Robert Bacci of Woodstock must remain in the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services, according to the Illinois Attorney General’s office. He is being detained at the IDHS SVP Treatment and Detention Facility in downstate Rushville.

Bacci is currently serving a two-year prison sentence for a 2014 conviction for attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a 5-year-old child, prosecutors said.

He has been a registered sex offender since 2002, according to the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.

“The offender’s history of sex offenses clearly shows the danger his release would pose to the community,” Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in the statement. “I appreciate the judge’s decision to prevent him from re-entering society.”

Under the state’s Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act, prosecutors can seek to have a person 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.