Sangamon County Judge John Madonia has found Gerald Smith, a 60 year old Sangamon County man, and registered sex offender, to be a Sexually Violent Person (SVP) and committed Smith to the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services. Smith had been detained in the IDHS Treatment and Detention Facility awaiting his trial.
Illinois Attorney General Raoul was commended the Judge, saying “I am pleased Judge Madonia deemed this offender a Sexually Violent Person, which prevents him from being able to harm anyone else, his violent criminal history of sexually assaulting women proves he is a danger to the community.”
According to Raoul, Smith was found guilty in 1985 of criminal sexual assault and force against a 15-year-old girl and sentenced to 6 years in prison. He was also found guilty in 1986 of attempted murder, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping of a Springfield, Illinois woman he followed, ran off the road, severely injured and assaulted. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act, Raoul’s office files cases seeking to commit offenders to the custody of IDHS. To be committed under the act, a person must have been convicted of a sexually violent offense and suffer from a mental disorder. The Attorney General’s office must also prove that the offender is likely to commit future acts of sexual violence if released from custody. Once committed to IDHS, offenders are re-evaluated on a regular basis to determine if they continue to meet the criteria for commitment as a sexually violent person.