An 84-year-old suburban Chicago man has been charged with dozens of counts of criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse and police believe more victims could still be out there.
Michael Farris, of Montgomery, was charged with 23 counts of criminal sexual assault and 67 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in connection with incidents that took place between January 2008 and July 2022, the Kane County State's Attorney's office announced Thursday.
The state's attorney's office said Farris is accused of committing sexual acts with at least five victims between the ages of 13 and 17, one of whom had gone to his door to help shovel his driveway.
Prosecutors said Farris admitted to abusing four of the five victims in the case, along with five others who weren't included in the case. Prosecutors said he was in "sexual counseling" when some of the alleged incidents occurred, continuing up until he was 82 years old.
Police noted that Farris "was involved in organizations such as train club and the Boy Scouts of America."
Farris was last registered with Scouting America in 2000, the agency confirmed, adding that his "opportunity for involvement in Scouting ended today," following news of his arrest.
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"Scouting America will cooperate with law enforcement as requested. According to the state attorney’s office, at this time none of the current victims are believed to have been in Scouting with Mr. Farris," the group said in a statement.
"Farris has been banned from Scouting and will no longer be permitted to register or participate in Scouting America in any capacity."
Farris appeared in court Thursday, where he was ordered detained pretrial. His defense attorneys had argued he no longer poses a threat to the community due to his limited mobility and age.
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Authorities urged anyone who would like to report an incident or suspicious situation that may involve child sexual abuse, to contact the Montgomery Police Department at (331) 212-9091 or Kane County Child Advocacy Center Investigator Tom Ruzevich at (630) 208-5160.
