MOUNT GREENWOOD — Donald Leib, a convicted sex offender, was found guilty Monday afternoon of violating the terms of his release, according to Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th).
A Mount Greenwood resident, Leib violated his registration by attending an annual carnival fundraiser at Queen of Martyrs Parish in late September 2015, according to O'Shea.
A Cook County Circuit Court judge found Leib guilty of being within 500 feet of a school zone by attending the event. Leib's attorney argued that the parking lot used for the carnival was actually owned by the church, but the judge wasn't buying it, O'Shea said.
Leib, 46, will be sentenced for the violation Jan. 5 and faces up to six years in prison. He had been free on bond leading up to the hearing, but his bond was revoked by the judge after handing down the guilty verdict, O'Shea said.
"We have a very safe community. But we also have more than a dozen registered sex offenders living among us. It's scary," the Southwest Side alderman said Monday.
According to the Illinois State Police database, Leib was 37 years old when he attempted to lure a 12-year-old child into his vehicle.
O'Shea said suburban Evergreen Park police made the arrest at the carnival after a "courageous neighbor" spotted Leib. That same neighbor not only alerted police but provided important testimony at the bench trial, said O'Shea who was in the courtroom.
"Our entire community is safer with Donald Leib off the streets," O'Shea said in an email to constituents sent Monday afternoon.
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