Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has announced a local judge has ruled that a registered sex offender is a Sexually Violent Person. As a result, Judge Kara Bartucci ordered 35-year-old Elkanah Asher be remanded to the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS).  Rauol said this offender has demonstrated that he is a significant risk to women and children, and this ruling will prevent him from being able to harm others.

Asher was returned to a Treatment and Detention Facility in Rushville, where he has been in custody since 2020.  The A-G's office states since 1009, Asher has been stnenced for the aggravated sexula abuse of an 11-year-old girl, a 14-year-old girl, and he's pleaded guilty to charges related to the harassment of women.  In 2015 he also pled guilty to harassing a woman at her workplace. 

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.

94.1 WGFA