Randolph Co. man charged with child sex assault may have victims in St. Clair

Police say a Randolph County man who was recently charged with multiple felony counts related to allegedly sexually abusing children may have also abused children in other jurisdictions.

On Thursday, Randolph County State’s Attorney Chris Koneman charged 67-year-old Clyde J. Thibodeaux, of Tilden, with eight counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child and one count of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, a news release from the Sparta Police Department states.

The abuse involves multiple children between the ages of 3 and 11 and went on for about 50 years, police said.

These charges relate to alleged offenses that took place in Randolph County, the release explains. But, an investigation by the Sparta Police Department and Illinois Attorney General’s Office found there were other possible victims in St. Clair County and Louisiana.

“Sparta Police Officer Adam Diercks … began the initial interviews and investigation process and concluded that this case was going to be much larger than originally believed,” the release says.

Between the three jurisdictions, the investigation yielded 11 possible victims, the release said. Thibodeaux is suspected of committing such offenses for approximately 50 years, according to the release.

The investigation started after the Sparta Police Department was recently contacted about possible sexual abuse, the release says. After learning there were possibly more victims over a large span of time and across multiple jurisdictions, the Sparta Police Department had the Illinois Attorney General’s Office assist in the investigation, the release explains.

According to the Randolph County inmate listing updated Saturday morning, Thibodeaux is in the county jail.

Those with information may contact Sparta’s Chief of Police Sean Lukes or Assistant Chief of Police Jeremy Kempfer at 618-443-4331.