Metro-east man who sexually assaulted 11 children for five decades is sentenced

A man accused of sexually assaulting 11 children over the course of about 50 years in Randolph County, St. Clair County and in Louisiana pleaded guilty Monday and was given a 180-year prison sentence, the Randolph County State’s Attorney announced.

Clyde J. Thibodeaux, 67, of Tilden, pleaded guilty to three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child in Randolph County court, according to Randolph County State’s Attorney Christopher P. Koeneman.

Judge Jeremy Walker sentenced Thibodeaux to 60 years for each count and ordered him to serve the sentences consecutively for a total of 180 years, Koeneman said.

“As someone who works in criminal justice every day, even I have trouble fathoming the pure evil it takes to sexually assault eleven children – not just children, but children as young as three years old, many of them repeatedly,” Koeneman stated in a news release. “Thibodeaux robbed them of their innocence, and now he is going to pay with the rest of his life.” An attorney representing Thibodeaux could not be reached for comment.

Koeneman said of the 11 victims, eight are from Randolph County, two are from St. Clair County and one from the state of Louisiana.

Thibodeaux originally was charged with eight counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Thibodeaux was arrested in July after the Sparta Police Department began an investigation in June.

Sparta Assistant Police Chief Jeremy Kempfer praised the law-enforcement officials who handled this case and he described the victims as “true heroes.”

“The Sparta Police Department also gives its respect to the victims of these crimes and for those who came forward to put an end to what had been taking place for approximately 50 years,” Kempfer said in a news release Monday. “They are the true heroes, and we are glad that they received justice today.”