A Joliet sex offender accused of secretly taking photos of children at a New Lenox Walmart was found unfit to stand trial and will enter a state-run treatment program before being reassessed.
Paul T. Raibley, 61, was transferred to Illinois Department of Human Services custody after a hearing in which a Will County judge reviewed a psychological evaluation of Raibley, according to court documents.
Raibley’s attorney, Steve Haney, asked for a fitness evaluation in August, saying Raibley attempted suicide twice while in Will County jail custody.
Haney said Wednesday that Raibley is afflicted with a neurological disorder and is unsure whether it is treatable.
“His ability to communicate with me is basically zero,” Haney said.
The court order requires that Raibley be evaluated again within one year to determine whether his condition can be restored so he can stand trial.
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The Department of Human Services is tasked with providing Raibley “appropriate treatment” and is required to present a report with more information on Raibley’s condition at a court hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 24, the court order said.
Raibley faces three felony charges of child photography by a child sex offender, accused of videotaping young children between the ages of 5 and 10 years old who were shopping with their mother in the 501 E. Lincoln Highway Walmart.
Court documents indicate a Walmart employee first found Raibley acting suspiciously in the Walmart July 2, telling police she saw a woman in a motorized cart shopping with a young girl when a man put a small device under the girl’s skirt when she wasn’t paying attention.
Raibley returning to the store July 18, and New Lenox police were called. Employees showed police the store’s surveillance video of Raibley photographing customers, records show.
Police Raibley had a black key fob that appeared to have a lens on one end and tape placed on the top of the buttons, according to court documents. On the key fob, Raibley’s cellphone and a storage device, police said they found a number of recent videos of young girls sometimes with an adult unaware they were being photographed.
Some of the videos appeared to be at Walmart and others at a public pool, court documents said.
Raibley has a prior federal conviction for production of child pornography, according to Will County court records.