Elderly man charged with over 100 counts of child molesting will stay out of jail pretrial

After a brief court appearance Thursday, a Kane County judge denied a prosecutor’s request to keep a elderly suspect in jail instead of on pretrial release on electronic home monitoring.

Judge John Barsanti denied Assistant State’s Attorney Lori Schmidt’s motion to have Michael G. Farris, 84, of Montgomery, held in jail as he faces 106 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and 23 counts of criminal sexual assault of five minors.

Schmidt had argued that Farris still posed a threat despite his age and infirmity. Farris’s attorney, Seth McClure, had previously argued that Farris had not broken any of the rules for home monitoring – that he have no internet access or contact with the alleged victims in his case or anyone under 18, and that he check with probation before he leaving for doctor’s appointments.

Farris’ case was continued to Aug. 20 for completion of discovery – a process where both sides exchange information and evidence relevant to the case.