A former Illinois Youth Center guard has been sentenced to probation and community service after a Kane County jury found him guilty of the offenses of official misconduct, Class 3 felony, 6 counts, and aggravated battery in a public place, Class 3 felony on April 29, 2022.
In January 2016, Michael J. Klimek, 46, while acting in his official capacity as a guard at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles, ran what was effectively a fight club among certain juvenile detainees at IYC, facilitating and encouraging detainees to physically attack other detainees as he stood by and did nothing.
“Michael Klimek was entrusted with providing a safe environment for the youths serving their sentences at the Illinois Youth Center, St. Charles,” said Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Margaret O’Brien. “Instead, he encouraged a culture of violence amongst the youths to maintain order. This conviction ensures that Michael Klimek will never again be given the opportunity to manipulate, control, or abuse his power over the same youths he should have been protecting.”
Last Wednesday, Kane County Associate Judge David P. Kliment sentenced Klimek to 18 months’ probation and 180 hours of community service.
