Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a Tilden, Illinois man was sentenced to 180 years in prison for predatory criminal sexual assault of a minor under the age of 13. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online. 

Clyde Thibodeaux, 68, was sentenced today by Randolph County Circuit Court Judge Jeremy R. Walker after pleading guilty to three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, Class X felonies. During the investigation Thibodeaux admitted to committing acts of sexual abuse against 11 different children over the course of 50 years. 

“Those who prey on and victimize innocent children must be held accountable. This sentence ensures this predator who admitted to these heinous crimes will not harm these children again,” Raoul said. “My heart goes out to the multiple victims and their families as they begin to heal from these traumatic experiences. My office will continue to collaborate with state and local law enforcement agencies to protect Illinois children.” 

Raoul’s investigators, along with officers from the Sparta Police Department and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigations conducted a search of Thibodeaux’s residence in Tilden in July. He was arrested after investigators discovered evidence of predatory criminal sexual assault and interview the suspect. This case involved several victims mainly in Randolph and St. Clair counties in Illinois and three victims from Louisiana who were all under the age of 13 at the time of the offenses. 

Attorney General Raoul’s office co-prosecuted this case with Randolph County State’s Attorney Christopher Koeneman. 

“This case was a true team effort of the Sparta Police Department, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Randolph County State’s Attorney’s Office. The sentence reflects the depravity of the defendant’s crimes and the tireless work of this team,” Koeneman said. “Even as someone who works in criminal justice every day, I have trouble fathoming the pure evil it takes to sexually assault 11 children over the course of 50 years. Not just children, but children as young as three years old. Many of them repeatedly. Thibodeaux robbed them of their innocence and now he will pay with the rest of his life serving 180 years, which is justice for the victims and ensures that he will never harm a child ever again.” 

Raoul’s office, with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, runs the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force that investigates child exploitation crimes and trains law enforcement agencies. The task force receives CyberTips, or online reports of child sexual abuse material, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Over the last several years, CyberTipline reports have steadily increased. In 2024, reports to the ICAC Task Force increased by 11% over 2023.

Illinois’ ICAC Task Force is one of 61 ICAC task forces throughout the country and is comprised of a network of more than 200 local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Since 2019, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has received more than 60,000 CyberTips and has been involved in more than 1,000 arrests of sexual predators. Since 2006, the Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force has been involved in more than 2,400 arrests of sexual predators. In 2024, the task force was involved in rescuing more than 45 child victims from ongoing abuse. The task force also has provided internet safety training and education to tens of thousands of parents, teachers, students and law enforcement professionals.
 
Attorney General Raoul is reminding the public that child sexual exploitation can be reported online at cybertipline.com and child abuse at dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov. In addition, local child advocacy centers can be found at childrensadvocacycentersofillinois.org.  

Assistant Attorneys General Vanessa Minor and Charles Ewell prosecuted the case for Raoul’s High Tech Crimes Bureau.