Somonauk 18-year-old accused of child sex assault ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation

SYCAMORE – A Somonauk man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child when he was 17 has been ordered by a DeKalb County judge to undergo a psychiatric evaluation as he awaits potential trial, court records show.

The order was at the request of the DeKalb County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Franklin E. Tooley, who is now 18.

Tooley was charged March 24 as an adult with 29 criminal felony charges stemming from alleged sexual assaults that occurred between Jan. 31 and Feb. 21, 2023, when he was still 17, according to court records.

Among Tooley’s charges are 16 Class X felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault of a child younger than 13, two Class X felony counts of aggravated kidnapping, five Class 2 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and two Class 3 counts of aggravated battery, according to an indictment filed April 17 in DeKalb County court.

If convicted, Tooley could face between 48 and 113 years in prison, according to the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office. The case is being co-prosecuted by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.

Tooley was transferred from the River Valley Juvenile Justice Center in Joliet to the DeKalb County Jail in Sycamore on Dec. 12, when he turned 18, court records show.

On Jan. 4, DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Tooley. She also ordered that he remain detained at the jail on $500,000 bond. The bond amount was set before the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act, which prohibits cash bail, went into effect in September.

In an interview Feb. 21, 2023, with Somonauk police, Tooley allegedly admitted to sexually assaulting the child and unplugging cameras in the bedroom where the alleged assault happened “because he didn’t want anyone else to know,” according to DeKalb County court records.

He allegedly admitted to police that he had assaulted the child at least five times, according to court records.

Tooley was next ordered to appear for a status hearing at 9 a.m. Jan. 24.