Chicago area sex offender took photos of boys at pool, police say

JOLIET, Ill. - A convicted child sex offender allegedly took photos of high school-age males at a pool in southwest suburban Joliet.

The incident happened at the Joliet Park District facility on Feb. 2, according to the Joliet Police Department.

Farrell Theis, 61, of Romeoville, was arrested in connection with the incident.

Farrell Theis (Joliet Police Department)

What we know:

A little before 9 a.m. on Feb. 2, Joliet police responded to the park district building at 3000 West Jefferson Street for a suspicious incident.

Officers learned that earlier that morning, a man was suspected of taking photos with his phone of high school age males who were using the facility’s pool, police said.

A staff member confronted the man, who was an employee of a third-party vending service and was there to refill vending machines.

After an investigation, detectives identified Theis as the suspect and learned he is a convicted child sex offender. Investigators also found images related to the incident on his phone, police said.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Theis on Monday and he was arrested after a traffic stop in Romeoville on Tuesday. He was charged with child photography by a sex offender.