A 24-year-old former Mooseheart houseparent has been sentenced to 41 years in prison for sexually molesting six boys under his care at the child center near Batavia.
Chad Wahl was charged with abuse of boys over an 18-month period ending in March 1992. After a lengthy trial in November, he was convicted of 8 of 14 felony charges.
Judge James Doyle handed down the sentence Friday in Kane County Circuit Court. Wahl could be eligible for parole in about 20 years.
Wahl is the fourth Mooseheart houseparent to be convicted of sexually molesting children in recent years. In 1989, longtime houseparent Donald Doyle was sentenced to 10 years for abusing two girls.
In 1992, former employees Jeffrey A. Taylor and Ronald J. Pierce were convicted of multiple charges of molesting young boys. All are serving prison terms.
The incidents triggered several civil suits against the facility and prompted officials to tighten screening measures for prospective employees.
Mooseheart, a 1,200-acre facility owned by Moose International, is a residential and school facility for children ranging in age from newborn through high school seniors. It cares for orphans and children from broken homes.