Shorewood Sexual Predator Back In Will County's Jail

SHOREWOOD, IL — The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow has filed felony charges against a 39-year-old convicted Shorewood sex offender who was visiting a public park in Shorewood in August.

This week's criminal complaint states that Matthew Charles Phillips, who lives at 1119 Harvest Drive, is a sexual predator who previously violated the unlawful presence of a child sex offender in a public park law, back in 2015 in Will County. On Aug. 2, the complaint states, Phillips visited Cene's Four Seasons Park in Shorewood, which is illegal for him to do, according to prosecutors.

Will County Judge Ken Zelazo issued a bench warrant for Phillips on Wednesday and set the Shorewood man's bail at $50,000. The criminal complaint was submitted by Shorewood police detective Jason Keehma.

Around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Phillips was booked into the Will County Jail by Shorewood police officers, jail logs show.

According to the Illinois State Police sex offender registry, Phillips was convicted in LaSalle County of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving the use of a weapon. He also has prior convictions for failure to register within five days of moving to a new residence. Phillips was 29 and his victim was 26 when he committed his sexual offense, the registry states.

According to the Illinois registry, there are a total of seven registered sex offenders living across Shorewood at the moment.