A 49 year-old Peoria man has been declared a Sexually Violent Person, or SVP. Kirk Burks was already a registered sex offender.
He was convicted in 2008 of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual abuse against 18 and 15 year old women. Burks was also convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in 1992 against three girls, 13 years old and younger.
The three-day trial ended with a Peoria County jury determining Burks was likely to commit future acts of sexual violence if released from custody. A person must also have sexually violent convictions and suffer from a mental disorder to be declared an SVP under the Sexually Violent Persons Act.
Peoria County Circuit Judge Albert Purham presided over the trial. Burks was returned to the Department of Human Services, Sexually Violent Persons Treatment and Detention Facility in Rushville.
Those committed under the act are re-evaluated on a regular basis to determine whether they continue to meet the criteria.