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by Dave Savini
CHICAGO (CBS) ― When carnivals roll into Illinois cities and towns, the companies running them might be bringing more than bright lights, wild rides, cotton candy and games. They also can bring trouble in the form of workers with dangerous criminal histories, including armed robbers, drug dealers and sex offenders.

A CBS 2/Naperville Sun investigation has uncovered serious flaws in the way many companies screen workers and found carnival companies repeatedly hiring habitual offenders. Some even allegedly recruit and exploit homeless people with severe psychiatric disorders.

There is no state law requiring carnival companies conduct mandatory background checks on carnival workers.

In the last three years, a ride operator with a criminal record molested an 8-year-old girl at a Downers Grove festival; a convicted child sex offender got a job running a merry-go-round at a Palatine festival; and a carnival worker with an outstanding warrant for burglary charges and who had a prior arrest for raping a child was caught working at a Glen Ellyn carnival.

CONVICTED MURDERERS

The CBS 2/Sun three-month probe found that some communities do conduct background checks of carnival workers. Some suburban police departments will check for sex offenders, gang members and those wanted on warrants.

Since 2005, random police checks by other agencies found 225 carnival employees with a combined total of 744 arrests and 184 convictions. Police sources confirm convicted murderers were among this group.

Naperville does not perform these checks. But in the towns that do, officers have the power to remove only sex offenders or those with active warrants. On the other hand, repeat felony offenders are free to work at carnivals and deal with children.

"I have to use judgment," says Dan Driskill, co-owner of Spectacular Midways, the company hired for Ribfest and Last Fling, two of Naperville's biggest festivals. "If I have a convicted murderer, I probably don't want him around me or the carnival."

Driskill's company is one of at least a dozen carnival firms randomly checked by a state task force that includes the Illinois attorney general's office, U.S. marshals and various sheriff's departments. Investigators conduct surprise background checks on carnival workers.

On June 21, Spectacular Midways was operating a Frankfort festival when task force members found four workers wanted in other states for nonviolent crimes including larceny and a stolen vehicle.

Driskill said he drug-tests employees and checks their names against the state's sex offender registry.

"We caught someone who was a sex offender applying for a job when we did a fest in Elmhurst," he said. "I don't want to have sex offenders or bad people handling my family or yours or anyone else's."

Organizers of the Naperville festivals say they have never had any major problems with Spectacular Midways.

Driskill said there should be a statewide law requiring background checks, adding "without having all the tools to work with, I am not going to lie to you, some can slip through the cracks, sure. But we are trying."

'I COULDN'T PROTECT HER'

Janet of DuPage County, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, also believes all carnival workers should be checked. In 2003, Janet's daughter, 8 years old at the time, was molested by a carnival worker who had a lengthy criminal arrest record.

Michael Cella was reportedly living in an Aurora shelter when he showed up at a Downers Grove carnival looking for work. He was hired by Astro Amusement Co. An Astro official said the company was unaware of Cella's arrests for drugs, battery and theft. The 23-year-old was running a children's ride when he molested at least two children. He was convicted of the crimes in DuPage County Court and sentenced to three years in prison.

"The carnival worker pretended to check people's seat belts," Janet said.

She said Cella molested the children while buckling them into the ride. Because it was on a platform, parents could not see what was happening.

"It broke my heart that I couldn't protect her," Janet said.

Astro Amusement loss prevention manager Ed Dame said the Cella case was a wake-up call.

"My reaction was, we have to do something immediately and it is something we could not ever let happen again," Dame said.

Now more Astro Amusement workers are screened. Social Security numbers are checked and company officials review sex offender registries. However, complete background checks still are not always done. Still, Dame said he would support legislation to standardize the handling of background checks.

But because background checks are not mandatory, Janet worries it is possible that Cella could again get hired at a carnival.

"I want parents to know more than anything that this danger is out there," she said.

Exploiting the homeless

The CBS 2/Sun investigation also uncovered allegations involving carnival companies preying on homeless people and psychiatric patients for cheap labor.

"It didn't matter if they were rapists, if they had a major criminal background," said LaRenzo Bell, 40, a former carnival worker. "It didn't matter if they were on medication."

Former carnival employees Bell and Rodney Harding were living in a homeless shelter receiving psychiatric care when they say they and at least five other patients were hired by Windy City Amusements. The men claim the company sent buses to Chicago homeless shelters to recruit workers and did not conduct background checks.

Bell said he used to suffer from paranoia. Harding, 51, said he suffers from schizophrenia and has a lengthy criminal record. According to Cook County court records, there are more than 30 cases on the books involving Harding. But he said this didn't matter when he applied for a carnival job – no one asked.

Both men came forward to talk about Windy City Amusements' hiring practices because they claim homeless people and psychiatric patients are being exploited.

"They don't have to pay them that much," Harding said. "They know they will take a little of nothing."

He said another problem is when patients are taken from the shelter, they are being removed from their medical care – and possibly their medication.

As a result, Harding said he has had episodes while running carnival rides.

"I'd shut the ride down for a second," he said.

John Sonnenberg, who runs a psychiatric care center where Harding and Bell are treated, said, "The citizen in me was concerned from a public safety standpoint."

Sonnenberg said without proper medication, the men could be in danger. When that's the case, "They're at risk and that puts anybody who would be on that ride at risk."

Harding and Bell also said while working for Windy City, they were housed in poor conditions, often with no running water, and received little training. Harding said rides would malfunction and he wouldn't know what to do.

SEX OFFENDER CAUGHT

Windy City Amusements officials have not returned calls. The company has operated festivals at Westfield Fox Valley mall, Neuqua Valley High School and throughout DuPage, Will, Kane and Cook counties. Last year police caught Richardo Coleman, 54, a convicted sex offender operating a children's ride for Windy City at a Palatine festival.

"It is concerning because it goes directly to the safety of these events for children," said Cara Smith, policy director for the Illinois attorney general's office. She said the CBS 2/Sun probe is alarming.

"We look forward to continue working with law enforcement in communities on these issues that our investigation and your investigation have raised," Smith said.

Janet, the DuPage mom, said legislative action needs to be taken before another child is victimized.

"It would hold carnival companies accountable for who they hired," she said.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)