A pretrial conference Thursday afternoon in White County Circuit Court did not result in a plea agreement for former White County jailer Darren Hays.
A plea deal had appeared possible following a court hearing three weeks earlier, when attorneys participated in a private settlement conference under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 402 to discuss a potential resolution of the case.
During Thursday’s Zoom hearing, Special Prosecutor Doug Dyhrkopp, defense attorney Scott Cross, and Hays appeared before the court. The case was continued for another pretrial conference on August 27.
A jury trial is now tentatively scheduled to begin October 20.
Hays will remain in custody after the court left in place its previous order denying pretrial release.
The 57-year-old Hays is charged with six counts of custodial criminal sexual misconduct and one count of official misconduct stemming from allegations involving Edwards County murder suspect, Megan Valentine at the White County Jail. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.