Grand jury indicts Dierkes

Five days after an Illinois State Police officer was arrested for allegedly committing sex offenses while teaching in the Vandalia School District, he was indicted by a Fayette County grand jury.
True bills of indictment filed last Wednesday mirror information charging James R. Dierkes with criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Dierkes, 29, of Greenville, was taken into custody on Friday, Dec. 6, after information was filed by the office of Fayette County State’s Attorney Joshua Morrison.
The charge of criminal sexual assault filed by the office of Fayette County State’s Attorney Joshua Morrison alleges that between Aug. 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017, Dierkes, while holding “a position of trust, authority or supervision “committed an act of sexual penetration” in that an alleged victim under the age of 18 performed oral sex on him.
That charge is a Class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $25,000.
The same allegation is made in the aggravated criminal sexual abuse charge, with Dierkes identified as a high school teacher at the time, and the alleged victim being between the ages of 13 and 18.
That charge is a Class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in prison and/or a fine of up to $25,000.
In a press release it issued on Dec. 6, the state police said that its investigation into allegations made by former student “led to another victim, who alleged that she also had inappropriate sexual contact with Dierkes on multiple occasions.”
In a statement from the Vandalia School District, Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Garrison stated that allegations of misconduct by Dierkes had not been previously reported to district employees.
A preliminary hearing for Dierkes, at which time a judge would determine whether he should be held over for trial, was set for Tuesday, but a grand jury convened last week.
In returning the true bills of indictment, the grand jury ruled that Dierkes would be held over for trial, meaning that a preliminary hearing is not needed.
Dierkes was employed as an art teacher at the Okaw Area Vocational Center from 2012-18, Garrison said, and he also coached at the junior high and high school.
In its search of online records, The Leader-Union discovered that Dierkes was employed by the state police in June 2018. He resigned from his teaching position at the vocational center was accepted in August 2018.
Dierkes graduated from the Illinois State Police academy in December of last year and completed field training in May of this year, according to those online records.
During Dierkes’ first appearance in court, on Dec. 6, Judge Marc Kelly set his bond at $1 million.
Fayette County Public Defender William Starnes was initially appointed by Kelly to represent Dierkes, but Edwardsville attorney Brian Polinske last Monday filed to enter the case as Dierkes’ attorney.
Polinske also filed on that day a motion asking that Dierkes’ bond be reduced.
In that motion, Polinke claims that bond of $1 million is oppressive and that a lower bond amount or recognizance order “will assure the defendant’s presence in court.”
A hearing on that motion was scheduled for Tuesday morning, but all court matters were canceled due to this week’s winter storm.
As of press time on Wednesday, cases on the court docket for Tuesday had not yet been rescheduled.