A motion to reduce bond in the two cases of a former teacher and Illinois State Police trooper charged with sexual assault was both denied and granted in part. 29-year old James Dierkes made an appearance in Fayette County Court on Tuesday morning for a hearing on a motion to reduce bail. Bond for the first case in which Dierkes is charged with one count of criminal sexual assault and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse was originally set at $1 million immediately following his early December arrest. An additional case was opened in late December in which Dierkes is charged with nine counts of criminal sexual assault and bond in that case was set at $500,000 in addition to the original $1 million bond. During Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Kevin Parker heard arguments from defense attorney Brian Polinske and from Assistant State’s Attorney David Sternau concerning the matter. Parker, taking the arguments and factors of the two cases into consideration, consolidated the bonds in the two cases and set one bond at the original amount of $1 million for both cases with 10% to apply. The original bond conditions do remain in place as well concerning no contact with the victims or anyone under the age of 18. Dierkes will make his next appearance in court on February 26 at 11am for a pretrial hearing.
Dierkes is a former art teacher who taught at the Okaw Area Vocational Center from 2012 to 2018 before leaving the school to become an Illinois State Police Officer, a position he held for a year after graduating from the ISP Academy and completing field training this past Spring. The alleged crimes in the two cases he is charged with are alleged to have taken place between August 2016 and September 2019.
