Trial dates were set for several defendants in Starke Circuit Court on Thursday morning.
Jerry Leonard, of Knox, is charged with four felony counts of child molesting. Two counts are Class A felonies and the remaining counts are Class C felonies. His trial with a 12-member jury is expected to start Jan. 8, 2018. There is a plea agreement deadline date in this case of Dec. 15.
A two-day trial is set for Ryan Beaver, of Culver, who faces charges of battery with a deadly weapon, strangulation and battery resulting in serious bodily injury. A 12-member jury will be seated for his trial on Dec. 13 at 9 a.m.
Francisco Jimenez, of Hamlet, will go to trial on Nov. 8 at 9 a.m. on charges of neglect of a dependent and operating vehicle while intoxicated with an ACE of .15% or more. His trial is expected to take one day.
A six-person jury will be seated in a trial for Luke Botset. He is facing a charge of domestic battery. Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall rejected a plea agreement in his case as Botset told the judge that he was acting in self defense. His one-day trial date is Oct. 25. A no contact order remains in place.
