A 56-year-old Mount Carmel man charged with criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery will remain in custody following a preliminary hearing Monday in Wabash County Circuit Court.
Jeremy Jay Drew appeared before the court with his attorney, Public Defender William Easton, while the state was represented by State's Attorney Kelli Storckman.
During Monday's hearing, the court found probable cause for the charges to proceed. Drew waived formal arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty.
Drew faces a Class 2 felony charge of criminal sexual abuse and a Class 3 felony charge of aggravated battery stemming from an alleged incident involving a 20-year-old woman on October 5th.
According to court records, Drew is accused of slapping the woman's buttocks and touching her pubic area.
The criminal sexual abuse charge is classified as a Class 2 felony because of Drew's previous conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse in 1999.
Drew was previously denied pretrial release following an October 7th court appearance.
During Monday's proceedings, the court reaffirmed that Drew's continued detention is necessary to prevent a real and present threat to the community or a specific individual, finding that no conditions or combination of conditions of release could adequately address that threat at this time.
Drew's next court appearance is a final pretrial hearing scheduled for November 16th at 9:30 a.m. A jury trial is scheduled to begin December 7th.
Drew remains in the Wabash County Jail.
The charges against Drew are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
