The trial date for a pair of prison guards in Mt. Sterling has been set- again.
A pair of Western Illinois Correctional Facility prison guards who stand accused of beating an inmate will now see a jury in January, according to a report by KHQA.
Todd Scheffler and Alex Banta were scheduled to stand trial this month stemming from an incident at the prison in 2018 when an inmate was beaten to the extent that it lead to his death the following month.
Scheffler and Banta are charged with conspiracy, deprivation of civil rights, and obstruction among other charges in the alleged beating of inmate Larry Earvin as he was being transferred to a segregation unit at the Mt. Sterling prison.
According to the report, the trial was pushed back after rising numbers in COVID cases in several counties led to the court system rescheduling. The trial will now begin on January 3rd, 2022.
On March 9th, fellow guard, 42-year-old Willie Hedden of Mt. Sterling plead guilty to his role in the alleged May 2018 assault of Earvin. Headden faces 20 years to life in prison in the plea.
Under the terms of Hedden’s plea agreement, he is expected to cooperate in the prosecution’s case against both Banta and Scheffler.