A Christian Circuit Court judge set an evidentiary hearing for next week to hear a motion to dismiss filed by one of the attorneys whose client has been charged in connection to the alleged abuse of several children at the First United Methodist Church daycare.
During a pretrial conference Tuesday morning, the attorneys representing former pastor of the church, Paige Williams, former daycare director Abby Leach and two former daycare employees Allison Simpson and Nina Morgan appeared before Chief Judge John Atkins. Special Prosecutor Blake Chambers appeared virtually.
Judge Atkins addressed a motion to dismiss filed by Williams’ attorney, Bill Deatherage and said he wanted to set an evidentiary hearing to hear testimony from witnesses due to the issues that were raised in the pleadings. Furthermore, Judge Atkins said he didn’t see any pleadings filed by any of the other attorneys adopting or stating contrary feelings about the issues that have been raised in Deatherage’s pleadings.
click to download audioIn response to a question about the motion from the special prosecutor, Judge Atkins said Deatherage will have the burden of proof.
click to download audioJudge Atkins also informed Chambers it’s possible for severance of the cases.
click to download audioHe set the evidentiary hearing for Friday afternoon, May 13, at 1:30 and also asked the attorneys to continue to try and resolve the cases, if possible.
Williams and Leach are each charged with eight counts of first-degree complicity of criminal abuse of a child under 12. Simpson is facing thirty counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child under 12-years old and Morgan is facing two counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child. The charges are in connection to an investigation into the alleged abuse of several children by Simpson and Morgan that occurred at the church’s daycare between December 2018 and January 2019. Williams and Leach are accused of “breaching their legal duty to protect the eight minors less than 13 months old from Simpson and Morgan.”
The four women are scheduled to go to trial starting June 13th.
