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Carterville, Ill. man enters plea in alleged sexual assault, abuse of former student
IllinoisGDELTGDELT event0% biasedWed, Jun 3, 2026, 12:00 AM
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Carterville, Ill.man enters plea in alleged sexual assault, abuse of former student.Carterville, Ill.man enters plea in alleged sexual assault, abuse of former student WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill.(KFVS) - The arraignment for a southern Illinois man accused of sex crimes involving a former student took place on Wednesday morning.Our Heartland News Team was in the courtroom during the June 3 hearing.Christopher B.Ballard waived his rights and pleaded not guilty to all charges: two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.Ballard’s pretrial conference is set for July 13 at 9 a.m., with his pretrial hearing to follow at 10:30 a.m.According to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, the alleged assault and abuse happened to a former student in 2016 and 2017.She was 16 years old at the time.The sheriff’s office said an investigation into incidents by a faculty member of the Carterville Unit #5 School District led to the identification of the victim in Ballard’s case.Ballard is currently employed by the Williamson County Special Education District and assigned to the Herrin Elementary School.Copyright 2026 KFVS.All rights reserved.