Ron Wilkins

rwilkins@jconline.com

DELPHI, Ind. — The man who owns the land where 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams' bodies were found continues to sit in jail 10 days after his arrest.

He was scheduled to have an evidentiary hearing Monday in Carroll Superior Court 1, during which prosecutors typically lay out the case that the probationer violated the terms of his release, and the probationer, in turn, launches a defense against the allegations.

The Journal & Courier is not identifying the individual because he is not a suspect, and as of Tuesday, he is not accused of any wrongdoing related to the killings, according to police.

Monday's scheduled hearing, however, was continued at the request of the man's attorney, Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby said Tuesday. That request from the defense releases the state from its requirement to have an evidentiary hearing within the period of the 15-day hold on a probationer's release from incarceration, Leazenby said.

Police arrested the rural Carroll County man March 11, accusing him of violating the terms of his probation, which were ordered Oct. 8, 2014, when his drunken driving charge was adjudicated, according to online court documents and comments early last week from police.

The man received a two-year suspended sentence, during which he was ordered to be on probation, according to online court records. That order included not consuming alcohol.

Police repeatedly have said they do not consider the man a suspect in the girls' Feb. 13 killing.

German and Williams' bodies were found Feb. 14 on the man's property that runs along Deer Creek. The man's house and barns sit on high ground, about a quarter of a mile north of the creek.

The girls had gone hiking Feb. 13 — the last day of their winter break — and never returned to be picked up by family. By 5:30 p.m. Feb. 13, searchers were looking for the girls, who were considered missing persons. Searchers resumed the next morning and found the girls' bodies about 12:15 p.m. Feb. 14 east of the Monon High Bridge.

Although not called a suspect, police armed with a warrant searched the man's house, outbuildings, land and automobiles Friday, looking for possible evidence in connection to the killings, police said last week.

The day of the search, Indiana State Police Sgt. Kim Riley said, "Basically, we're just following up on some tips and interviews and leads that we've gotten. We're trying to either clear him or see if he's more of a suspect than what we originally thought."

Andrew Achey, the man's attorney, also released a statement Friday.

"I have known (him) for several years and have represented him in unrelated legal matters," Achey wrote. "Stated simply, (he) had no involvement in this heinous crime. I would like to caution the public to avoid jumping to conclusions before law enforcement has completed the ongoing investigation."

Leazenby did not say Tuesday what police might have found during the search or whether anything there linked the property owner to the killings.

Online rumors and social media tales about the man's possible involvement in the killings forced Leazenby to transfer the man to another county's jail for his own safety, the sheriff said last week. However, by early this week, the man was back in the Carroll County Jail, Leazenby said.

J&C breaking news reporter Ron Wilkins can be reached at 765-420-5231; follow on Twitter @RonWilkins2