Mercer County School District Superintendent Tim Farquer has entered a not guilty plea to all criminal charges he’s facing and has requested a jury trial.
Farquer appeared in Mercer County Circuit Court on Friday, where a judge ruled probable cause was found to continue his case. He is due back in court on Jan. 15.
Eight local school district superintendents attended the hearing in support of Farquer on Friday.
Farquer was arrested in September, along with Mercer County School District IT workers Amberly Norton and Andrea Long, following an Aledo Police Department investigation into a complaint accusing Mercer County School District employees of illegally accessing students’ medical records.
Farquer remains on paid administrative leave by the school district.
Long and Norton waived their preliminary hearings and will also return to court in January.
Farquer, Long and Norton have all pleaded not guilty to all charges. All three are charged with a Class A misdemeanor of unauthorized access to medical records, a Class A misdemeanor of computer tampering, and a Class 3 felony of official misconduct.