26-06-2025
Former GCMS teacher extradited to Ford Co., denied pretrial release in sexual abuse case
PAXTON, Ill. (WCIA) — Robert Dinkins, the former GCMS School District employee accused of sexual abuse, is back in Ford County and made his first appearance in court on Monday. During that appearance, he was denied pretrial release.
Dinkins is charged with six counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, which stem from investigations by a special prosecutor and the GCMS School District. Those investigations found that Dinkins sent inappropriate messages to students, met alone with students at his house and was physically affectionate with students.
Decatur man sentenced to 45 years for drug deal-turned murder
Police began investigating Dinkins in early April, and he was placed on administrative leave a few days later. Later that month, Dinkins was fired after the investigative report was completed.
Finally, on June 4, the Ford County State's Attorney's Office filed the six counts and a warrant for Dinkins' arrest. But he wasn't in Ford County or even the State of Illinois. Dinkins was found a day later in Bibb County, Georgia, located southeast of Atlanta.
An arrest record WCIA obtained through a FOIA request said Dinkins was arrested at a hotel in Macon, Georgia. The deputy who made the arrest said he was dispatched to the hotel in reference to an individual who had made statements earlier in the day about suicide.
'Upon arrival, I made contact with Robert Dinkins. Robert stated he was fine and that he did not wish to harm himself,' the deputy said. 'After running Robert's name through dispatch, dispatch stated Robert had a warrant out of Ford County, Illinois, with full extradition.'
Dinkins was arrested and booked into the Bibb County Jail without incident. The arrest report also indicated that Dinkins was suspected of drinking alcohol when he was taken into custody.
Bibb County officials were unable to provide anything further because they said their own investigation into Dinkins and his arrest was ongoing.
Woman hit by car while walking dog in Mahomet Township, Sheriff says
Court records indicate that Dinkins was out of Ford County until Monday, when the arrest warrant against him was served. Once booked into the Ford County Jail, Dinkins appeared in court via Zoom.
During that hearing, the state was allowed to amend the petition for pretrial detention that it filed on June 4, over the objection of Ford County Public Defender Harvey Welch, to allege willful flight. Citing the fact that Dinkins had fled Illinois to evade prosecution, the state argued that no conditions of release could mitigate the threat Dinkins posed to the community.
While Welch was informed that a detention hearing could be delayed to allow for preparation to address the state's amendment, Welch did not move for continuance. A detention hearing was held and Dinkins was denied pretrial release.
A preliminary hearing and pretrial hearing were scheduled for July 9.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
