A Unit 5 middle school teacher accused of more than a decade of sexual misconduct involving multiple teenage boys has been ordered to remain in jail awaiting trial.
McLean County Judge Amy McFarland said Wednesday there was "no doubt" the state had met its burden of proof that Andrew "Drew" Miller, 40, of Normal poses a threat to society and should be detained. Miller has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Wednesday's pretrial detention hearing was Miller's second appearance in McFarland's courtroom after his attorney, Josh Rinker, requested a continuance to prepare arguments for why his client should be released with conditions while navigating the criminal legal process.
Miller is facing 42 felony counts pertaining to seven victims beginning in 2014. The state presented a long list of evidence profiling a "pattern of behavior" involving over a dozen alleged victims in all.
In most instances, Miller is accused of posing as a teenage girl named "Tiffany" on various social media platforms to solicit graphic sexual photos of teenage boys' genitalia and engage in sexual conversations. Several of the alleged victims were boys who knew Miller from his role as a teacher and track and field coach at Chiddix Junior High, and as a cheer coach at schools and at a private tumbling gym in Normal.
Miller was the head cheer coach at University High School until an alleged incident took place in 2019 at an off-campus clinic in LaSalle County. Miller was accused of grooming behaviors with a male cheerleader from another school, alleged to have taken place in a hotel jacuzzi in North Utica.
Rinker, the defense attorney, noted Miller was never charged in that case, and Assistant State's Attorney Aaron Fredrick noted it was an allegation they could not investigate for jurisdictional reasons. But McFarland said the disciplinary action Unit 5 took in 2020 in light of that incident should have curbed his behavior.
Yet the latest incident, in which Miller is alleged to have asked a 14-year-old boy to send him salacious videos on Snapchat, is said to have taken place in February of this year.
At Wednesday's marathon hearing, Fredrick said police had identified five additional victims whose cases are beyond the statute of limitation. And another person has come forward since initial charges were filed, involving 14 images Miller is accused of collecting using a fake identity.
Fredrick said the state plans to convene a grand jury seeking 14 additional counts.
Miller's first pretrial hearing is scheduled for July 29 before Judge William Yoder.
Rinker asked McFarland to consider his client's community ties, long history of full-time employment, cooperation with the investigation and lack of criminal record as factors supporting release. Rinker said until his arrest, Miller had also been his mother's primary caretaker and that he would agree to "a wide buffet of potential options" as conditions of his release.
Miller appeared in court Wednesday in a jail uniform with wrist shackles. His demeanor was calm and poised, giving an occasional small shake of his head as the prosecution read out a long, uncomfortable argument, including multiple quotes of explicit text messages Miller is alleged to have sent.
Miller has been employed with Unit 5 since 2012, the district confirmed, and was removed from his eighth grade classroom at Chiddix Junior High when Bloomington Police executed a search on his home and classroom in February.
McFarland accepted these as factors when weighing on her decision, but said Miller's community ties "cut both ways," since his employers are "where he hunted for his victims."
Miller has been on paid administrative leave from Unit 5 since February. Following the hearing, the district is moving Miller to unpaid administrative leave because his detention leaves him unable to fulfill his duties.
Unit 5 spokesperson Dayna Brown said the Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits employers "from taking any employment action based on an arrest without evidence of the underlying conduct.
"Since it was an ongoing police investigation, Unit 5 did not have access to that information," she said.
Second Chiddix teacher
Miller is the second Chiddix Junior High teacher to face criminal charges involving minors in recent months.
Brandon Knapp, 43, of Hudson is currently detained at McLean County jail awaiting trial on two counts of grooming. His alleged behavior involved students at the middle school, including some in his eighth grade classroom. Knapp was taken out of the classroom in February and placed on paid administrative leave, around the same time a DCFS investigation concluded he'd most likely engaged in inappropriate behavior with a student.
Knapp has since resigned from Unit 5.
