Community Corner

Preliminary Hearing Set In Child Molesting Case

Ex-Chesterfield man accused seeks public defense lawyer.

An ex-Chesterfield man charged with six counts of child molestation in April is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in St. Louis County Circuit Court on July 3.

Thomas M. Hill was in jail on $20,000 cash-only bond.

His ex-wife, who divorced him in January, has made clear to Chesterfield Patch he no longer has a Chesterfield residence.

Find out what's happening in Chesterfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Since April when Hill was arrested on molestation charges, he has had several court hearings described as criminal setting, according to court records, but a cancelled June 5 hearing resulted in a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 3, at 10:30 a.m.

Typically, a preliminary hearing includes a judge determining whether there is sufficient evidence to go to trial.

Find out what's happening in Chesterfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Hill was with a 10-year-old girl and was sentenced to lifetime supervision, records show.

Hill has also moved to be declared "indigent" and would have a public defender—an attorney typically paid through tax dollars.

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