Hearing postponed for Muncie man in sexual exploitation case

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A U.S. District Court judge in Indianapolis has postponed sentencing for a sixth time for a former New Castle school counselor accused of sexually exploiting teenage boys.

Fifty-seven-year-old Darrell Hughes of Muncie was charged nearly two years ago with one count of sexual exploitation and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation. He filed a petition about a year ago to enter a guilty plea in U.S. District Court.

The (Muncie) Star Press reports that a hearing at which Hughes would plead guilty and be sentenced has since been scheduled and canceled six times. U.S. District Court Judge William Lawrence postponed the hearing, which had been set for Feb. 16, for the sixth time this week.

Hughes is accused of giving male students drugs and alcohol and taking nude photographs of them, often with hidden cameras.