Tate Makes Clinton County Court Appearance

Ray Tate appeared in Clinton County Circuit Court via Zoom for a pretrial hearing on charges related to his capture following the slaying of Wayne County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Riley.

Tate faces 30 separate felony charges in Clinton County including aggravated kidnapping, home invasion, aggravated unlawful restraint, and possession of stolen firearms. Those charges stem from holding hostages after returning from Missouri, the afternoon after he allegedly murdered the deputy in Wayne County, then headed west in a stolen squad car.

Judge Douglas Gruenke vacated an April 17th jury trial and reset the matter for June 19th. A final pretrial hearing will be held on June 5th.

Tate is also waiting for a hearing in Wayne County on his motion to withdraw his guilty plea for the murder of Deputy Riley. The matter will have a status hearing on March 23rd.

Tate remains at the maximum-security Menard State Penitentiary where he is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.