BENTON - Derek Wynn's civil case against three Williamson County law enforcement officers will be handled at the federal level, not in the local court where Wynn filed the $50,000 lawsuit last month.

The attorneys for the defendants - Kyle Murray, Kyle Rinella and Clinton Ronchetto - recently filed paperwork asking that the lawsuit be switched from Williamson County Court to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

Federal court documents show Judge Michael J. Reagan has been assigned to the case, which won't be heard until next year. A Feb. 13, 2009, final pre-trial conference and a March 9, 2009, trial have been set, according to documents.

The lawsuit accuses the three men of threatening, restraining and beating Wynn on Aug. 13. Murray, Rinella and Ronchetto along with Michael Carruthers, who at the time had applied for the sheriff's auxiliary, are also facing criminal charges in connection with the Aug. 13 incident. Carruthers is not named in the civil suit.

At the time of Wynn's allegations, Murray was an Energy police officer, Rinella was a sheriff's deputy and Ronchetto was a Herrin police officer. Since their October indictment, the men have either been placed on administrative leave, resigned or, in Carruthers' case, were not hired.

Wynn's attorney, Patricia S. Murphy, could not be reached for comment Friday. A phone number listed for Murphy's office in Energy had been disconnected and an e-mail was not immediately returned.

Carbondale lawyer John C. Ryan said he asked for the switch to federal court for a number of reasons. He said Wynn's claims fit under federal civil rights statutes, adding that because federal court officials deal with these types of cases more they may be more familiar with the process than local officials.

In addition to the basic right the defendants have to ask for the transfer, Ryan said with the amount of publicity the criminal case has received, the defendants may have a better chance in federal court at getting a fair trial with jurors unfamiliar to the case.

bethany.krajelis@thesouthern.com

351-5816