A hearing is set next month in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to hear objections from a defense attorney over how much Austintown Trustee Steve Kent can be told about the criminal case he faces.

Judge John Durkin has scheduled a February 14th hearing on motions filed in the case pending against Kent, who was indicted on three counts of sexual battery and one count of tampering with evidence.

The criminal case stems from allegations that Kent while serving as a resource officer in the Poland schools, engaged in sexual contact with a female teenage student in 2021, and subsequently tried to impair the investigation into the allegations.

A separate civil lawsuit filed in federal court by the alleged victim against Kent, Poland Trustees, and the school board, has been placed on hold pending the outcome of Kent’s criminal case.

A status update filed on Wednesday by Kent’s defense attorney says he is prohibited from showing his client written statements, audio statements, and social media accounts because the prosecution has declared some material as “Counsel Only”, meaning that it may only be viewed by attorneys and not shared with the clients.

"This is the first case counsel has encountered where the state prosecutors carpet bombed the discovery response with a universal "counsel only" designation,” said Attorney John Juhasz in the court filing.

Citing a 1913 court case, Juhasz wrote "In fact, there can be no such thing as a legal trial, unless both parties are allowed a reasonable opportunity to prepare and vindicate their rights."

Under the “counsel only” law, unless Judge Durkin declares otherwise, Kent cannot be told about some of the evidence until seven days before his criminal trial, the date for which has not yet been set.

Kent, who remains a member of the Austintown Township Board of Trustees, is the subject of a petition drive to recall him from office.