Request denied in cheerleader sex case

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A judge has denied a request that text messages be thrown out in the case against a former cheerleader for the Cincinnati Bengals who is charged with having sex with a 17-year-old student when she was a teacher in northern Kentucky.

The Kentucky Enquirer reports that in a ruling issued Tuesday, Kenton Circuit Judge Patricia M. Summe said she found that the district judge who approved the warrant for the text messages was "neutral and detached."

Sarah Jones is facing a sex abuse charge. Her attorney, Eric Deters, said during a hearing last month that District Judge Kenneth Easterling shouldn't have granted the warrant because he knew the victim, but Easterling denied having any prior contact with the teen.

The trial is set to begin on Oct. 10.