The judge presiding over Dixon County’s criminal docket set a coordinated trial week for the large, multi-defendant conspiracy tied to Dantes Goode and others, scheduling the proceedings for the week of Jan. 20, 2026, and giving defendants a final plea date of Sept. 22, 2025.

The court described the case as unusually large — prosecutors said there are as many as 27 defendants across related indictments — and said the county would determine whether the existing courtroom can handle simultaneous trials or whether the cases will need a larger venue. “We will make the 20th through the 23rd our trial date for the conspiracy cases,” the judge said, noting courtroom capacity and the need to coordinate witnesses and counsel.

Prosecutors told the court they had conducted wiretaps and surveillance in the multi-jurisdiction investigation and that multiple defendants were identified on intercepted calls as arranging and trafficking substantial quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Several defendants who appeared during the docket confirmed the scheduling: some were set for a July or June status date first, and many were given Sept. 22 as a last chance to resolve charges by agreement before the January 2026 trial week.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors discussed logistics on the record: several lawyers said they expected multiple weeks of trial time would be needed if many defendants opted to go to trial. The judge instructed counsel to identify how many defendants would need the jury term so the court could arrange for an appropriately sized courtroom or an alternate venue.

Because many defendants and counsel are based in different counties, the court also allocated interim status dates (including July and September check-ins) to resolve discovery disputes and to determine which defendants will proceed to trial.

The scheduling affects dozens of open files in Dixon County and adjacent jurisdictions, and the judge made clear that failure to resolve matters by the Sept. 22 plea date would trigger the January trial assignments for those who remain indicted and unpleaded.

The hearing record and the court’s scheduling orders are the authoritative sources for the dates the court announced.