DANVILLE – Vermilion County State's Attorney Randy Brinegar will continue a criminal sexual assault case against a former Rossville youth minister and coach, even though the U.S. Attorney's office has filed federal charges.

Brinegar said the federal charges against Andrew L. Thomas, 46, of Rossville, will not affect the state charge filed earlier this year in Vermilion County Circuit Court.

Thomas, a former youth minister at the Rossville Church of Christ and former track coach at Rossville-Alvin Elementary School, was arrested on March 16 by Vermilion County Sheriff's deputies and charged on March 18 in Vermilion County Circuit Court with one count of criminal sexual assault-position of trust, a Class 1 felony.

On Monday, he made his initial appearance in federal court in Urbana in connection with federal charges of sexual exploitation of children, according to the U.S. Attorney's office for the Central District of Illinois.

Last week, a federal grand jury indicted Thomas on five counts of exploitation. The indictment alleges that between January 2007 and March 2010 Thomas used social networking sites, pay-as-you-go phones and e-mail accounts to entice minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct and to solicit pictures of their conduct. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Thomas disguised himself as a female when he made contact with minor-age boys and solicited pornographic images of the boys.

Thomas was ordered Monday by U.S. Magistrate Judge David G. Bernthal to remain in custody, pending his trial, scheduled for Nov. 29 in federal court.

Brinegar said the federal case stemmed from the state's case, which was originally investigated by the Vermilion County sheriff's department. Brinegar said the state's case directly involves a victim, while the federal case focuses more on computer and technological evidence, so he does not want to let go of the case. Brinegar said if the federal case involved the same charges and evidence, he might consider dropping the state's case.

In the state's case, Vermilion County prosecutors said Thomas held a position of trust and committed an act of sexual penetration with a male victim between the ages of 13 and 18 between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2010. Police said the victim was 15 years old. Thomas pleaded innocent to the charge at his initial hearing in local circuit court. The Vermilion County sheriffs department launched its investigation after the 15-year-old victim came forward, according to Vermilion County Sheriff's investigators.

Thomas is scheduled to stand trial in circuit court on the state's charge on Dec. 10.