A 37-year-old St. Louis, Missouri man agreed in Marion County Court Thursday to a bench trial on a portion of the charges accusing him of kidnapping, sexual abuse, and sexual assault.

Courtney Buffkins is facing more than a dozen felony charges that include seven Class 2 felony child pornography charges, three Class X felony charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault, Class X felony kidnapping and Class 3 aggravated battery charges.

Buffkins was initially arrested in 2021 on a felony obstruction of justice charge for allegedly providing Salem police with a false name when they reportedly found him with the girl in a Salem hotel room.

After the girl agreed to talk to police, Buffkins was charged in a separate case with six original charges in the case that allegedly stem from five different visits to Salem that began in February 2020. A second alleged victim was later identified and resulted in an additional 10 felony charges being filed against him.

On Thursday he agreed to be tried by a judge rather than a jury on the sexual assault and sexual abuse charges. The bench trial is scheduled to start November 4 and is expected to last two days.

Buffkins pleaded guilty earlier this year to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing identity in the first case, in exchange for the felony charge being dismissed. One felony charge from the second case has also been dismissed. The remaining charges are expected to be addressed on a date following the completion of the upcoming bench trial.

He also pleaded guilty last year to Class 4 felony criminal sexual abuse in Cumberland County, Illinois, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Buffkins also facing felony charges in Coles County, Illinois, for Class 1 criminal sexual assault and two counts Class 2 felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a juvenile victim 5 years or more younger than him.