DES MOINES — William Edwards III was supposed to make his first court appearance on Monday, but conflicting schedules have pushed it back a couple of days.

Authorities accuse Edwards of being the leader of an Ottumwa cocaine ring, selling the drug out of his two bars. The accusations led to a massive raid in late July that shut down The Dugout and the Plowboy along with 10 arrests.

Police found Edwards in Missouri, and his extradition to Iowa took a couple weeks. He is now the last of the 10 defendants to face a detention hearing in Des Moines.

The hearings are a necessary step in moving the case toward a trial. Prosecutors and the defense have the opportunity to present witness’ testimony and convince the judge whether the defendant should remain in federal custody until the trial begins.

Alfredo Parrish, Edwards’ attorney, asked the court to push back the hearing so he could handle a previously scheduled trial in Clarke County. Both the prosecution and the court agreed.

Edwards’ hearing is now set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the federal courts online database.

Authorities say Edwards ran the cocaine ring. He is allegedly a founding member of the Insane Deuces, a violent Chicago street gang, and included several other gang members in the Ottumwa ring. Court testimony at the previous hearings indicates investigators believe the ring brought cocaine to Ottumwa from Chicago in multi-pound quantities.

The trials for Edwards and the other defendants are currently scheduled for next month, though that could change.

Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com