A hearing in the case against Chad Dojack will be held Thursday, just five days before the suspended Bridgeport police chief is slated to stand trial for his alleged role in a celebrity scandal.

Dojack, 30, is scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Belmont County Common Pleas Court. The hearing is a pretrial status conference regarding his alleged role in crimes against Michelle Ross, the surrogate mother for the children of Hollywood stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.

Dojack faces two counts of complicity to burglary and one count of complicity to receive stolen property in the case, which is set for trial Jan. 12. Dojack faces a prison term of 9 1/2 years.

Former Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter already has been convicted and sentenced for his involvement in the crimes.

Special Prosecutor T. Shawn Hervey said recently that he was negotiating a plea agreement with Dojack and his attorney, Edward Sustersic. Hervey and Sustersic could not be reached Tuesday for comment on whether an agreement has been achieved.

According to the charges, Carpenter and Dojack conspired to steal and then sell items that identified Ross, a Martins Ferry woman, as the surrogate for the twin daughters of Parker and Broderick.

Carpenter is appealing his conviction on charges of theft in office and receiving stolen property. He is currently being held in a state prison in Orient, Ohio, where is serving a sentence of two years and eight months.