Former Illinois jail officer Darin Gater pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges he helped in a February jail break at Cook County Jail that may have been planned for months.

According to statements from two inmates, they waited until Gater was on duty to escape. The statements did not say the officer was involved in the plot.

Three other people charged with aiding the escape also pleaded not guilty today. Gater resigned on February 16th -- the day he was charged with several felony counts for allegedly helping orchestrate the escape.

Gater's attorney says his client is not guilty and that investigators coerced him into implicating himself. Six inmates escaped from the jail on February 11th. All six were captured within about a day.