FAYETTE COUNTY — The 36-year-old defendant in a Fayette County child pornography case failed to appear for jury trial Monday and Tuesday resulting in a reward being offered for information leading to his whereabouts.

Ryan J. Koontz didn’t appear Monday during jury selection, which was completed at 1 p.m. And on Tuesday neither Koontz nor his defense attorney Shin Cho appeared at the courthouse.

Multiple attempts by the court Tuesday to contact Cho failed, resulting in Judge Don Shaefer bringing the jury into the courtroom to explain why the trial had not started. Because the jurors had not yet been sworn in, Judge Shaefer dismissed them from their duty.

The trial will be rescheduled. Koontz has been free on $25,000 cash bond since January 2015.

Koontz is charged with 10 counts felony possession of child pornography – two Class X charges and eight Class 2 charges.

He rejected a proposed plea agreement last month and instead has chosen to go to trial.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, Koontz was arrested in November 2014 as part of “Operation Glass House,” a statewide initiative launched in 2010 to apprehend the most active offenders who download and trade child pornography online.

Of the charges against Koontz, the two Class X felonies are punishable by between 6 and 30 years in prison and the eight Class 2 counts are punishable by between 3 and 7 years.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Ryan Koontz is urged to call the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office at 618-283-2141 or Crime Stoppers at 618-283-1986.