DENVER • It’s unlikely that the government will seek the death penalty for Jareh Dalke, a Colorado Springs man accused of violating the Espionage Act, according to federal prosecutors.

Dalke appeared in court Wednesday for a detention hearing, which was continued to next week, according to Gazette news partner KKTV.

Dalke’s public defenders requested a continuance because they said they needed more time to review evidence and prepare a written plea, which suggests Dalke might take a plea deal. The judge granted the continuance, and the U.S. attorney’s office didn’t object.

Dalke is accused of trying to sell top secret information to who he thought was a foreign agent. He reportedly obtained the classified information in his one-month stint at the National Security Agency in June.

Federal agents arrested Dalke last week in Denver, then searched a home on Corinth Drive in Colorado Springs.

On Wednesday, the judge said Dalke receives VA benefits. According to arrest papers obtained by KKTV, Dalke says he served in the U.S. Army.

Dalke’s detention hearing and arraignment are scheduled for Tuesday in federal court in Denver.