Next court date set in child molestation case
The next hearing for a man who has been accused of repeatedly molesting an 11-year-old child has been scheduled for June 24.
During a brief hearing
Wednesday in Yuma County Superior Court, attorney Antonio Bustamante of the Yuma County Public Defenders Office requested that a final management conference (FMC) be scheduled for Jody Rex Brown, the suspect in the case.
Bustamante, who has been court-appointed to represent Brown, informed the court that no plea offer has been made in the case.
Brown, 46, has been charged with a total of 24 felony offenses, including 19 counts of sexual conduct with a minor, three counts of furnishing harmful items to a minor and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
During an FMC hearing, the prosecution and defense report to the court any difficulties they are having in advancing the case to trial. The court will then seek to resolve those difficulties and then set a date for trial.
Upon hearing no opposition from the prosecution, Superior Court Judge David Haws granted Bustamante’s request and scheduled Brown’s FMC for 8:30 a.m. on June 24.
Brown, who was arrested on April 1, remains in custody at the Yuma County jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
According to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, on March 31, Amberly’s Place contacted the agency to report that a sex offense against a child may have taken place.
Deputies responded and launched an investigation, which led to a search warrant being issued and served on Brown’s residence, where additional items of evidence were located.
Brown was contacted the following day and subsequently arrested.
Court documents also show that the alleged abuse started sometime in February and continued through March.