Judge grants continuance for man accused of sexual contact with minor
A Yuma County Superior Court judge on Wednesday informed defense attorney Antonio Bustamante that if his client, Jody Rex Brown, violates a court-imposed non-contact order again, he could be held in contempt of court and face additional jail time.
Bustamante, of the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office, told the court that he has spoken to his client and explained the situation to him so he knows not to do it again.
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 for allegedly repeatedly molesting an 11-year-old child.
Arrested on April 1, he remains in custody at the Yuma County jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
At the start of Brown’s hearing, a prosecutor presented Superior Court Judge David Haws with a stack of letters Brown has written to the victim’s mother, despite being court-ordered not to do so.
The prosecutor stated that the county attorney’s office was prepared to file witness tampering charges against Brown if needed.
Haws replied that he didn’t think it would be necessary because the letters are proof that the non-contact order had been violated. If it happens again, Haws said he would hold a contempt-of-court hearing for Brown.
When asked to provide the court with an update on the status of the case, Bustamante asked for a continuance, saying the defense still has several law enforcement witnesses to interview.
He added that given the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unsure about how long it would take to get those interviews completed.
After hearing no opposition from the prosecution, Haws granted Bustamante’s request for a continuance and scheduled Brown’s next court appearance for 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 26.
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.