Judge pares bail in child-sex case

NLR man must wear monitor

A Pulaski County circuit judge cut the $250,000 bail of a North Little Rock man accused of sexually assaulting a boy by more than half on Monday, with the condition the 22-year-old defendant submit to electronic monitoring upon release.

Chuco Dauria has been jailed since his Oct. 31 arrest on charges of second-degree sexual assault and sexual indecency with a child.

He’s accused of exposing himself to a 10-year-old family friend then making the boy touch his genitals. North Little Rock detective Lionel Tims testified at Monday’s bond hearing that Dauria denied any touching occurred but did admit to exposing himself to the boy two weeks earlier.

The detective told Judge Herb Wright that Dauria made the admission in his third interview with police. The defendant was called in for questioning after the boy’s aunt called police in October, Tims told the judge.

Questioned by prosecuting attorney Amanda Fields, the detective said Dauria has a sex-offense conviction as a juvenile. In his first interview, Dauria said he’d received sexual-abuse counseling while in juvenile court but it wasn’t enough to overcome his urges, the detective testified.

Fields told the judge she’s concerned about where Dauria would live if he’s able to post bail. She said he had been living with his fiancee, but the woman has a 5-year-old son. The prosecutor questioned Dauria’s intentions to live with his mother if he’s released, saying Dauria had described having a strained relationship with the woman in his first interview.

Defense attorney Sarah Swander told the judge that her client has lived in the area for 16 years and has a job. She said he would agree to wearing an ankle monitor and any other conditions the judge would set.

The judge reduced Dauria’s bond to $100,000, with the condition he wear a monitor and have no contact with any child under the age of 16.