Webster’s bond still $250,000

Alleged molester asked judge to reduce his bail

A man charged with molesting three young girls last summer at a Collierville fitness center lost a bid Wednesday to have his bond reduced.

Anthony Webster, 27, of Cordova has been in jail since being indicted earlier this month on four counts of aggravated sexual battery.

The father of one of the victims said his daughter, now 7, cannot get out of “the emotional jail” she is in, and the mother of a 9-year- old victim said if Webster’s bond is reduced, “They would have to remove all the little girls out of Cordova” to be safe.

In a hearing before Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan, Webster’s attorney, Lorna Mcclusky, said his $250,000 bond is too high and noted that Webster had abided by conditions of the original bond of $50,000 set last summer.

Webster also was wearing a GPS tracking monitor on his ankle as part of his bond condition.

“The (previous) bond was sufficient,” Mcclusky said. “A bond is not meant to punish. There has been no conviction yet.”

Prosecutor Jennifer Nichols said that as a result of his indictments, Webster is facing at least 24 years in prison with no parole and that the stakes are higher now.

“It’s a lot different now,” she said. “To ensure his continued presence in court the state feels the $250,000 bond is appropriate.”

Skahan agreed that the higher bond should stand because of the need to protect the community and to assure Webster’s presence in court.

Noting the prosecutor’s argument, the judge said the proof in the case appears to be strong.

Webster is charged with molesting the girls — ages 6, 8 and 9 — in incidents last June that were captured on video surveillance at Life Time Fitness, 3470 Houston Levee in Collierville, where Webster worked. He has since been fired.

A Mormon bishop testified in a hearing in September in Collierville that Webster told him he had committed 10 sexual transgressions at the health center.

Prosecutor Nichols added Wednesday that Webster also told the bishop he had molested an out- of-state relative.

Webster did not testify at the hearing. — Lawrence Buser:

(901) 529-2385 Anthony Webster