Man charged with 2 felonies in luring case
The 40-year-old man arrested earlier this week on suspicion of luring a minor for sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking was informed of the charges against him Friday during his arraignment in Yuma Justice Court.
Appearing before Justice of the Peace Gregory Stewart, Shannon Caiazzo was told that a criminal complaint had been filed against him, charging him with two felony offenses.
Those offenses, Stewart continued, are one count of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of luring a minor for sexual exploitation.
Attorney Michael Donovan, who stood in for Caiazzo for the purpose of the hearing only, waived reading of the formal complaint and informed the court that his client was requesting that the court appoint an attorney to represent him.
When asked to address bond, Donovan explained that based on the information available to him, he did not believe his client had the personal finances to pay the bond at the amount it is currently set.
Judge Stewart, however, ordered that Caiazzo’s bail amount remain at the $200,000 cash-only bond it had previously been set at. He also scheduled his next court appearance as a preliminary hearing at 4 p.m. on Sept. 20.
A preliminary hearing is a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to believe the defendant probably committed the crime. If so, then the case is transferred to Superior Court.
According to Yuma police, detectives from the department’s Child, Family and Sex Crimes Unit took Caiazzo into custody on Tuesday.
The victim in this case is a 17-year-old female from Mexico, who was known to Caiazzo, but not related He allegedly lured the juvenile using drugs and money.