CHEYENNE – A local man pleaded not guilty Thursday in Laramie County District Court to sexually abusing a young girl in October.
Cody Brown, 23, is facing a single count of third-degree sexual assault after a 7-year-old girl said he got into bed with her and touched her, according to court documents.
During his hearing, Brown’s attorney asked the judge to lower his bond, saying he had strong ties to the community, had no criminal history and wasn’t a risk of fleeing before going to court.
But prosecutors said the serious nature of the charges should be enough to keep him in jail pending trial.
Judge Catherine Rogers noted Brown hadn’t fled during the three-month investigation, despite knowing he was potentially facing charges.
“The investigators were in no rush to have this case charged,” she said. “That would suggest to me … that a bond reduction would be appropriate.”
She then reduced his bond to 10 percent of $5,000, or $500.
If convicted, Brown could face up to 15 years in prison. His trial is set for April 15.
Court documents filed in the case outline the evidence that led investigators to believe Brown committed the crimes of which he is accused. Those accusations have not yet been contested in a court of law.
According to court documents:
On the morning of Oct. 14, Laramie County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a home on Williams Street for a report of sexual assault of a minor.
They were met by a woman who said a roommate had seen Brown getting into bed with her 7-year-old daughter.
The deputy then found Brown in his bedroom. Brown immediately denied any wrongdoing, citing a number of people he knew who were accused of similar crimes.
“I’m not a child molester, man,” Brown apparently told the deputy. “And that’s the thing, man, because I don’t like sitting here being called one.”
Brown told the deputy he was pacing around the house around 3:30 a.m. because he couldn’t sleep. He said he then went to his room and went to bed.
Later, investigators found Brown’s clothes next to the mattress the children slept on in the living room.
Other people living in the home said they didn’t see the clothes there until the morning, but Brown said he was hot so he took his clothes off around 6 p.m. the previous night before everybody in the house went to bed.
The 7-year-old girl said Brown had sexually abused her multiple times, and her 5-year-old brother, who also slept in the bed, said he saw it happen.
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