Campbell County PVA Daniel Braun, charged with using electronic communication to solicit a minor, was denied a bail reduction on Wednesday.
At the April 22 bond motion, Braun’s attorney, Brandon Voelker, requested his bail be lowered from $1,000,000 to $100,000.
According to court documents, Braun allegedly conducted and willingly participated in “online conversation(s) with an undercover detective working in coordination with the Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which were illicit and sexually explicit in nature, believing the undercover detective to be a 14-year-old child.”
After hearing arguments from the defense and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, which is overseeing the case due to a conflict of interest arising from Braun’s employment with the Campbell County PVA, Campbell County District Court Judge Erin Sizemore denied the motion to lower bail. Sizemore said, based on the seriousness of the allegations, she believed Braun to be a flight risk and a danger to others.
While Braun is currently facing that charge, which is a Class C felony carrying a five to 10-year sentence, the attorney general’s office said on Wednesday that multiple electronic devices were seized during a search warrant and are still being analyzed.
“It’s a serious charge, we do believe that the defendant is a flight risk, while what we’re only looking at right now is a C felony,” said Office of the Attorney General, Special Prosecutions Ramsey Dallam. “The court’s probably aware there was multiple electronic devices seized from the home during the execution of the search warrant. One of those was an external hard drive that was hidden under a mattress.”
Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 510.155 makes it a felony to knowingly use any electronic communication system (computers, phones, internet) to solicit, procure or promote a minor, or someone posing as one, for sexual activities.
Braun was arrested by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office on April 16 and first appeared in court on Friday, April 17.
Voelker first filed the motion to reduce bond on April 17, asking the court to lower Braun’s bail from $1,000,000 to $100,000.
The motion filed by Voelker argued that the current bail is excessively high and that Braun didn’t have a chance to argue for bail earlier because he didn’t yet have a lawyer. It also argues that Braun is not a flight risk because he is a lifelong resident of Campbell County and a public official, and he is not a danger to the public.
Voelker said during the bond motion on Wednesday that Braun would go live with his father, who does not have internet access at his home. The court also heard from Braun, who listed out the slew of significant health issues he has that the defense argued would be better taken care of outside of the detention center.
“I don’t think he poses a flight risk,” Voelker said. “I’m not saying these aren’t serious charges, but I think for what they are and similar charges in the area, I think that the $100,000 would be appropriate.”
Dallam further said that because of the ages of those Braun believed he was communicating with, which were between 12 and 14, that he was a danger to the community.
“One statement made by the defendant, which the defense will get in discovery, is that he knew that there could be police involvement in this behavior, and he couldn’t-essentially, I’m paraphrasing-and essentially couldn’t stop,” Dallam said at the bond motion hearing.
Braun has served as the Campbell County PVA since 2002. He was not seeking reelection this year.
