Campbell County PVA Daniel Braun, charged with using electronic communication to solicit a minor, has received a bail reduction from $1,000,000 cash to $125,000 cash.
Braun appeared in court on May 21 with Campbell County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Zalla to hear a motion for a “Writ of habeas corpus,” a legal remedy that allows anyone detained by the government to challenge their detention. Zalla ruled on May 27 that Braun’s original $1,000,000 cash bond was “constitutionally excessive” and reduced it to a $125,000 cash bond.
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.”
He was arrested by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office on April 16.
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During the May 21 hearing, Braun’s attorney, Brandon Voelker, said that Braun has no prior criminal history, has lived in the county his entire life, and has no passport, indicating he is not a flight risk. He also argued that Braun’s finances, based on his $150,000 income and assets, showed he could not realistically post a $1,000,000 cash bail.
Those are all factors considered in Zalla’s ruling.
His ruling states, “According to the Pretrial Services Report, the Petitioner is 52 years old with no criminal history. On the Failure to Appear Risk Assessment portion of the report, the Petitioner’s appearance probability is 90%. His “[a]rrest-free pending trial Probability: 96%.”
However, despite lowering the bond, the judge also found “under the totality of the circumstances” that Braun “poses a danger to others.” Zalla ultimately concluded that a $125,000 cash bond was sufficient to ensure that Braun would follow the release conditions previously imposed by the district court.
Those conditions include:
- Being on home incarceration.
- Having no devices with internet access.
- No contact with minors.
- Making all scheduled court dates and staying in contact with his attorney.
Voelker confirmed with LINK nky that Braun can post the $125,000 bail and will serve on home incarceration.
Braun’s charge is a class C felony, which carries a five- to 10-year sentence.
He first appeared in court on Friday, April 17, where Campbell County District Court Judge Erin Sizemore set his $1,000,000 bond. He was then denied a bail reduction by Sizemore at an April 22 bond motion, when Voelker requested Braun’s bail be lowered from $1,000,000 to $100,000.
Zalla’s full ruling can be viewed here:
