By Kim McDarison
Facing charges of 12 Felony D counts of possession of child pornography, Fort Atkinson resident Donald Reynolds entered pleas of not guilty on all counts Tuesday during a hearing held in Jefferson County, according to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website.
Reynolds appeared in court before Judge Robert F. Dehring with his attorney Nathan Otis during which time the defendant waived his rights to a preliminary hearing, and the court accepted the waiver, binding the defendant over for trial.
Appearing for the state of Wisconsin was Jefferson County Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Shock.
The defendant was then arraigned, and the charges against the him were read and the maximum penalties were recited.
Reynolds entered not guilty pleas on all 12 possession of child pornography counts brought against him. The case was filed on March 8, 2022.
During the arraignment, the defense asked that a status conference be scheduled for approximately 60 days out.
With the state offering no objection, an in-person status conference was scheduled for July 21 at 1:30 p.m.
In Jefferson County, Reynolds also faces charges of Felony B Attempted First Degree Child Sex Assault – Sexual Contact with a Person Under the Age of 13. The charges were filed on June 25, 2021.
During a hearing on March 8, Reynolds appeared before Judge Dehring via videoconferencing from the Jefferson County Jail.
During the hearing, the court set a $100,000 signature bond. The court also set a preliminary hearing date for the case in which the 12 counts of possession of child pornography were brought, and a status conference date for the case in which a charge of attempted first degree child sex assault was brought. Both hearings were set for April 5.
According to the circuit court access website, the next hearing for both cases was held on April 19, at which time “Attorney Otis indicates that Mr. Reynolds is currently in protective custody and unable to appear today.”
A preliminary hearing and status conference for each case, respectively, were scheduled for May 17.
Reynolds also faces charges of First Degree Child Sex Assault – Sexual Contact with a Person Under Age 13 in Juneau County. The case was filed Dec. 14, 2021.
A pre-trial conference in that case has been scheduled for Monday, May 23. The conference is scheduled to take place in the Juneau County district attorney’s office. Kenneth John Hamm is the district attorney in Juneau County and will be prosecuting the case.
A preliminary hearing is also scheduled in Juneau County on June 15 with Judge Paul Curran presiding.
According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website, Reynolds appeared in Juneau County in January for an initial appearance regarding Felony B child sex assault charges, at which time the court ordered a $15,000 signature bond, no contact with an individual identified as “Juvenile # 1,” and no unsupervised contact with anyone under 18.
A plea hearing was scheduled for April 19.
On April 19, a hearing was held with Attorney Nathan Otis appearing in court on the defendant’s behalf. The defendant did not appear. A preliminary hearing was set for June 15. On April 20, the circuit court access website reported, a pre-trial conference was set for May 23.
An earlier story, reporting alleged activities leading to charges filed against Reynolds, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/fort-resident-charged-with-attempted-assault-of-a-child-possession-of-child-pornography/.
File photo, public domain.
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