A judge reduced the bail Tuesday for a former track coach charged with child molesting.
Henry W. Brown, who turned 59 on Tuesday, has no criminal convictions other than minor traffic offenses, defense attorney Scott King told Lake Superior Court Judge Samuel Cappas. King said he had been involved in the case, including meeting with investigators, since July, and his client has been aware of the investigation for more than six months. "He did not leave the jurisdiction," King said.
Cappas agreed and reduced the bond to $15,000 surety or $1,500 cash.
King said Brown had worked as a maintenance employee at the now shuttered Radisson Hotel in Merrillville for about two years, and before that worked for 10 years in maintenance at a Gary apartment complex.
Deputy prosecutor Infinity Baulos argued against the bond reduction, noting that the victim was only 7 years old and that Brown betrayed his position of trust.
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Court documents allege that Brown, a former coach at West Side High School in Gary, molested the girl and one of her relatives. Brown would pick up the girl and her relative, take them to track practice, then take them and other children out to eat pizza before returning to his home in the 500 block of North Warren Street in the Miller section of Gary for a game of "hide and seek." Brown would lead the girls to the basement and molest them while the other children were supposed to be hiding upstairs, the probable cause affidavit states. The alleged incidents occurred during a two-year period beginning in November 2006.
The charge is a Class A felony, which is punishable by 20 to 50 years.
Brown has pleaded not guilty. His omnibus hearing is March 31.
Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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