An Arizona man found guilty earlier this year of sexually assaulting a child while in a position of trust was sentenced Thursday in Durango to four years to life in prison.
Cody Saunders, 37, was found guilty in February of making inappropriate contact with his 16-year old stepdaughter on July 12, 2022, while they shared a tent on a camping trip in Silverton.
Kaitlyn Horton, the victim – now 19 – spoke with The Durango Herald after Thursday’s sentencing hearing. She agreed to be named for this story.
Horton said that while one chapter may have ended, her and her family’s trauma continues.
That is partly because 6th Judicial District Judge Nathaniel Baca granted Saunders an appellate bond of $250,000, which allows him to post bail as he pursues an appeal.
The judge’s decision to allow Saunders to post bail perplexed prosecutors.
“Appeal bond is something that our office has never seen when you sentence someone to four years to life,” Deputy District Attorney Brad Neagos told the Herald.
Baca did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
If Saunders makes bail, he must register as a sex offender, enroll in intensive supervised probation for sex offenders, avoid contact with children and abide by house arrest, among other requirements.
During the sentencing hearing, Neagos said Saunders posed a significant flight risk. In a jailhouse phone call with his wife, Saunders expressed regret for not fleeing before his trial, Neagos said.
Baca admonished Saunders for his actions, saying Horton will suffer mentally for the rest of her life. A prison sentence, he said, will help her heal and is necessary to repair the harm he caused to the greater community.
He noted that Horton was “scared to death” in her home community of Prescott, Arizona, as a result of the assault. Saunders must receive treatment for Horton to ever feel safe again, the judge said.
Deputy District Attorney Connor Wills, another prosecutor on the case, called the sentencing “paradoxical.”
Wills said the judge’s findings, followed by the decision to allow Saunders to post bail, seems contradictory and “concerning.”
Neagos said Horton received harassing phone calls from unknown numbers before court hearings while Saunders was out of jail and awaiting trial.
Get help
The Sexual Assault Services Organization offers a free 24-hour confidential support line for victims of sexual assault and people looking to help loved ones who are victims of sexual assault. Dial (970) 247-5400 to reach the support line.
Horton said the calls were from “someone who sounded like an old man” and the phone numbers matched the first six digits of her own phone number. The caller threatened to rape her, and she would hang up immediately.
Neagos said the calls were reported to authorities in Prescott but were never followed up on.
“It was very relieving when I heard that he was going to (the) Department of Corrections,” Horton said. “And then it felt like a slap in the face to just switch up like that – for him to be able to get out on appeal bond.”
In testimony Thursday, Jennifer Walters – Horton’s mother and ex-wife of Saunders – said Saunders’ actions left her daughter terrified and distraught. Horton suffered nightmares and panic attacks, even during court hearings. The case was dragged out by numerous continuances.
During the hearing, Neagos said Saunders displayed traits of narcissism, was manipulative, lacked remorse and displayed a “sense of invincibility,” even during his trial.
Saunders’ wife, mother, brother and uncle spoke in support of Saunders. They described him as a family man, an exceptional father, a man of God and the glue holding his family together.
“They have no idea what he was like behind closed doors, what I had to live with for nearly a decade,” Horton said. “He was not that sweet, do-anything-for-you, friendly guy that they were talking about – whatsoever.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
