A district court judge on Friday denied a request to reduce bail for a 69-year-old Durango man suspected of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old girl.
Frederick Blevins was arrested Feb. 9 and is being held on $75,000 at the La Plata County Jail.
His Durango defense lawyer, Barrie Newberger King, asked that bail be reduced to $5,000 or less, saying Blevins has no criminal history, has health problems and could be monitored by GPS.
Deputy District Attorney Reid Steward opposed any reduction of bail, saying Blevins is facing an indeterminate sentence, meaning if found guilty, he could stay in prison until a parole board deems he is safe for release.
District Judge Todd Norvell wanted to know where Blevins would be living if released. He has been evicted from his apartment and has no car.
Newberger King said Blevins has not yet made living arrangements.
Norvell denied a bail reduction based on that fact, but he said if Blevins can find a place to live, he’ll reconsider reducing bail. It was the first substantial hearing for Blevins since his arrest on suspicion of sexual assault on a child.
The mother and grandmother of the girl asked Norvell to deny a bail reduction, saying they have lost countless hours of sleep over the incident and fear Blevins is a flight risk if released.
According to an arrest affidavit, Blevins was alone with the girl on a couch Feb. 5 when he made inappropriate contact with her. A woman who was baby-sitting the girl said she stepped outside briefly for a cigarette, and when she looked through a sliding glass door, she saw Blevins touching the girl around her waist area, according to the affidavit. When she came back inside, the girl immediately said Blevins touched her private parts.
Blevins apparently had been drinking alcohol during the incident, according to the affidavit.
The girl repeated her statements to a sexual assault nurse during a forensic interview.
shane@durangoherald.com
