A former Walworth County sheriffÃÛèÖÊÓƵ deputyÃÛèÖÊÓƵ cash bond will remain at $500,000 after a Waukesha County judge declined to lower it during a bond hearing last week, citing a flight risk.
Gerardo Baca, 36, of Delavan, is facing multiple charges in connection to alleged sex crimes with five different victims between 2011 and 2021. The Waukesha County SheriffÃÛèÖÊÓƵ Office arrested Baca on March 3, and he remains on administrative leave from the Walworth County SheriffÃÛèÖÊÓƵ Office, where he spent the previous five years as a deputy.
Baca appeared virtually Wednesday from the jail as his attorney Jessa Goetz asked Judge Michael Bohren to consider lowering BacaÃÛèÖÊÓƵ $500,000 bail to $70,000 or adjusting it to allow payment of $200,000 in property bonds to be handled by his family.
Prosecutors Susan Opper and Kristi Gordon argued against BacaÃÛèÖÊÓƵ request, noting BacaÃÛèÖÊÓƵ house is currently up for sale and that his ties to family in Mexico gave pause to the victims, some of whom cited BacaÃÛèÖÊÓƵ repeated desire to travel as a reason he would flee the country.
In a rebuttal to the stateÃÛèÖÊÓƵ argument against lowering the bond, BacaÃÛèÖÊÓƵ attorney contended that despite having been born in Mexico, any recent family ties have not been corroborated and that most of his family lives in Walworth County.
Bohren said Baca would be a flight risk regardless of his financial restraints and familial connections.
“I think at this time, itÃÛèÖÊÓƵ important for the community, for the court system and Mr. Baca to be remain, at least until after the preliminary hearing,†Bohren said.
Baca will remain in the Waukesha County Jail and his cash bond remains at $500,000. His preliminary hearing is set for April 8.
Among the charges, seven included occasions during which Baca allegedly had sex with intoxicated women, some of whom were reportedly “blackout†drunk, according to a criminal complaint filed in Walworth County.
After the attorneys made their case, two of BacaÃÛèÖÊÓƵ victims gave statements asking the court to deny the bail modification request and ensure Baca remains incarcerated.
One woman, identified as “Victim A,†called Baca a “master manipulator†and suggested his release would negatively affect other alleged victims who she claimed were afraid to come forward.
“I fear for their safety and mental well-being, both from Baca directly and indirectly,†the statement read.
According to a criminal complaint, Victim AÃÛèÖÊÓƵ alleged abuse stemmed from a close friendship with Baca. According to the alleged victim, an Oct. 10 incident led to nonconsensual sex between the two, according to a statement given to a detective.
The complaint describes increasingly aggressive behavior after the initial encounter, including threats to share incriminating video footage of the two and notifying the victimÃÛèÖÊÓƵ boyfriend.
In the second submitted statement, “Victim B†urged the court to deny bail reduction, sharing similar concerns for potential victims who she claimed have yet to come forward.
“I can personally say that every single night, since March 3, 2022, I’ve had a nightmare that he has bonded out. Since this case has become public, the stress and anxiety has come with it,†Victim BÃÛèÖÊÓƵ statement read.
Charges Baca faces in connection to Victim B include two counts of third-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree sexual assault of an intoxicated victim.
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