(CHADRON)-Chadron resident James Savery made his initial appearance in Dawes County district court this morning. He pled not guilty to four counts of first degree sexual assault of a child, which allegedly occurred on or about January 2011 through May 2012. Each count is a class 1B felony, which, if convicted, carries a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life imprisonment. Two counts refer to the defendant as being 19 years old or older and the victim being less than 12 years of age, and two counts refer to the defendant as being 25 years or older and the victim as being less than 16 years of age. Savery is currently being held at the Scotts Bluff County jail on a $250,000 bond. A pre-trial conference has been set for August 14th, 2012, and the case is set for trial to the jury term that starts September 4^th. Paul Wess is serving as Savery’s attorney, and Joe Stecher is representing the state.

            In other district court news, the pre-trial conference for Chadron resident Jeremy Murray has been continued until August 14^th, 2012, and the case is set for trial to the jury term that starts September 4^th. Murray has been charged with four counts of first degree sexual assault, which are class II felonies. Twenty-year-old Murray allegedly had sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl on or about January 17^th through January 24^th, 2012. Murray was arraigned in February and pled not guilty to the allegations at that time. He is currently incarcerated at the Dawes County Jail with bond set at $100,000.

            Twenty-three-year-old Chadron resident Matthew Braga has pled guilty to one count of attempted marijuana tax stamp violation, a class I misdemeanor, in a plea bargain. The charge states the defendant did attempt to distribute or possess marijuana without affixing the official stamp or label. Braga was originally charged with delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, a class II felony. The charge claimed Braga knowingly or intentionally manufactured, distributed, dispensed, or possessed a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of Chadron Middle School on March 30, 2011. Braga was arrested on February 29^th, 2012, and placed in custody on a $50,000 bond. He bonded out on March 2^nd. A pre-sentence investigation has been ordered, and Braga will be sentenced on July 24^th at 1:00 p.m. on the guilty plea.

            A bench warrant has been issued for 22-year-old Sage Honerkamp for failing to appear in court on a motion to revoke. Honerkamp has been on probation for two different charges, one from 2010 and one in 2011. Honerkamp received two years of probation for pleading guilty to two counts from 2010 of attempt of delivery of a controlled substance, which are class IV felonies. He violated his probation and received two more years of probation to be served concurrently for pleading guilty in 2011 to a charge of theft by receiving, retaining, or disposing. Honerkamp was set to appear in court Tuesday on the motion to revoke because of a new violation of his probation on April 27^th, 2012, when he was arrested for reckless driving, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

 

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