From The Times Tribune
The jury trial for a Keavy man accused of sexually assaulting a child on multiple occasions over the course of a four-month period in 2017 has been continued.
Joshua Aiden Towe, 23, appeared in Laurel Circuit Court for a final pretrial conference Thursday January 3rd ahead of his jury trial that was set to begin Monday, though Towe’s attorney requested that the trial be moved. The Laurel Circuit Court Clerk’s office could not provide a reason for the request.
Judge Greg Lay sustained the request, setting a follow-up pretrial conference for Feb. 28 at 9 a.m. A new jury trial date has also been scheduled for March 5.
Towe was arrested in September following an investigation by Kentucky State Police that was launched after the victim, who was four years old at the time of the alleged incidents, told police on two different occasions that Towe engaged them in sexual activity multiple times.
According to court documents, Towe allegedly provided police with a statement confessing to the incidents, which occurred while he was caring for the child while the mother was at work.
He was indicted on charges of fist-degree sexual abuse and first-degree sodomy earlier this month.
First-degree sexual abuse is listed as a Class D felony, but is enhanced to a Class C felony if the victim is under the age of 12, pushing the possible sentence to five to 10 years in prison. First-degree sodomy is also enhanced if the victim is under the age of 12, changing it from a Class B felony to a Class A felony, which carries a possible sentence of 20 to 50 years or up to life in prison.
Towe currently remains jailed in the Laurel County Correctional Facility under a $100,000 cash bond.