An arrest warrant has been issued for a Bowman after he failed to appear at a pretrial hearing Tuesday afternoon.
By BRYCE MARTIN
Pioneer Editor | [email protected]
An arrest warrant has been issued for a Bowman man after he failed to appear at a pretrial hearing Tuesday afternoon.
Jovani Parra, 19, of Bowman was scheduled to appear at 1:30 p.m. in Dickinson for a hearing prior to his scheduled felony jury trial in July. Parra was arrested last August and charged with three felony charges of gross sexual imposition and luring minors by computer, stemming from allegations made by a 14-year-old girl who said the two had sexual intercourse on two separate occasions.
Parra pleaded not guilty to those charges in December.
Bowman County States Attorney Stephanie Pretzer told The Pioneer on Tuesday that Parra’s counsel, Robert Bolinske of Bolinske Law Firm in Bismarck, did not know of his client’s whereabouts and was unable to get in contact with him.
Pretzer said Parra had been compliant with the courts up to that point.
Southwest District Judge Rhonda Ehlis ordered a must-appear warrant for Parra’s arrest. If found, he would be held in custody without bond until seen in court.
Pretzer had requested that $5,000 of Parra’s original $15,000 bond, which he posted in full, be forfeited due to his nonappearance, however Ehlis denied that request until a hearing could be held.
Ehlis has not set dates for the pending jury trial.
Read the full story in Friday’s edition of The Bowman County Pioneer.