Judge Grants Brothers Pretrial Date Delay

By Beth Smith
The Gleaner
April 23, 2012

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/apr/23/no-headline---gl__brothers/

A former youth pastor charged here and in Colorado on sexual abuse charges will not go to trial here in May.

In Henderson Circuit Court on Monday, Ike Norment, defense attorney for John H. Brothers Jr., 42, asked Judge Karen Wilson to vacate the May 17 trial date, since Brothers is currently in custody in Colorado on sex abuse-related charges.

Norment said Brothers' has a preliminary hearing in a Colorado court in late May and asked Wilson to grant a pretrial date of July 2. Norment said by that time, he and local prosecutors hopefully would know more about what's happening with the Colorado case.

Wilson granted the July 2 pretrial date.

Meanwhile, in Routt County, Colo., Assistant District Attorney Brett Barkey said Monday that in a hearing last week, Brothers' bond was set at $500,000 and that a preliminary hearing date has been set for May 21.

Brothers, who resided in Steamboat Springs, Colo., which is in Routt County, has been charged with four counts of sexual assault on a child, eight counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, seven counts of sexual assault and eight counts of first-degree burglary.

Barkey said when someone enters a dwelling without permission with the intent to commit a crime in Colorado, then that constitutes a burglary charge.

For example, he said, "If someone entered the room of a child for an alleged sexual encounter, then that can be a burglary (charge) as well as a sexual abuse charge."

In Brothers' case, Barkey said, "He was charged because he allegedly entered a part of a dwelling he didn't have permission to (enter)" and allegedly committed a crime against a child.

Brothers moved to Henderson from Steamboat Springs, Colo., in 2008.

Henderson Police Detective Shannon Troutman, lead investigator in the local sexual abuse case involving Brothers, said while in Steamboat Springs, Brothers was employed as a teacher at a Christian school from April 2006 until 2008. He also served as a pastor for a church in Yampa, Colo., during this time period, Troutman said.

After coming to Henderson in mid-2008, Brothers was employed at Hyland Baptist Church as the youth pastor until last fall, when he was confronted by church deacons regarding sexual abuse allegations from two members of the youth group.

City police said after being asked about the allegations, Brothers left Henderson and moved to West Monroe, La., where he lived with relatives.

He was arrested there April 13 on warrants from Colorado.