A Glenoma man accused of molesting and taking nude pictures of an 11-year-old girl was arrested Friday on a warrant and was released Monday on unsecured bail following his preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.
Lewis County Superior Court initially issued the defendant, 51-year-old Lance Pugh, a summons notice on Nov. 4 for a preliminary hearing scheduled for 4 p.m. on Nov. 22, which he was not present for, prompting a judge to issue the $50,000 arrest warrant.
“It (the summons notice) may have been in the mail but he didn’t see it, it was too late,” said Pugh’s attorney, Rachel Tiller, during Pugh’s preliminary hearing on Monday. “He says that his family saw just a news clip … and notified Mr. Pugh of the matter, and that was just on Thursday.”
Pugh was booked into the Lewis County Jail just after 8 p.m. on Friday.
While Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher asked Judge James Lawler to set Pugh’s bail at $200,000 secured given the allegations and a third-degree assault conviction from 2000, Lawler granted Tiller’s request to release Pugh on unsecured bail given that the case was originally a summons matter.
Unsecured bail means Pugh can remain out of custody without paying bail so long as he follows his conditions of release, which include provisions preventing him from contacting minors and from visiting places where minors are known to congregate, such as schools or parks. Lawler also issued a no-contact order protecting the alleged victim.
Pugh’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 1.
