A U.S. Army staff sergeant from Fort Huachuca who was sentenced in September to 34 years in prison for molesting his stepdaughter is no longer facing charges for allegedly conspiring with his ex-wife to pressure the girl to change her testimony.
Justin Copeland and Sara Bailey were each indicted by a Cochise County grand jury on April 18 for six felonies including tampering with a witness, hindering prosecution, and unlawful influence of a witness. The Arizona Daily Independent has learned all charges were dismissed this month after a new prosecutor was assigned to the cases.
Court records show Sara Ransom of the Cochise County Attorney’s Office presented the grand jury with evidence that suggested Copeland asked Bailey to influence her daughter “to make statements inconsistent with her prior sworn testimony,” and that the girl was “pressured, coerced, or encouraged” by her mother to change her statements.
Ransom prosecuted Copeland on the molestation charges and intended to use transcripts of recorded jail phone calls placed to Bailey from April 5 to 12 as evidence of the tampering conspiracy. Copeland was found guilty April 5 on 50 counts of sexual conduct with a minor under age 15 for touching the girl between June 2016 and November 2017. The girl testified at the trial.
Copeland and Bailey pleaded not guilty at their arraignment hearings in late April. However, a few weeks later a different prosecutor, Terisha Driggs, took over the cases when Ransom quit her job.
On Oct. 3, Driggs cited “the interest of justice” in a motion she filed asking Judge Laura Cardinal to dismiss Copeland’s case. The dismissal was granted without prejudice, meaning the charges can be refiled within the statute of limitations.
“The reality is that given his sentencing in the other case, a cost-benefit analysis of going forward with a trial on class 5 and 6 felonies does not make sense,” Driggs said.
Then on Oct. 17 Driggs filed a motion to dismiss the charges against Bailey. That decision was based on information the prosecutor received which led her to believe a conviction is unlikely at this time.
As with Copeland, the charges could be refiled at a later date, Driggs said.
Copeland remains in the Cochise County jail despite his prison sentence. He maintained his innocence throughout the molestation trial and has noticed the Arizona Court of Appeals that he intends to challenge his convictions.
As of Oct. 21, Copeland was pending separation from the Army, according to Public Affairs Officer Angela Camara. She added that further details are currently unavailable due to the Privacy Act.