When Jay Herbert Anderson was arrested by the Sierra Vista Police Department earlier this month a local justice of the peace ordered Anderson held without bail. That order was voided Tuesday by Cochise County’s presiding judge, who reset bail at $300,000.
Anderson, 80, was taken into custody Sept. 2 after an investigation which began in July. He was initially booked into jail on suspicion of six felonies involving child molestation and sexual exploitation of a minor, but a criminal complaint filed in court Tuesday lists nine felonies.
The new bail order by Judge Timothy Dickerson came during a nine-minute bail eligibility hearing Tuesday during which the Cochise County Attorney’s Office argued for bail to be set at $500,000. The judge, however, felt a $300,000 secured appearance bond was appropriate.
A secured appearance bond requires collateral to be posted with a bail-bonds company on top of a 10 percent non-refundable payment to the bond company. Anderson was also ordered to have no contact with any of the named victims or witnesses identified in the investigation.
According to a City of Sierra Vista press release, detectives opened an investigation of Anderson in July 2022 after receiving a citizen complaint about several victims of child molestation.
“During the investigation Sierra Vista Police Detectives identified other witnesses who reported observing child sexual abuse material on specific digital media owned by Anderson,” the statement reads. “SVPD detectives served a search warrant at Anderson’s residence on Essex Drive, where they seized evidence of crimes of sexual exploitation of a minor and child molestation” which served as probable cause for the arrest.
Anyone who may have information about the Anderson investigation is asked to contact Det. Jessica Ferrel at 520-452-7500.
