BRISTOL, Va. – A circuit court judge denied bond Thursday for a former nursing home aide charged with sexually assaulting the elderly patients under his care.
James Wright, 34, is charged with four counts of aggravated sexual battery against four different patients. He has been in jail since his arrest in August, and is likely to stay incarcerated pending his trial in January.
Wright’s defense lawyer, Barry Proctor, argued that he should be eligible for bond as a citizen with a long work history and ties to the area, and no prior criminal convictions or charges.
Bristol Commonwealth’s Attorney Jerry Wolfe argued that the violent crime Wright is charged with carries a presumption that bond should be denied.
The victims in this case were elderly, suffered from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and “were truly vulnerable,” Wolfe said.
“They didn’t have the ability to run away, they didn’t have the ability to protect themselves,” Wolfe said. “They were sexually assaulted and abused by someone who was supposed to be a caretaker of them.”
Proctor argued that his client has yet to be convicted of any crime, but Wright’s testimony and Proctor’s argument were not sufficient to rebut the presumption of denying bond, ruled Judge Larry Kirksey.
Wright’s testimony offered a view into his complicated relationship with the two family members in the area to whom he is close – his mother, and his grandmother– and his mental health.
Before his arrest, Wright had lived with his mother for 19 years in a Bristol house owned by his grandmother. The grandmother has moved out and lives in a motel, according to his testimony. Under questioning from Proctor, Wright testified that he would not need a job to support himself if the judge allowed him to post bail, and that he could stay with his mother.
Wolfe questioned Wright about whether he fought with his mother.
“We have our problems, but we remain close,” Wright testified.
Wright also acknowledged that he suffers from depression and takes medication for the condition.
A Jan. 27 jury trial is set for Wright.
dgilbert@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2558
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