TEXARKANA, Texas - A 27-year-old man who was allegedly caught without pants in the closet of a 14-year-old girl in December was denied a bond reduction Tuesday at a pretrial hearing.
Johnny Ray Shanklin appeared before 5th District Judge Bill Miller via Zoom from a room at the Bowie County jail annex in downtown Texarkana. Assistant Public Defender Sylvia Delgado asked Miller to reduce Shanklin's bail from $100,000 to an amount he and his family can afford.
Shanklin said he believes his family may be able to raise $2,500 to $3,000. With the aid of a commercial bondsman, defendants with bail set at $30,000 will typically pay about 10 percent of that amount.
Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter said she opposes a bail reduction based on the nature of the charge pending against Shanklin. Miller agreed with Carter and denied his request.
Shanklin was allegedly detained by the girl's mother at approximately 3:15 a.m. Dec. 9, according to a probable cause affidavit. When Wake Village police responded to the home on Arizona Street, they allegedly found Shanklin, nude from the waist down, in the girl's closet with condoms in his hand.
Shanklin has entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of sexual assault of a child. If convicted, he faces two to 20 years in prison. A date for trial has not been scheduled.