Dr. James Kohut faces $15M bail amid new charges in molestation case

Sept. 21--SANTA CRUZ -- For a Santa Cruz brain surgeon, Watsonville nurse and Tucson, Arizona mother, each faces a new bail of $15 million, set by a judge Thursday. The three are accused in a child-rape ring that extended from Santa Cruz County to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

Dr. James Kohut, 57, faces 32 new charges linked with raping children. He already faced 16 felonies tied to molestation in 2003, 2014, 2016 and 2017, according to court documents.

Previous allegations included molestation at a Scotts Valley hotel. New allegations include acts in Tuolumne County between January and May. A new video filmed in Watsonville also was introduced as evidence. That new video is the basis for 32 new charges in the case. That video documents copulation, sodomy and other forced acts, according to court documents.

During a hearing Thursday before Superior Court Judge John Salazar, Kohut sat observing from the corner of a jury box in a courtroom at the Santa Cruz County Jail. It was the first hearing in the case in that venue.

At least six bailiffs and officers monitored the small courtroom throughout the hearing.

Defendants Emily Stephens, 30, of Tucson, Arizona and Rashel Brandon, 43, of Watsonville never made eye contact during the proceeding. When Brandon walked into the courtroom, she uttered something indecipherable and smiled for a moment before sitting down in shackles.

Salazar set a March 12 preliminary hearing to receive updates in the case.

This story will be updated.

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