Limestone DA asks for human trafficking defendant to be held without bail

May 11—The Limestone County District Attorney's Office is asking a judge to use a new law to deny bail for a 77-year-old Athens man charged with victimizing a child in the commission of human trafficking and sodomy offenses.

Chas Haun Stiles Jr., of 9078 Snake Road, is in the Limestone County Jail facing charges of first-degree human trafficking, first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse and enticing a child for immoral purpose.

Limestone sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a sexual assault in the 9000 block of Snake Road, according to the Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's Investigator Jesse Gibson transported Stiles to the jail, where he was interviewed by Gibson and Capt. Caleb Durden, the Sheriff's Office said. Stiles was then arrested. The Sheriff's Office said the investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible.

District Attorney Brian Jones on Wednesday said few details about the case can be released because the victim is a juvenile.

The DA's office filed a motion with District Judge Gray West asking that Stiles be held without bond pursuant to Aniah's Law, which went into effect in November when voters adopted a constitutional amendment expanding the list of crimes in which bail can be denied.

Prior to the amendment, the Alabama Constitution provided that only those charged with a capital crime could be held without bail. In Alabama, capital offenses involve a murder with one of several aggravating circumstances, such as a murder during the commission of a robbery.

Aniah's Law allows a court to deny bail for 12 non-capital offenses, including first-degree human trafficking and first-degree sodomy.

Before denying bail, the court must hold an Aniah's Law hearing in which the defendant is present and represented by counsel.

The court scheduled the Aniah's Law hearing for Stiles for 9 a.m. Thursday and appointed John Totten of Athens as Stiles' lawyer, and on Wednesday Robert Payne of Huntsville also notified the court that he would represent the defendant. In his order, which tracks the wording of Aniah's Law, West said the DA's office "shall be prepared to prove by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably ensure the defendant's appearance in court or protect the safety of the victim and/or community."

West said he would consider the nature of the offense, the weight of the evidence, the characteristics and history of the defendant and the "nature and seriousness of the danger to any person or the community if the Defendant is released."

Jones said his office has averaged about one Aniah's Law hearing a month since the amendment passed in November.

"As the cases are coming in since Aniah's Law passed we've been reviewing them and taking the steps for a hearing. Almost instantaneously after that law went into effect we've been having Aniah's Law hearings," Jones said. "We look at them case by case and make sure we have the factors."

He said West has presided over all of the Aniah's Law hearings.

Jones said the fact that a minor victim is involved in Stiles' case means most of the court pleadings will be sealed from the public.

"The law really limits what we can talk about when a juvenile is involved," Jones said.

Aniah's Law is named after Aniah Blanchard, 19, a student at Southern Union State Community College who was abducted in Auburn in October 2019 and later killed. The man accused of her murder was out on bail awaiting his trial for a previous kidnapping case. The law authorizes a judge to deny bail in the non-capital crimes of murder, kidnapping, rape, sodomy, sexual torture, domestic violence, human trafficking, burglary, arson, robbery and terrorism.

— eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435. Twitter @DD_Fleischauer.

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