AUGUSTA — A former China man accused of more than 20 counts of sexual crimes against a child less than 12 years old on Monday was denied his bid to have his bail conditions modified.

Jared D. Jandreau

Jared D. Jandreau, 36, was seeking to have his bail conditions modified to be able to have contact with children, including his own, and access to a computer to communicate with his attorney.

Jandreau and Jessica E. Cox, 31, of Augusta, were indicted by a grand jury last January on 20 counts each of sexual exploitation of a minor and five counts each of unlawful sexual contact.

Both are out on bail, awaiting trial.

Jandreau’s attorney Tim Zerillo had motioned the court to amend his bail to remove conditions that ban him from having any contact with children under 18 and from using or possessing a device able to connect to the internet.

Superior Court Justice William Stokes denied the motion Monday.

Zerillo said Jandreau wants to be able to see his own children and needs to be able to use a device that can connect to the internet to communicate electronically with his attorney as they plan his defense. He said that due to the coronavirus pandemic he tries to do as much as possible with his clients via Zoom to not risk in-person contact.

He said there are a large amount of materials to be reviewed in the case he wants Jandreau to be able to review.

“It puts the defense at a real disadvantage,” Zerillo said, noting he is able to communicate over the internet with defendants he represents who are in jail, but not with Jandreau who is out on bail.

In denying the motion, Stokes said the allegations in the case, if true, are so serious and concerning he felt he could not risk allowing Jandreau to have contact with any children, including his own four kids.

“I am troubled by these allegations,” Stokes said. “I think I have to err on the side of caution.”

Stokes did direct Assistant Attorney General Paul Rucha, the state’s prosecutor, to provide recordings of any interviews pertaining to the case to Zerillo on a thumb drive so Jandreau’s attorney could share those recordings with his client.

Jessica E. Cox

Jandreau is accused of requesting that Cox record images of a girl, who was younger than 12 years old at the time, and send them to him, which Rucha alleged she did, including photographs of her touching the child sexually.

Zerillo noted Jandreau is accused of the same crimes as Cox under the state’s accomplice liability standards, which in Maine means an accomplice in a crime can be charged with the same crime as the primary actor in that crime. He noted there were no other sexual images of children on Jandreau’s phone nor has he ever been accused of having any sexual contact with children.

However Rucha argued that Jandreau has an extensive criminal record, including convictions for assault, terrorizing and multiple violations of bail conditions and protection orders. He added that Jandreau had asked Cox to record the images of the girl and also, later, asked her to come to his home and engage in oral sex with a boy under the age of 14, which she did not do.

While Rucha agreed to provide recordings of interviews in the case to Zerillo on a thumb drive, he noted courts and lawyers have functioned for many years before computers and the internet.

“It wasn’t that long ago, your honor, we all did this by paper,” Rucha said.

According to an affidavit filed by State Police Special Agent David Armstrong, authorities began investigating the case after they discovered what they considered to be a sexually explicit photograph on Jandreau’s phone while they were investigating another case.

Cox, through her attorney Verne Paradie Jr., has also filed a motion to amend her bail conditions, according to court documents, seeking to be able to have contact with her family. The motion, which has not yet been heard, states under her current bail conditions she can only leave her home for medical appointments, groceries, employment and legal purposes.