Judge sets $775K bond for Old Lyme man wanted on Tenn. child rape charges
A judge on Wednesday set a $775,000 bond for a man captured in Old Lyme who is wanted on numerous sexual assault charges involving a minor in Tennessee.
Kody T. Stewart, 30, of Mississippi, was arrested Tuesday after police in Chattanooga, Tenn., tipped off police here that Stewart, who was possibly armed, might be living at 104 Grassy Hill Road in Old Lyme.
Police found Stewart at the home and charged him with being a fugitive from justice. He was also charged with first-degree reckless endangerment and two counts of risk of injury to a minor after police said they found an unregistered and unsecured .40 caliber handgun in a duffle bag in a bedroom.
Police said Stewart’s 1-year-old daughter was in the same bedroom as the firearm. A 10-year-old was also living in the house where Stewart had been living for the past eight months, police said.
In New London Superior Court on Wednesday, Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney Alexandra Aksterowicz said Stewart faces multiple counts of sexual assault-related charges in Tennessee, where he is accused of sexually assaulting a victim under the age of 13.
The charges in Tennessee include continuous sexual abuse of a child, sexual contact with a minor, attempted rape of a child, five counts of aggravated sexual battery and eight counts of rape of a child.
Calling it “an extremely serious matter,” New London Superior Court Judge Tamar R. Birckhead set a combined bond of $775,000 on the two cases. Stewart agreed to be extradited to Tennessee. He is scheduled to return to New London Superior Court on Nov. 26.
Editor’s note: This version corrects the name of the judge who set the bond amount.