For the second time in four months a judge reduced the bail of an Aurora man accused of sexually assaulting and abusing five young females over a 15-year span, court records show.
Even with the lower bail amount, 50-year-old Martin L. Beyer remains in Kane County Jail awaiting trial on a total of 18 counts charging him with predatory criminal sexual assault, sex assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and indecent solicitation of a child. The charges state Beyer assaulted and fondled the females, including one listed as being “impaired” at the time. He is also alleged to have solicited sexual activity from two of the minors with one instance occurring last year, according to court records.
After originally being held on $1 million bail following his December arrest, Beyer saw a judge cut the amount in half, although Beyer was still unable to raise the money to be released.
His attorney, Fred Morelli, wrote in a second bond-reduction motion that those amounts were beyond Beyer’s family’s means and “equivalent of no bail.” Morelli, who asked for the amount to be set at $75,000, also pointed out that Beyer has sold his previous home and would no longer be living in close proximity to one of the alleged victims – a factor prosecutors previously cited for objecting to any bond reduction for Beyer.
Kane County Judge John Barsanti agreed – over the prosecution’s objection – to reduce the bail amount to $300,000, according to jail records.
Beyer, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is scheduled to return to court May 26.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News