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Bond reduced in Aspen case

Rick Carroll
The Aspen Times
Aspen, CO Colorado

ASPEN – A judge Monday cut in half the bond for a man who has been incarcerated in the Pitkin County jail since March for allegedly contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

District Judge James Boyd also scheduled a preliminary hearing Aug. 7 in the case against Dandy Vickery, 46, of parts unknown. It marks the second time Vickery will go to a preliminary hearing, as Boyd ruled that the evidence he heard in the first hearing on July 7 did not fit the charges against him.

“There is a variance between the offenses charged and the evidence heard at the preliminary hearing,” Boyd said, before reducing Vickery’s bond from $15,000 to $7,500.



He added: “Probable cause was found for the offense, just not the one [originally] charged.”

The district attorney’s office has amended the charges against Vickery, and has until Aug. 3 to file a motion protesting another preliminary hearing, which is held to determine whether a suspect in a crime should be held for trial.




“I am not sure the defendant has a right to another preliminary hearing,” assistant district attorney Richard Nedlin told Boyd.

However, Vickery’s attorney, Kathy Goudy, said Vickery is entitled to another preliminary hearing because the district attorney’s office has amended its charges against Vickery.

In other court developments:

• Boyd dismissed a first-degree assault charge against Christopher Melendez, 30, of Aspen who is accused of attacking a costume-designer who worked on the locally produced film, “Cougar Hunting.”

The dismissal comes after a July 7 preliminary hearing, at which the judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to bind Melendez over for trial on separate counts of second-degree attempted murder and first-degree burglary, which are both class-three felonies.

His attorney suggested Melendez is open to a plea agreement instead of going to trial.

rcarroll@aspentimes.com