UNION CITY — The suspect in a lengthy sex abuse case has been freed from jail after posting $100,000 bail, just a few days after his attorney argued he couldn’t afford such a high amount.
Jose Valdez-Rosales, 36, was charged last year with ongoing sexual abuse of a child. Union City police say he tried for months to impregnate a 13-year-old girl after approaching the alleged victim on her way to school one day, blackmailed her and harassed her underage boyfriend, and then complained to police during his interrogation that the victim broke his heart.
Valdez-Rosales spent months behind bars, but posted bail in December and was freed. In late November, his lawyer filed a motion to reduce bail from $100,000, arguing that Valdez-Rosales was “indigent and cannot afford that amount” and that he does not pose a “significant” public safety risk.
“Despite the seriousness of the charges, Mr. Valdez Rosales is not a danger to the community or a flight risk. His criminal history, while extensive, is limited to non-violent felonies,” defense attorney Christopher Dobbins wrote in court filings.
Days after a judge denied the motion, Valdez-Rosales obtained the $100,000 through a bail bond company and was released, records show.