AUGUSTA — A city man facing sex charges told a judge Monday he missed a court date in his criminal case because he was stranded in Florida.
Billy Joe Perry, 39, of Hollis, is accused of 10 sex offenses over a period of four years, all involving the same girl, and all in Augusta.
He was indicted on six counts of unlawful sexual contact and four counts of gross sexual assault by a grand jury in Kennebec County in February 2011. The offenses allegedly occurred between March 1, 2003, and March 7, 2007.
Perry pleaded not guilty to the charges and was free on bail pending trial when he allegedly failed to turn up for a court hearing on March 6.
On Monday, Perry was back in jail in Augusta, making an initial appearance in Kennebec County Superior Court via video.
Perry said he was had been extradited from Florida and brought back to Augusta on Sunday. He said he couldn’t afford a ticket to return for the March court date because his girlfriend lost her job.
Bail in his case is set at $5,000 cash, or $50,000 worth of property. Conditions of bail bar him from contact with children under 12.
Justice Donald Marden told Perry the case is now on the trial list for September.
Perry said he was trying to contact the attorney who was representing him the case, William Baghdoyan.
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