October trial for accused kidnapper

POWELL, Wyo. (AP) — A Montana man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a girl from Cody, Wyo., is scheduled to go on trial in October.

Jesse P. Speer, who previously lived in Colorado, had been tentatively set to go on trial next week on six felony charges relating to the girl’s disappearance last October, but his attorneys sought a delay. The Powell Tribune reports the trial is now scheduled to start Oct. 7.

Speer, of Manhattan, is accused of luring the girl to his vehicle by saying he needed help looking for a lost puppy in October.

Investigators say he forced her into his vehicle at gunpoint, took her to a remote area and sexually assaulted her before abandoning her. Hunters found the girl, who was 10 at the time, and took her to safety.

Speer, a nature photographer, pleaded not guilty. He remains in jail.

Investigators scoured video from cameras in and around Cody, keying in on Speer’s Toyota 4Runner from descriptions from the victim and other children. Video showing the license plate of Speer’s SUV was key in tracking him down, court records state. The girl was also able to provide a detailed description of her abductor. 

Court records filed in Montana say that Speer told arresting officers he abducted and assaulted the girl. He said he had put a bag over the girl’s head and tied her hands with rope as he drove her out of town. 

The Cody Enterprise has reported that court documents indicate police recovered DNA evidence linking Speer to the girl.