A lawyer representing Shawn Eaton of Mountain Home, who faces several charges stemming from incidents in which he has exposed himself to young girls or imappropriately touched them, asked Judge Gordon Webb to consider setting a bond for his client during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court on Thursday.
Since the latest incident in which Eaton has been accused of inappropriate sexual activity involving young girls, the state has revoked a previously set bond.
The effort was unsuccessful and Eaton remains in the Baxter County jail with no bond set.
Eaton, who has been described in court records as bipolar and in need of medications, has allegedly exposed himself to a young girl at the Donald W. Reynolds Library, inappropriately touched another girl at local store, and, most recently, exposed himself to a young girl who had gone outside to ride her bicycle.
In one investigative report, Eaton is alleged to have said that he frequently engages in inappropriate sexual activity in public.
In a probate case filed in 2013 asking that a guardian be appointed for Eaton it was noted that he had “significant mental problems and requires assistance in his everyday living”.
Mark Cooper from the Public Defender’s Office said that his client was “not a good candidate to be housed in a jail, he does not function well in the jail environment”.
There is a psychological examination pending in Eaton’s cases that will play a large part in the direction the cases take.
The state opposes any bond being set for Eaton until the psychological examination results are available.
14th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge told the court that the latest incident happened while Eaton was out on bond. “We were assured by the caretaker that this type of behavior would be curbed, but that is not how it worked out”.
Judge Webb said that he wanted Eaton protected from any abuse at the hands of other prisoners in the county jail, but he also wanted the public protected from Eaton’s aberrant behavior as well. Judge Webb said he would not set bond at this point, but asked that the psychological examination be expedited as much as possible.
The judge said that a list of medications prescribed for Eaton should be provided to the jail to ensure that he is given what he needs. Webb said he wanted to see procedures put in place at the jail that would protect the defendant against any abuse that Eaton could potentially suffer at the hands of other inmates.
Lawyers representing Eaton have indicated that they would rely on the defense of mental disease and defect.
Activity in cases where a psychological evaluation is pending is suspended until the evaluation is completed and a report provided to the court.
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