Judge imposes conditions on Cole

Circuit Court Judge Garry Reynolds issued an order Tuesday imposing conditions under which Brian Cole will remain out of jail until pending criminal charges are resolved.

Cole, 47, of 17507 Deer Park Loop, a former chairman of the Baker County Commission, has been charged with two counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor and four counts of third-degree sexual abuse of a 17-year-old girl. All six of the Class A misdemeanors involve the same girl.

During a pretrial conference Monday at the Baker County Courthouse, the state asked Reynolds to impose release conditions for Cole, who was first cited and released on one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor on Oct. 31. The other charges were filed on Feb. 12 as the result of further investigation.

Cole has not been jailed on any of the charges.

In a letter filed in Circuit Court Feb. 16, Cole’s attorney, Bob Moon of Baker City, wrote that Cole has waived his right to be formally arraigned on the charges and asked the court to enter a not guilty plea and to set a trial date.

Among the conditions the judge ordered Tuesday are that Cole report for fingerprinting at the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, have “no direct, indirect, or third-party contact” with the victim or her immediate family and to have no contact with the victim’s home, school or job site.

The judge also ordered Cole to refrain from the use and possession of alcoholic beverages and to not enter businesses that “derive their income primarily from the sale of alcoholic beverages.”

The judge denied Wendel’s request that Cole also have no contact with minors and to not  “be present in schools, parks, churches, shopping malls, or other places in which minors may congregate.”

A hearing on Wendel’s motion is set for 2 p.m. March 17 at the Courthouse.

District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff asked the state to investigate and to prosecute the case to avoid potential conflicts of interest because of Cole’s past relationships with county employees. Baker County Circuit Court Judge Greg Baxter also has recused himself, and Reynolds, who lives at Pendleton, and serves Circuit Courts in Morrow and Umatilla counties, was assigned to the case.