MAYVILLE, NY - District Attorney Jason Schmidt announced Thursday the unsealing of a nine count indictment handed up by the Chautauqua County Grand Jury charging Jacob Feldt with multiple criminal sexual acts committed against a child less than 17 years old.
Feldt was arraigned on the indictment Wednesday morning, January 31st, and bail was set by County Court at $250,000 cash or, alternatively, a $500,000 property bond.
The top count of the indictment charges Felt with Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, a class B violent felony, and he now faces a maximum prison sentence of up to 45 years.
Feldt is currently incarcerated in the Chautauqua County Jail. The identity of the victim has been withheld and filed under seal with the Court in accordance with the Civil Rights Law.
"Behind each and every one of these type of cases is a child who wants nothing more than to live the life of a child, free from exploitation and inappropriate contact, and not ever knowing what it’s like to have to recall the worst, most private things committed upon her through no fault of her own, in front of a bunch of strangers," said Schmidt. "We could not go forward with these cases if not for the bravery and strength of our children. Equally indispensable to the process are our Child Advocacy Program and the efforts of multiple police agencies, including Lakewood-Busti, Jamestown and Ellicott, whose detectives worked hard to develop the evidence presented to the Grand Jury. All of these agencies and people deserve our gratitude and respect."
The Lakewood-Busti Police Department added that they, “would like to thank all the agencies who assisted our department in this case. This was a case where I believe we all needed to have good communication and work together, due to the multiple jurisdictions involved.”
The Ellicott Police Department said, “we would like to thank the entire team of EPD, JPD, LBPD, the District Attorney's office and C.A.P. for their dedication and hard work on this difficult case. The Chautauqua County Child Advocacy Program has continued to go above and beyond with every single case they are involved in. This arrest could not have happened without them. This is one example of the many cases where multiple local agencies came together to ensure the best possible outcome to a terrible crime. Thank you to DA Jason Schmidt for the personal attention given to this case.”
Feldt’s next court date is scheduled for March 4th at 9:00am.
