By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

A Fayette County magistrate judge Monday set bond at $50,000 for a man charged with attempting to distribute about 20 pounds of marijuana.

Bond was set at $40,000 in a child molestation case.

Ochoa Carlos Vega faces a felony count of possession with intent to distribute. Unable to speak or understand English, he appeared in court Monday with a Fayette County deputy serving as his interpreter.

“We're very much opposed to this dope being sold in Fayette County,” Magistrate Judge Grady Huddleston told the defendant when setting the $50,000 bond. “There's no doubt in my mind he'd sell it to kids as soon as anybody. Twenty pounds is a large quantity.”

Vega was located over the weekend after a lengthy investigation. He told Huddleston that he had no knowledge of the drugs in question, but Huddleston said that was an issue for him to bring up with his attorney in another venue.

In an unrelated case, bond was set at $40,000 for a 29-year-old man charged with enticing a child for indecent purposes, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated child molestation, and statutory rape.

Russell Bryan Jr. of Fairburn said that the alleged victim lied about her age, and he and his family were attempting to have a warrant issued for her over the weekend. Huddleston informed Bryan that the girl was actually 13 years old.

In addition to the $10,000 on each charge, Huddleston ordered Bryan to stay away from the alleged victim and her family.

James Jeffrey Hubbard appeared in court Monday to face a misdemeanor battery charge in connection with a family altercation over the weekend.

Hubbard allegedly got into a fight with his brother in the wee hours of Saturday morning at their Fairburn residence, where the defendant cut his brother on the face by hitting him with his fists.

“Y'all just had a good old knockdown, drag-out, didn't you?” Huddleston asked.

“Yes, sir,” Hubbard replied.

Because the case would fall under the Family Violence Act, Huddleston said he would set bond at $2,000, which is higher than typical misdemeanor cases. The defendant, who told the court that he will move in with his parents for a while, was ordered to stay away from his brother.