Judge places case 24CR1592 on trial docket, warns defendant; announces closed trial for Daniel Cranmer

A presiding judge in Jefferson County District Court ordered that case 24CR1592 be placed on the trial docket and warned the defendant not to contact the alleged victim, saying such contact could result in jail time before trial.

The judge told the defendant the indictment and probable-cause affidavit were “very disturbing” and warned, “If you did, you would be thrown in jail until we got to trial.” The judge also said the charges carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years if the defendant is convicted and instructed the defendant to secure counsel promptly, noting the case is more than six months old and will not be repeatedly delayed.

The direction to place 24CR1592 on the trial docket followed a brief discussion about counsel. The court noted a caller said Martin Lewis had been contacted and that paperwork to confirm counsel was expected. The judge said, “If you’re gonna hire somebody, you need to move it quick because I’m putting this on the trial docket.”

Separately, the court announced it was preparing for the trial of a defendant identified in the hearing transcript as Daniel Cranmer on charges described by the court as continued sexual abuse of a child. The judge said that, because the indictment involves a child victim and the nature of the allegations, the court would take the proceeding off the court’s YouTube livestream while the trial is underway and would resume streaming when there is “a disposition, a verdict.” The judge said the trial is expected to take “a couple of days.”

Court staff told attendees there will be a miscellaneous docket at 9:00 a.m. the following morning and that the court would keep the public updated on scheduling. No formal plea or verdict was announced during the portions of the hearing on the record in the transcript.

The court emphasized the prohibition on victim contact, the timeline for docketing, and the need for the defendant in 24CR1592 to confirm retained counsel quickly to avoid further delay. The judge also made clear that the courtroom will be closed to the public livestream for the child-victim trial and that the livestream will be reactivated only after a disposition or verdict is reached.