Stephen pleads not guilty, seeks detention release

     On Friday, April 6, Greg Stephen of Monticello appeared in district court in Cedar Rapids and pleaded not guilty to the felony indictment of transportation of child pornography.

     Stephen, 42, was arrested on March 13 after a search warrant by law enforcement turned up electronic recording devices containing footage of minors.

     Last week, Stephen’s lawyer, Mark Meyer, also filed a request to have his pretrial detention revoked. On March 22, the judge ordered Stephen be detained “based on the charged offense and nature of that offense,” despite admitting he was not a flight risk. Stephen requests his release “on conditions including home confinement with work-release privileges and location monitoring.”

     Meyer stated Stephen has no prior criminal charges of conviction, has been steadily employed, and “has a stable residence and excellent family support.

     “His family is willing to supervise him on release, and Mr. Stephen is willing to be confined at home with release to his work. He is willing to wear a GPS-tracking device.”

     Meyer went on to state: “There is not clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Stephen poses a danger to the community or grounds to find that he is a flight risk.

     “Mr. Stephen asserts that conditions of release including home detention, limited travel, and remote location monitoring are sufficient to address legitimate safety of the community concerns.”

     A trial date was set for June 4.