The Casper man, who was accused of illegally taking a 14-year-old girl to Arizona and was issued an Amber Alert in November, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse and child abuse Tuesday during an arraignment in Natrona County District Court. pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of sexual exploitation.

James Warren Martin, 36, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted on all or part of the counts.

Martin, along with public defender Todd Infanger, filed a plea of ​​not guilty before District Court Judge Daniel Forgay.

A judge said Martin’s trial would be set for a later date.

Martin remains in prison on a $500,000 cash bond.

The list of 16 counts was long, so Forgey summarized them as he read them.

• Five counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree, each carrying a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.
• Four counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
• There are four counts of third-degree sexual abuse of a minor, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
• Three counts of sexual exploitation of minors, each carrying a penalty of five to 12 years’ imprisonment.

One of the original counts, felony interference in custody, was dismissed by the state, Natrona County Deputy Attorney Blaine Nelson told Forgey.

According to court documents, the alleged crime occurred from September 15, 2021 to October 31, 2022.

Martin’s girl grooming and first sexual act began in September 2021.

However, the case went public on October 18, 2022 when the girl’s guardian reported that Martin was grooming the girl. According to a police affidavit, the parents said there was “strange behavior” between the two due to the amount of time they spent together and the girl’s lack of time with other children or family members. I noticed

A friend of the girl reported that when the girl asked her to skip school on November 16, she refused to skip school and said the girl had someone pick her up. According to the affidavit, the girl claimed to have a 17-year-old boyfriend, but had never seen him and knew nothing about him.

Martin’s family and friends have since tried to contact him, but to no avail.

The AMBER Alert was announced on November 17th.

The next day, Martin and the girl were found by the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office along Highway 95 in western Arizona. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Phoenix Division’s Lake Havasu Office responded by conducting a field investigation in Arizona.

In a prepared statement, the Casper Police Department said Martin was released from extradition to Arizona on November 26 and was brought into Natrona County on December 29.

Casper Children’s Advocacy Project