From Art Campos:
A Placer County judge today reduced the bail to $250,000 for a Roseville middle school teacher who was arrested last week on charges of molesting a former student.
The bail for James Albert Hirleman (left photo), 48, who has pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of molestation of an underage boy, was previously $350,000. The defendant allegedly carried on a five- to six-year sexual relationship that began when the boy was 13, according to the Placer County District Attorney's Office.
Attorneys in the case argued before Placer Superior Court Judge J. Richard Couzens as to whether Hirleman, a seventh-grade teacher at George Buljan Middle School, poses a threat to others if he is released on a lower bail.
Hirleman's attorney, Timothy Balcom, requested that bail be reduced to $100,000 and said his client "has never made a threat to anyone," has no criminal record and is not a flight risk.
Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Wood argued that bail remain at $350,000, saying he was concerned for the safety of other potential victims, and he noted that Hirleman had access to about $18,000 in credit card availability and cash, making him a possible flight risk.
Couzens cut the bail by $100,000, but not before expressing his own concern about "so many incidents" listed in the criminal complaint filed by the prosecution. Hirleman, currently in custody in the Placer County jail in Auburn, is scheduled for his next court appearance Oct. 8.
The teacher is on unpaid leave from the Roseville City School District. The Rocklin Police Department, which investigated the case, said the alleged incidents with the boy occurred at a residence and not at the school. No other victims have been found, police said.
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