CALIFORNIA
KUSI
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – A seminary student accused of traveling from Ohio to San Diego with the intent of going to Tijuana to have sex with female infants waived his right to a detention hearing Thursday and agreed to be held without bail during the pendency of the case.
Joel Alexander Wright, 23, clad in an orange jumpsuit, answered “yes, your honor” when Magistrate Judge Bernard Skomal asked him if he agreed to postpone his preliminary hearing until Feb. 25, the same day as his scheduled arraignment.
Wright was arrested Jan. 29 at Lindbergh Field and charged with traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and aggravated sexual abuse of a child. He faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Alessandra Serano.
After receiving a tip, a Homeland Security Investigations undercover agent took over an email account and started communicating with Wright. The defendant thought he was talking to a Mexico-based tour guide he met after placing an ad on Craigslist, soliciting the adoption of infants in Tijuana, according to the criminal complaint.
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