Bail Reduced for Ramona Man Accused of Molesting Boy in Chula Vista

Update April 2, 2012: Chula Vista Police Lt. Roxanna Kennedy has told Patch that the arrest was a result of concern expressed by staff at the group home where the alleged victim lived. No other details about any alleged incidents or the victim are available because it is now all considered evidence for a preliminary hearing for a potential trial.

Original story March 28:

A Ramona man accused of multiple counts of molesting a boy in Chula Vista had his bail reduced Wednesday. Sheriff's Department records later in the day no longer listed 69-year-old Robert Buechner in custody. His bail had been set at $500,000. It is now $250,000.

Buechner has pleaded not guilty to of sex crimes against a 15-year-old who lives in a group home for at-risk youth in Chula Vista. Police reported that Buechner knew the boy through the boy's family.

Buechner's attorney told the judge that he was confident Buechner would make his future court appearances because the man's life appeared stable, including long-time residence in the area.

"He was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1964 and has held down a number of jobs since then," Ryan Tegnelia told Judge Katherine Bacal in the South County branch of Superior Court in Chula Vista. Tegnelia told Patch after the hearing that Buechner has worked in the aeronautics industry and with the Postal Service over the years. The accused was March 21 at Ramona High School where he worked as a special education teacher's aide.

Prosecutor Karra Reedy argued for the bail to remain at the higher amount because of the seriousness of the charges and the allegation that the incidents occurred over several months.

Judge Bacal issued a protective stay-away order as a condition of the lowered bail. Buechner is not allowed to contact the boy in any way or to be within 100 yards of him. He is also to have no contact with minors, pending the outcome of the court proceedings.

The judge said she was lowering the bail because the accused had "a stable place to reside and has support at home." Buechner is married, with adult children.

A preliminary hearing to review the alleged evidence against Buechner is due to begin in May.