Montana Man Accused Of Abduction Of Cody Girl In Court

CODY, Wyo. (AP) — A Montana man suspected of abducting and assaulting an 11-year-old Cody girl is set to make his first court appearance in Wyoming.

Thirty-nine-year-old Jesse Paul Speer of Manhattan, Mont. is scheduled to appear in a Cody courtroom on Friday to be advised of the charges against him. Circuit Court Judge Bruce Waters will also set bond for him.

Prosecutors allege Speer forced the girl into his SUV at gunpoint on Oct. 8 then assaulted and abandoned her outside of town. The girl was found by hunters driving through the mountainous area.

He was arrested Saturday in Montana and transported to Wyoming Wednesday.

He's a nature photographer and divorced father of two children. Speer and his former wife lived in Colorado for about five years before moving to Montana in 2008.