Casper Man Arraigned for Transportation of a Minor, Pleads Not Guilty

James Warren Martin, 38, of Casper, was arraigned on July 19, for transportation of a minor, in violation of federal law. Martin pleaded not guilty. A trial has been set for Sept. 23, 2024, before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl.

The State of Wyoming has also charged Martin with 17 felonies, including numerous allegations of sexual assault of a minor and sexual exploitation of children. These counts stem from assaults allegedly perpetrated upon the same victim as in this case. As indicated by a notice filed by the Natrona County District Attorney’s office in the state case, the state and federal prosecutions are proceeding in tandem.

In April of 2023 Martin earlier pleaded not guilty the sexual abuse allegations before Natrona County District Court Judge Daniel Forgey. He remains in jail on a $500,000 cash bond.

If convicted, Martin faces 10 years to life imprisonment with five years to life of supervised release and up to a $5,000 assessment for Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This crime is being investigated by the FBI, Casper Police Department and the La Paz County Arizona Sheriff’s Office. The case is being federally prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Z. Seth Griswold.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The alleged crimes occurred from Sept. 15, 2021, to Oct. 31, 2022, according to court documents.

Martin's grooming of the girl and initial sexual behavior started in September 2021.

But the case went public on Oct. 18, 2022, when the girl's guardian reported that Martin had been grooming the girl. The guardian noticed "weird behavior" between the two because of the amount of time they spent with each other and the girl didn't hang around with other kids or her family, according to the police affidavit.

A friend of the girl reported that she refused to skip school when the girl asked her to on Nov. 16, and that the girl said she would be picked up by someone. The friend also said the girl claimed to have a 17-year-old boyfriend but she never saw him or knew anything about him, according to the affidavit.

Subsequent attempts by Martin's family and friends to contact him were unsuccessful.

The AMBER Alert was announced on Nov. 17, 2022.

The next day, Martin and the girl were located later on Highway 95 in western Arizona by the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office. The Lake Havasu office of the Phoenix Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to conduct the local investigation in Arizona.

The Casper Police Department said in a prepared statement that Martin waived extradition Arizona on Nov. 26, and was brought to Natrona County on Dec. 29, 2022.

SEE: Feds Charge Casper Man with Taking Girl Over State Lines