SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz neurosurgeon accused of numerous sex offenses against children appeared briefly in court Wednesday morning, where he did not enter a plea.
James Joel Kohut will return to court on May 26, where a judge will set his preliminary hearing and consider a bail amount. He is likely to enter a plea at that time, too.
Until then, Kohut, 57, will be held in Santa Cruz County Jail without bail.
Kohut, clad in an orange jail outfit, sat alone in the suspect holding area, staring ahead, his hands clasped on his lap.
Outside court, Kohut’s attorney Nick Cvietkovich suggested his client will deny the charges.
“Dr. Kohut is a renowned neurosurgeon,” Cvietkovich said. “He has spent his life saving people’s lives, and I do not believe the allegations will be found to be true in court.”
Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Steven Moore declined to discuss the facts of the case. But he said that the district attorney’s office has now filed 10 felony charges against Kohut, some of which carry a possible life sentence, and others against children under 14 that carry a possible 10-year sentence.
In addition to Kohut, Rashel Brandon has been charged with 11 felony counts that include lewd acts on a child, oral copulation with a child and production of child pornography.
Law enforcement officials on Tuesday named a third suspect who is facing similar charges.
Emily Joy Stephens, 29, was arrested in Pima County, Ariz. on suspicion of sexually assaulting young children in Santa Cruz County, court records show.
Stephens is denying the charges and is fighting extradition. She is being held on $100,000, jail records showed.
Authorities have not said what the relationship is between the three suspects. Moore, however, said they are “interconnected.”
According to court documents, Kohut, Brandon and Stephens took part in sexual intercourse and sodomy with boys under 10 on three occasions, and a girl under 10 on another occasion.
On four other occasions, Kohut is accused of acting alone in engaging in sexual intercourse and sodomy with children under 14, and two occasions with children under 10.
Kohut faces life in prison if convicted on all the charges.
A man who asked not to be identified said he worked with Kohut in Dominican Hospital for eight years. He described the case as “surreal.”
“We are very deeply disturbed,” he said.
According to court documents, Kohut was reprimanded for performing brain surgery on the wrong side of a patient’s head, and for viewing adult pornography at work.
The man said he never saw Kohut harm anyone, but said that he had an ego that caused tension at work.
“We never expected this,” he said.
