Judge Michael Oster Jr. set the trial date for 9 a.m. Feb. 3 in Butler County Common Pleas.
Sexton’s attorney, Don Leroy, told Oster he was worried about potential jurors being tainted because of the pre-trial publicity the case has received. He said he has counted nine articles on the Sexton case that have appeared in the Journal-News.
Prosecuting Attorney Dan Phillips told Oster that numerous Butler County cases — he mentioned convicted murderer Daniel French — have received as much, or more, publicity than Sexton.
Oster said jurors would be asked about their previous knowledge of the Sexton case.
Leroy also was concerned that his client would be connected to the disappearance of his girlfriend, Lindsay Bogan, 30, of Middletown. On Sept. 13, 2015, Sexton reported that Bogan got into a silver Dodge Durango at the corner of Central Avenue and Baltimore Street and was never seen again.
He said Lindsay, a 2003 Madison High School graduate and the mother of his baby daughter, wasn’t a prostitute, though later, he was charged with promoting prostitution by Middletown police.
Leroy said with Bogan’s disappearance, what he called that “cloud in the background,” jurors may be more willing to convict Sexton of the promoting prostitution charge. He wanted to be assured the two weren’t linked.
“That mystery,” Leroy said. “He should not be convicted by that alone.”
Phillips said he believes that when Sexton notified Middletown police that Bogan was missing, he was “pimping her at the time.”
Oster said any information regarding Bogan that could be tied to prostitution would be allowed in court, but he wouldn’t allow details about her disappearance.
He told both attorneys he planned to run “a clean trial.”
Sexton is housed in the Butler County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bond.
Bogan is described as 5-foot-6-inches tall, 118 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. She has a rainbow tattoo on her hip and a star tattoo on her shoulder.
Lindsay Bogan’s father has said he doesn’t hold out much hope.
“I think she’s dead,” said Kevin Bogan, 59, of Liberty Twp. “If not, she would have contacted me by now. I’m thinking she’s alive less and less.”
Anyone with information about Bogan’s whereabouts is asked to call Lt. Jim Cunningham at 513-425-7747.
The $2,000 reward is being offered by the Greater Cincinnati Crime Stoppers Wheel of Justice Fund. Anyone with information is urged to call 513-352-3040. Callers remain anonymous, as they are identified by code numbers, not names.
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