Bachelder granted change of venue for upcoming trial

By Seth Boyes,

A Decorah area businessman accused of using hidden cameras to capture explicit images of individuals in his home will now have his case heard outside of Winneshiek County.

Court documents filed in July charged Kelly Jon Bachelder with two counts of sexually exploiting a minor – both are considered aggravated misdemeanors. The 48-year-old entered a plea of not guilty less than two weeks later. Bachelder’s defense attorney Mark Brown requested in August that the case be tried outside Winneshiek County, saying the individuals involved in the case are “entrenched in the local community” and “shall know many prospective jurors.” The court agreed to the change of venue as part of a Nov. 12 filing. 

“It is best to move the trial of this case to a county where Bachelder is not well known and try the matter in a community where this case has not been fodder for the rumor mill,” Iowa First Judicial District Court Judge Richard Stochl wrote.

The case is currently scheduled to go to trial Jan. 23, 2025, in Chickasaw County.

The accusations

Trial information in the case lists two specific victims — both were identified in the trial information only by their initials, and both resided at the same address as Bachelder at that time, according to court records. Criminal complaints filed in the case accuse Bachelder of secretly recording the victims between January of 2020 and June of 2022. 

Full article available in the December 5 Decorah Leader. 

Submit A Comment

Fill out the form to submit a comment. All comments require approval by our staff before it is displayed on the website.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments