Child molestation hearing reveals a child’s fear

  • Above: Bufford’s defense attorney shielded him with a file folder from being seen in the courtroom at the preliminary hearing May 23, 2018 at the Lamont branch of the Kern County Superior Court with families looking on.

    Above: Bufford’s defense attorney shielded him with a file folder from being seen in the courtroom at the preliminary hearing May 23, 2018 at the Lamont branch of the Kern County Superior Court with families looking on.

By Patric Hedlund, TME

Driving north on the Grapevine down to the floor of the San Joaquin Valley to report the evidence against an alleged child molestor is a heck of a way to begin a day.

At 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, the hour’s trip to Weedpatch began, giving plenty of time to wonder what it is like for James Bufford to be staring at a possible sentence of 60 years in prison at age 37—and what it would be like to be his alleged victims, sentenced to a lifetime of “getting over it.”

My destination was the Lamont branch of the Kern County Superior Court, which is actually located in the little Lamont neighborhood of Weedpatch.

Bufford was first arrested on February 20, but then rearrested and held in Kern County’s Lerdo Pretrial Facility since March 6 of this year. He is held on three felony counts of…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

Above: Bufford’s defense attorney shielded him with a file folder from being seen in the courtroom.

Below: James Bufford, 37, is in custody for allegedly molesting children in Lebec and Frazier Park.

Left: The Kern County Superior Court courtroom of Judge H.A. ‘Skip’ Staley where James Bufford, 37, and some of his alleged victims showed up on May 23, 2018 for a preliminary hearing. An arraignment will take place in Bakersfield next month.

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This is part of the May 25, 2018 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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