Oakdale man accused of soliciting sex with boys appears in court
An Oakdale man accused of leaving notes seeking sex with boys made his first courtroom appearance since his arrest last week.
Stephen Louis Busch, 65, appeared without an attorney for his arraignment hearing Monday afternoon. He entered the courtroom wearing an orange-and-white jail inmate jumpsuit with shackles on his wrists and ankles. The defendant had trouble standing during his arraignment, so the bailiff allowed him to sit while answering questions from the judge.
Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge John Whiteside appointed the county Public Defender’s Office to represent Busch. The judge also scheduled the defendant to return to court Friday morning for a pretrial hearing, where the court could decide to increase or decrease Busch’s $50,000 bail amount.
Prosecutors on Monday formally charged Busch with sending harmful material to a minor with the intent to sexually arouse the child. The defendant also was charged with arranging a meeting with the intent of committing lewd acts with a child. Both charges are felonies.
Busch has been in custody since his arrest Wednesday. Oakdale police said a resident reportedly found notes seeking sex with boys on a fence in the alley between Stanislaus and Warrington avenues, starting in September. More than 40 notes were turned over to police investigators.
An investigator posed as a 15-year-old boy and started exchanging notes with Busch in the alley, police said, and a meeting was arranged.
In the final note, police said the defendant wrote his first name, his home address and detailed description of sex acts he wanted to engage in with the boy.
Using a decoy, police planned a sting operation and set up a meeting. Busch was taken into custody when he arrived at the meeting place. Police said the defendant confirmed he was there to meet a 15-year-old boy.
This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Oakdale man accused of soliciting sex with boys appears in court."