Trial date set for Anthony Patterson in human trafficking case
A judge has set a trial date of Nov. 14 for a well-known Wichita Falls businessman accused of human trafficking and indecency with a child.
Anthony Ryan Patterson appeared in court Tuesday morning for a pretrial hearing.
Seventy-eighth District Judge Meredith Kennedy agreed during the hearing to specially set the trial date for Patterson as requested by attorneys.
Patterson, 45, is accused of human trafficking and indecency with a child involving two Vernon girls, 8 and 10 years old, according to allegations in court documents.
More: Here's why a woman accused in a human trafficking case with Patterson is back in jail
A Wichita County grand jury handed down a six-count indictment in May 2021 against Patterson for the following charges:
Trafficking of persons-continuous in connection with incidents from Nov. 18, 2017 through Dec. 23, 2017
Trafficking of person in connection with a Nov. 18, 2017, incident
Trafficking of person in connection with a Dec. 23, 2017, incident
Two counts of Indecency with a child by exposure in connection with a Nov. 18, 2017, incident.
Indecency with a child by exposure in connection with a Dec. 23, 2017, incidents.
If convicted of continuous human trafficking, Patterson faces a minimum of 25 years up to life in prison. Indecency with a child is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Patterson maintains his innocence of the charges against him.
He sat quietly in the gallery during the brief hearing Tuesday.
More: Patterson indicted on multiple charges of human trafficking, indecency with a child
Assistant Attorney General Brook Grona-Robb is assisting the Wichita County District Attorney's Office with Patterson's case.
Grona-Robb focuses on prosecuting human trafficking for the Texas Attorney General's Office.
Patterson's defense team includes attorneys Chuck Smith of Wichita Falls, Toby Shook of Dallas and Michael Mowla of Cedar Hill.
Patterson was free Monday from the Wichita Falls Law Enforcement Center on $600,000 in bonds, according to online jail and court records.
He resigned as president of Patterson Auto Group, formerly the city's largest dealership, while still in jail after his initial arrest Feb. 3, 2021, according to a previous Times Record New story.
Patterson franchises have since been sold to Canada-based Foundation Automotive, according to a previous TRN story about Foundation's Feb. 23 announcement.
A Vernon woman is also accused in connection with Patterson's case, according to court records.
Jandreani Dashimella Bell is suspected of supplying Patterson with human trafficking victims, allegations in court documents show.
A Wichita County grand jury handed down a four-count indictment against Bell in February 2020, court documents show.
She is charged with indecency with a child, two counts of trafficking of a person and attempted trafficking of a person, according to court records.
If convicted, Bell faces up to 10 years in jail for the indecency with a child charge and a maximum punishment of 20 years in jail for the other charges.
Bell was free Monday from the Law Enforcement Center on a $200,000 bail and an $850 personal recognizance bond for a misdemeanor charge of failure to identify-fugitive from justice, according to court documents.
Bell maintains her innocence of the charges against her.
Michael Payne and Frank Trotter, both of Wichita Falls, are listed as her defense attorneys in the county's online court records system.
More: UPDATE: Bail set for Wichita Falls businessman accused of human trafficking, indecency
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news, politics and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: A trial date has been set for Patterson in human trafficking case
