BEDFORD – A Bedford man was released from jail Monday by Lawrence County Superior Court I Judge John Plummer III following the discovery of previously omitted evidence.
Jury selection was to begin Monday in the trial of 40-year-old Bryan Lyons, but the trial was postponed.
The court will now hold an evidentiary suppression hearing to investigate new findings in the case on August 12 at 1 p.m. over polygraph results and Lyons’ mental stability during that test.
Lyons was charged with one count of child molesting. He has been in jail for four years awaiting trial.
Lyons was arrested after being accused of molesting a 5-year-old girl in 2017.
On June 14, 2017, Indiana University Health Bedford Hospital staff reported to police they were treating a 5-year-old girl for possible sexual abuse, according to a Lawrence Superior Court I probable cause affidavit. Police spoke with the child’s grandmother, who told an investigator the girl had redness and irritation for about a month. The grandmother told police she asked the child if someone had touched her and she responded by saying Lyons did. The woman said she learned this on June 13, 2017.
On June 15, 2017, police interviewed the girl. The affidavit stated she said Lyons touched her and that he was not wearing clothes. She told police the event was “awful.”
On June 22, 2017, police interviewed Lyons. Lyons told police he was applying cream to her vaginal area when he became aroused. The affidavit stated he told police it happened on June 9 or 10, 2017.
Lyons was arrested and remained in jail on a $200,000 surety, or $2,005 cash bond.
