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CORSICANA - Joseph Glen “Joey” Dauben, 30, was arrested by Texas Rangers Monday night in Henderson County for alleged sexual assault of a child during a church trip to Navarro Mills in 2007. Dauben is the publisher of the Ellis County Observer, an on-line newspaper.
He was arraigned Tuesday morning in district court by Judge James Lagomarsino. Wearing black-framed glasses and a light blue Tshirt with jeans, Dauben was manacled at the ankles, wrists and waist throughout the hearing. Bond was set at $50,000 for each charge, for a total of $200,000.
Dauben was indicted by the grand jury last week on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and one count of indecency with a child, all second-degree felonies.
As part of his arraignment, Dauben was put under a series of restrictions that are typical in cases involving sexual charges and children, for example, that he can’t work with children, either professionally or as a volunteer, that he can’t go into schools, playgrounds, amusement parks or toy stores, and that he can’t possess or access porn.
He was also told he could not speak or otherwise communicate with his accuser or the victim’s family in the case.
Dauben was also told he shouldn’t use a computer for accessing pornography and the order extended to using a computers in other capacities.
It was the restrictions on his computer use that gave Dauben pause, and he asked if that included his work as an on-line newspaper publisher.
Lagomarsino advised that his lawyer would interpret it for him. Dauben did not have a lawyer present Tuesday morning in court, but he did fill out a form to have the court appoint one for him.
Following his arraignment, Dauben said this would not change how his newspapers report on any case, and that it would “business as usual.”
“This will not stop us from reporting on any story, this will not stop us from reporting on any case,” he insisted. “We’re going to do our job. It will be business as usual.”
On Monday night, the Ellis County Observer posted a fairly long article talking about the allegations and claiming they are false accusations. Dauben denies the assault in the article, but he also posted several e-mails between him and the accuser. He also named the teenager involved in the accusations.
During the arraignment hearing Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Wolf asked Judge Lagomarsino to issue a gag rule in the case. Wolf pointed out that Dauben’s on-line newspaper had named the victim in an article published Monday, and argued that the Observer was not reporting facts.
“All this is speculative, it’s editorializing, not news reporting,” Wolf said.
Wolf asked that the victim’s name be removed from the site and that Dauben be restricted from commenting on the case in public.
“Given that he’s a newspaper publisher it conflicts with his using the media to bash the victim, as he’s already begun to do,” Wolf said.
Dauben said he would object to any gag order if it meant his reporters could not report on the news.
Lagomarsino said he would research it and issue a decision.
According to Dauben’s Website, the allegations came originally after a Messianic congregation camping trip during the Feast of Tabernacles at Navarro Mills Reservoir. Dauben was serving as “quasi youth director” that year, the site states.
For about four months, Dauben ran an on-line newspaper for Frost but the most recent publication of the Frost Focus was Jan. 4. The Frost Focus also has a Facebook page where the most recent entry was Oct. 28.
The Corsicana Daily Sun does not name juveniles in criminal cases, or the names of people who claim to be victims of sex crimes.
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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “sound off” to this article? E-mail: Soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com
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