St Helens teacher’s lawyer delays bail hearing amid avalanche of motions

STREET. HELENS, Ore. (KATU) — The bail hearing for a St Helens High School teacher on trial over multiple sexual abuse allegations was delayed until Monday after the judge said Stearns’ lawyer did not show up. The lawyer disputes that statement.

Officers escorted Eric Stearns, 46, to the courtroom around 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Around 1:45 p.m., Judge Brajcich appeared in court, noting that the prosecutor was present along with the alleged victims and their lawyer. Brajcich also noted that Stearns was present, but noted that her attorney, Jennifer Myrick, was not. Brajcich took a break while court clerks attempted to contact Myrick.

Around 2:20 p.m. Brajcich returned to the courtroom and noted that Myrick would not be present in court.

“We don’t have your attorney, Mr. Stearns. I’m sorry. When we went on recess, the court called her and she informed them through staff that she would be on her way. We then received further communications from Ms. Myrick that she would not be in “I can’t attend because she’s sick. “We can’t move forward without your attorney,” he said, addressing Stearns.

When contacted for comment, Myrick denied he had failed to appear.

“The court was given ample notice that today’s hearing would not take place,” he said by email. She declined to give further details.

Before the hearing, Myrick had filed a series of motions in an attempt to remove Brajcich from the case and delay the hearing.

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In support of his request to disqualify Brajcich, Myrick claimed that Brajcich had altered timestamps on a court document and suggested that he would not be an impartial judge in the case. Myrick says the court appointed her to represent Stearns on Nov. 13, 2024. She claims that on Jan. 3, Judge Michael Clarke signed an order denying Stearns the right to a court-appointed attorney.

“On January 7, 2025, at an ex parte hearing on issues relating to court-appointed counsel, I recited that Judge Clarke signed an order denying the participation of court-appointed counsel in this matter,” Myrick wrote. “At the January 7, 2025 ex parte hearing held on record, Judge Brajcich admonished me, stating that I had made a mistake in my recitation and that Judge Clarke did not sign an order, but rather did so himself.”

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She stated that when she reviewed court documents after that hearing, she noticed that Clarke’s order had been removed and replaced by Brajcich’s order, which she said was “time-stamped as if it were the original order.”

“In addition, the signature and time of the order appear to have been edited,” his statement notes.

The evidence Myrick presented appears to support his claims. His statement was filed an hour after a judge denied his motion to remove Brajcich.

According to prosecutors and attorneys for Stearns’ alleged victims, Monday’s hearing will likely include statements from the victims in support of denying Stearns bail. A motion filed by prosecutors on Jan. 7 to block Stearns’ release claims he has a pattern of sexual abuse and is a danger to society.