Brewton man jailed on sex charges

A Brewton man is being held without bond and will have an Aniah's Law hearing to see if he will stay behind bars after being charged with sexual abuse I, sodomy I, rape I, incest and aggravated surveillance involving an underage girl.

Jack Clarence Shultz, 50, 33 Matthew Lane, appeared before Escambia County District Judge Eric Coale Tuesday afternoon for a bond hearing and said he understood the charges and that he'd already hired a lawyer. Brewton Attorney Earnie White confirmed he and his daughter Cierra had been hired to represent Shultz.

District Attorney Steve Billy told Judge Coale he requested no bond based on the charges and asked for the Aniah's Law hearing. Judge Coale issued the no bond ruling and set a hearing for 9 a.m. Friday to see if Shultz would be granted a bond.

According to court records, Shultz is accused of sexual contact by force in April, 2023, with a girl who is now 15 years old.

Records also show the alleged crimes date back 2021 and 2022. He is accused of forcing the young girl to perform oral sex on him and have sexual intercourse. He is also accused of videoing the child while she showered, with court records noting the victim was a family member.

Although Judge Coale set no bond and will hold the Aniah's Law hearing Friday, he stipulated in court that if Shultz gets out on bond he is to have no contact with the victim or any child under the age of 18.

The Alabama Legislature passed Aniah's Law in 2021 that allows judges to keep people in jail without bond in certain circumstances. Prior to the law, no bond was virtually limited to people charged with capital murder.

The law was named after Aniah Blanchard, a 19-year old student who was kidnapped and murdered in Auburn. The suspect in that case, Ibraheed Yazeed, was out on bond on kidnapping and attempted murder charges at the time he was arrested for Blanchard's murder.