Jacob Feldt

MAYVILLE — A nine-count indictment against a south county man accused of committing sexual acts against a child was announced Thursday by the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office.

Jacob Feldt, 37, was arraigned on the latest charges Wednesday where bail was set at $250,000 cash or $500,000 property bond.

The indictment’s top count, first-degree criminal sexual act, carries a sentence of up to 45 years in prison if found guilty.

“Behind each and every one of these type of cases is a child who wants nothing more than to live the life of a child, free from exploitation and inappropriate contact, and not ever knowing what it’s like to have to recall the worst, most private things committed upon her through no fault of her own, in front of a bunch of strangers,” Jason Schmidt, Chautauqua County district attorney, said Thursday.

In a news release, the DA stated that the victim is under the age of 17.

“We could not go forward with these cases if not for the bravery and strength of our children,” he said. “Equally indispensable to the process are our Child Advocacy Program and the efforts of multiple police agencies, including Lakewood-Busti, Jamestown and Ellicott, whose detectives worked hard to develop the evidence presented to the grand jury. All of these agencies and people deserve our gratitude and respect.”

Feldt briefly served as chaplain of the Jamestown Police Department last year. The charges are not related to any service he provided the department.

In December, Lakewood-Busti police announced charges of felony first- and third-degree criminal sexual act against Feldt. In a statement, the police department claimed the Ashville resident engaged in sexual acts with a minor at a Lakewood business.

Feldt also was charged in October with endangering the welfare of a child stemming from an incident a month prior in which he allegedly picked up a student at Southwestern Central School without permission. The student returned to the school about a half hour later.

In the DA’s news release, the Lakewood-Busti Police Department said it “would like to thank all the agencies who assisted our department in this case. This was a case where I believe we all needed to have good communication and work together, due to the multiple jurisdictions involved.”

A statement from the Ellicott Police Department added, “We would like to thank the entire team of EPD, JPD, LBPD, the District Attorney’s office and C.A.P. for their dedication and hard work on this difficult case. The Chautauqua County Child Advocacy Program has continued to go above and beyond with every single case they are involved in.

“This arrest could not have happened without them. This is one example of the many cases where multiple local agencies came together to ensure the best possible outcome to a terrible crime. Thank you to DA Jason Schmidt for the personal attention given to this case.”

Feldt, who is being represented by the Chautauqua County Public Defender’s Office, is next scheduled to be in Chautauqua County Court on March 4. He remained incarcerated in the Chautauqua County Jail as of Thursday afternoon.