OAK ISLAND — Court records shine some light on the case of Justin Brochure, son of Oak Island Mayor Cin Brochure, but some questions still remain — including how and why his $2 million bond was reduced to $50,000, and why the Leland man is being investigated by Oak Island in the first place.
Complicating matters is that fact that, two days following the re-arrest of Brochure’s son, Oak Island’s Police Chief Greg Jordan resigned. Both the town and the police department have provided no reason for Chief Jordan’s departure.
The case initially involved the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, but is currently being handled by Oak Island Police Department — not any other surrounding agency. Multiple calls and emails to the Oak Island Police Department have not been returned.
An Oak Island case
Justin Brochure, 36, was arrested on June 28 by the Leland Police Department. A resident of Brunswick Point, an apartment complex in Leland, Brochure was first charged with 31 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
Warrants for his arrest show Brochure had been duplicating sexually exploitative material of minors between Aug. 1, 2015, and March 18, 2017. Kristy Cox DeMello, a detective with Oak Island Police Department, filed each of Brochure’s warrants. It is not clear from the warrants why Brochure, a Leland resident, was being charged by Oak Island.
He was held on $1 million secured bond, which was reduced the next day by a Brunswick County judge to $100,000.
At his first hearing, Brochure waived his right to court-appointed counsel, citing he could afford to hire an outside attorney. That attorney, Damon Chetson, said he could not comment on the pending case.
A few days later, on July 2, Brochure posted bail and was released.
Contact with a minor, bail reduced again
Last week, Justin Brochure was arrested for the second time. Brochure had been in contact with a minor, violating a condition of his pretrial release agreement, court records show.
After being arrested at the courthouse in downtown Wilmington and jailed for two days at the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Brochure was transferred to the Brunswick County jail.
On Friday, Oct. 19, Brochure was being held on a $2 million secured bond in Brunswick County. Brunswick County jail records showed his bond was lowered to $50,000 prior to his release.
Brochure’s previous bond modification was included in his court docket, an envelope that contains various court documents including warrants. No paperwork related to the reduction in Brochure’s $2 million secured bond was included in his court docket.
Jason Minnicozzi, the assistant District Attorney prosecuting the case, said he could not comment on the pending litigation or shed light on how the bond was lowered, which judge authorized the reduction, or why Brochure’s bond was again reduced.
Brochure will appear in Brunswick County District Court on Nov. 5.
Send tips and comments to Johanna Ferebee at johanna@localvoicemedia.com
