Walla Walla firefighter and paramedic Anthony Spada, 46, pleaded not guilty to first-degree child molestation, second-degree child molestation and communication with a minor for immoral purposes at his arraignment this week.
The court also set a trial date for June 28. Judge Brandon L. Johnson is scheduled to hear the case.
While the date has been set, the case could take longer to make it to trial. The court still faces a backlog of cases due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and most cases have not made it to trial by their initially scheduled dates.
A pretrial hearing has been set for June 1.
Court documents show the state and defense have agreed to terms regarding a video recording entered for evidence against Spada. The recording will be provided for the defense team to review, and Spada may view it in the presence of his attorney, but the order limits anyone else from reviewing it. The defense team is also barred from making any copies.
At Spada's arraignment Monday, April 4, Johnson allowed the defendant to remain out of jail on his own recognizance pending trial, but he must continue to have no unsupervised contact with any minors.
A protection order against Spada has been approved for the alleged victim as well. Spada has also been ordered to surrender any firearm he owns and to not leave the county.
He was originally released without bail after his first appearance on March 24. It was argued that his ties to the community made him a low flight risk.
Spada was arrested March 23 by Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office deputies. He is accused of inappropriately touching a 14-year-old minor known to him and showing the juvenile pornographic content. The document alleges the abuse has gone on since the victim was 10.
Spada, who has worked for Walla Walla since 2003, was placed on administrative leave, instructed to stay out of city offices and to not contact city employees after being arrested.
