Sixteen people were named in 21 different felony indictments just before Christmas following a Dec. 18 meeting of the Bee County Grand Jury.

It was the final meeting of the grand jury’s July term for 2008. A new grand jury is expected to be named in January.

Those indicted on first degree felony or similar charges included Joseph Christian Brasher, 28, who was named in two separate indictments, each of which listed three counts. Each of the indictments listed a first degree felony charge of aggravated sexual assault and each also listed two counts of indecency with a child, second degree felonies.

If convicted on the charges, the defendant could be sentenced to from five to 99 years in prison for the first degree felony and from two to 20 years for any of the four counts of the second degree felonies. A court also could impose fines of as much as $10,000 for any of the convictions.

According to Beeville Police Department investigators, Brasher is suspected of having sexually assaulted a child under the age of 14 and having indecent sexual contact with her on at least two occasions.

The first indictment claimed that Brasher had sexually assaulted and had sexual contact with the victim on July 16, 2007. The second indictment claimed that the defendant had repeated the acts with the same victim on July 21, 2007.

District Judge Janna Whatley set bond on the defendant at $30,000 for each of the two indictments.

Others indicted on first degree felony charges included:

•Reymundo Castillo, also known as “Joker,” who was named in two separate indictments, each listing five counts of sexual contact with a child under the age of 14.

Charges in each of the indictments included three counts of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of indecency with a child, exposure.

The aggravated sexual assault charges are first degree felonies and the indecency charges are third degree felonies.

Third degree felonies are punishable, upon conviction, by a prison term of from two to 10 years and a fine of as much as $10,000.

BPD detectives claim that the incident that led to the first three counts of the first indictment happened on April 14, 2007, and the incident that led to the last two counts in that document took place on April 28 of the same year.

In the second indictment, prosecutors alleged that the first three counts stemmed from an incident on May 12, 2007, and the fourth and fifth counts resulted from an incident that took place on May 19, 2007.

Bonds on each of the indictments were set at $20,000.

•James Edward Cox in a four-count indictment on charges related to an incident that took place on Oct. 1, 2006.

According to documents filed by the BPD, Cox was charged with aggravated assault against a public servant, threat, with a deadly weapon, a first degree felony, aggravated assault, bodily injury with a deadly weapon, a second degree felony, injury to a child, a third degree felony, and evading arrest with a vehicle, a state jail felony.

State jail felonies are punishable by six months to two years confinement in a state jail facility and a fine of as much as $10,000.

The indictment claims that Cox threatened a public servant, struck a woman with a belt buckle, punched a female child under the age of 14 in the face with his fist and then fled from Deputy Sgt. Kevin Behr in a vehicle, all during the same incident on the day listed in the document.

Bond was $5,000.

•San Martin Esparza in a two-count indictment on charges of felony driving while intoxicated, enhanced to a punishment range of from 25-99 years in prison, and evading arrest with a vehicle, enhanced to a third degree felony.

Beeville police investigated the incident which took place on Oct. 5. According to the indictment, Esparza had previous DWI convictions on Sept. 4, 1996, and on Nov. 30, 2005, both in Bee County.

The charges were enhanced based on previous felony convictions on a charge of theft of property, $200-$10,000, on Aug. 14, 1986, and on a charge of delivery of a controlled substance, marijuana, one-quarter of an ounce to four ounces on Dec. 2, 1993.

Both convictions were in Bee County. Bond was set at $3,000.