TACOMA, Wash. — The father-in-law of a missing Utah woman pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of possessing child pornography and secretly videotaping her, other women and young girls without their knowledge.
Wearing a jailhouse jumpsuit and with his hands cuffed, Steven Powell, 61, entered the pleas in court in Washington state, and the judge set bail at $200,000.
Powell’s arrest Thursday at his home immediately set off another court battle, with Susan Powell’s father asking another judge Friday for custody of her two sons.
The boys, ages 4 and 6, had been living at their grandfather’s home with their father, Josh Powell, the only named person of interest in her 2009 disappearance. No charges have been filed against him.
The judge at Steven Powell’s arraignment ordered him not to have contact with his grandsons. A lawyer for the state attorney general said earlier that the boys had been placed in foster care since the arrest.
After the hearing, Denise Cox, Susan Powell’s older sister, said she was worried that Steven Powell would easily post bail. She said she thinks that both son and father were involved in the disappearance.
A court commissioner said Friday that he will not decide on the custody of the sons until after the state’s child welfare agency finishes its investigation.
The case has perplexed Utah police, who are on their 12th day of searching a remote stretch of desert near where Josh Powell says he went camping with his sons the night his wife vanished.
