Ex-Detroit councilman in court in sex case involving teenager

DETROIT (AP) - The former president of the Detroit City Council has appeared in court on charges of criminal sexual conduct involving a teenager.

A magistrate entered a not-guilty plea on Charles Pugh's behalf and set bond at $500,000. He appeared in a Detroit court via video from jail and didn't have an attorney present.

Prosecutors had asked that Pugh be held without bond Tuesday, noting that he now lives in New York and could flee.

Prosecutors say he engaged in sexual behavior with a 14-year-old boy in 2003 and 2004 when Pugh worked at Detroit TV station WJBK.

Pugh was elected to the Detroit City Council in 2009, but he abruptly quit in 2013. A jury last year awarded $250,000 to a young man who had accused Pugh of sexual harassment.

Published: Thu, Jul 14, 2016