Trial starts in child-molestation case

Opening arguments are scheduled for Tuesday in the child-molestation trial of a Maricopa man.

Ronald Bragonier, 56, is charged with four counts of child molestation and one count of sexual conduct with a minor under age 15. He was arrested in 2017 after the family of the victim reported the alleged “inappropriate relationship” of the child, who was 14 at the time, with Bragonier.

A jury of 12 with two alternates was seated Monday. The jury is comprised of nine women and five men. One of the jurors is a Maricopa resident.

Witnesses expected to testify include Maricopa Police detectives, the victim’s family members and the owners of a local cheerleading gym, where Bragonier, as a parent of one of the students, occasionally volunteered making repairs. He did not volunteer with the children.

Bragonier, too, may speak for himself.

“As of right now, he’s planning on testifying,” defense attorney Vicki Lopez told the court Monday.

Though, Lopez had challenged expert witness Wendy Dutton, a forensic interviewer who has testified frequently in similar cases, she was cleared to participate on behalf of the prosecution.

Judge Jason Holmberg is presiding at the trial. It is expected to run through Jan. 23, not including Friday or Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.