Bond Set at $5 Million for Officer Accused in Pregnant Woman's Death

Jun 25, 10:00 PM

Current Headlines: AKRON, Ohio _ Patty Porter and her family were escorted into the courtroom Monday afternoon by several of Canton's finest.

So was Bobby Cutts Jr., the city officer accused of killing Porter's daughter, Jessie Marie Davis, and her unborn granddaughter.

As Cutts stood dressed in orange jail garb on the other side of a glass window for his arraignment on double-murder charges, Porter stood as well, her jaw stiff as if fighting a quivering lower lip.

Standing alone in the crowded gallery, Porter stared down the officer, never taking her eyes off him and never shedding a tear.

Cutts, 30, looked straight ahead at the overflowing Canton Municipal courtroom. Porter says their eyes met at one point.

Asked what she saw inside those eyes, Porter said she saw "nothing, absolutely nothing."

Neither Cutts nor his attorney entered a plea to the charges. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 2 by Judge John Poulos.

It is unclear when the case will go to a grand jury, where additional and enhanced charges could be brought.

Cutts is expected to remain jailed. His bond was set at $5 million, a sum his defense attorney said is unlikely to be met.

Canton Police Chief Dean McKimm on Monday placed Cutts on an indefinite suspension without pay pending the outcome of the case.

Defense attorney Bradley Iams declined to comment directly about the case or answer questions about reports that Cutts made some admissions to the death and led authorities to Davis' body on Saturday.

"I really have no intention of discussing the evidence in this case or legal theories, or what I think about the case," he said.

The cause of Davis' death remains under investigation, pending more testing. The bodies have not been released to the family and no funeral arrangements have been made.

Davis' body and the remains of her unborn child were recovered Saturday afternoon in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park off Bath Road. Cutts was arrested the same day. Davis had been missing since at least June 15.

Porter, 60, told reporters she was determined to lock eyes with Cutts. She, her daughter, Whitney Davis, and her sister were given three front-row seats. The women clutched hands throughout the 10-minute hearing.

"Absolutely, I wanted him to see me. I believe my whole life has prepared me for this moment and I'm not sitting down when I see Bobby Cutts," she said. "I wanted to make sure he knew I was there."

Cutts' family was seated in a far section of the courtroom. Family members grumbled to nearby reporters and photographers about their accommodations, saying that they are also related to the victims in this case and deserve equal treatment.

Outside the courtroom, Cutts' aunt asked the public to pray for everyone involved.

"We're out here for him, that's all we want to say. And pray for the whole family, everybody, not only her side of the family, but his side, too," Sally Meadows said.

Through court action, Porter has gained temporary custody of Davis' 2-year-old son, Blake. She is expected to seek permanent custody, according to her attorney, Rick Pitinii.

Porter found Blake alone inside his home the morning of June 15, when she went to her daughter's duplex after more than a day of unreturned calls.

Blake witnessed something inside his home. On the morning his mother was reported missing, the toddler uttered words that have defined this case for a nation: "Mommy's in the rug."

Stark County sheriff's detectives have filed court documents that claim that Davis, 26, was killed June 14 inside her Lake Township home. Authorities believe Cutts sought help in moving Davis' body.

The six-year officer, who is married with two other children, is the father of Blake and is believed to be the father of Davis' unborn daughter. She was due July 3.

Davis' family has said she believed Cutts to be a bachelor when they met about five years ago and it was several years before she learned the truth.

"We knew Bobby Cutts up to a certain day in this," Porter said, flanked by nine uniformed Canton police officers. "And from that day on, we did not know him at all."

Porter told detectives from the outset of the investigation that she suspected Cutts, saying that the married officer may have been looking for a way out of the relationship.

A co-defendant in the case, Myisha Ferrell, 29, of Canton, is charged with obstruction of justice. Detectives say she hampered their investigation with false statements. She was arrested Sunday, a day after the FBI and deputies raided her home seeking evidence related to Davis' death.

Ferrell's bond was set at $500,000, and she remains in the county jail.

"I would have put hers at $5 million, too," Porter said.

She said Davis' family, including three sisters, three brothers and a web of other relatives, spent the weekend after the body was found "alone, crying." Blake, she said, has been told his mother is with God, but he still uses an old cell phone in an effort to reach her.

She said he has not asked for his father.

"Blake is doing as well as can be expected for a 2-{-year-old whose mom is not coming home," Porter said. "We tell him that his mom is with Jesus in heaven and he still asks for her. ... He calls her and talks to her."

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(c) 2007, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio).

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PHOTOS (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): MISSINGWOMAN

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