A Sandy Springs man who described himself as a “poor man’s Hugh Hefner” was denied bond Monday, but it’s not because prosecutors deem him a flight risk.
They’re afraid he’ll intimidate his alleged victims.
Kenndric Roberts is accused of holding several women against their wills in a mansion in 2017, AJC.com previously reported. A woman living inside the home called 911 and said she was being held against her will, leading to eight women being removed from the house, six of whom indicated they were being held against their will, police said.
MORE: Cops: 8 women held against their will in nearly $1M Sandy Springs home
Roberts is representing himself in court, and prosecutors argued he could be taking notes on the names and addresses of his alleged victims, potentially to intimate them if granted bond, Channel 2 Action News reported. This led judge Rachel Krause to deny his bond.
However, Roberts argued that the state can’t prove he’s a threat to the victims or other women.
“I don’t see how the state has met the burden of proof in any matter to show that I’m a flight risk — to show that I’m a threat to the community,” Roberts said in court, Channel 2 reported.
He also previously claimed that he was being falsely imprisoned because of his race.
MORE: Sandy Springs man charged with human trafficking says he's falsely imprisoned
“Bluntly speaking, I'm an African-American man involved in legitimate business endeavors with Caucasian women who are being portrayed as victims,” Roberts said in a recorded jailhouse statement that was obtained by Channel 2. “Thus, I sit shackled.”
Detectives said the women were forced to dance at local strip clubs, giving the money they earned to Roberts. Two weeks after his arrest, a judge dropped most of the serious charges against Roberts because she believed the dispute was likely civil since the women had work contracts with Roberts as models, Channel 2 reported.
RELATED: Police: Man held women captive, forced them to dance at strip clubs
However, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard recharged Roberts the following day with six counts of trafficking a person for labor servitude, six counts of false imprisonment, two counts of possession of a firearm during commission of/or attempt to commit certain crimes and participation in criminal street gang activity.
His trial is scheduled to start in July.
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