DeiCas' Lawyer: "Very, Very Difficult" Case Lies Ahead

In a sign of how serious are the mounting charges brought against a New Canaan man and former Weston school bus driver, a Norwalk judge on Monday transferred all cases involving Scott DeiCas to Stamford.

The 48-year-old faces , drugs and most recently child pornography possession charges. Norwalk state Superior Court Judge Bruce Hudock agreed with prosecutors and DeiCas' lawyer, Mickey Sherman, to transfer all cases to Stamford, where more serious crimes generally are tried.

Prosecutors in Stamford now must evaluate the case. It isn't clear whether the cases will be tried together, Sherman told Patch in an interview following this morning's appearance.

"These are very, very difficult cases to deal with," Sherman said. "Anything involving child pornography is as serious as a heart attack and treated so by the courts. So even though it's a crime that can be committed in your basement at four in the morning, with no contact with anybody else, it's still a very serious offense. Just pushing a couple of buttons on your computer, you can put yourself behind an enormous 8-ball."

That ball started rolling July 30, when Weston police tried to serve a warrant at 295 Ponus Ridge in New Canaan following threats that DeiCas allegedly made against municipal officials and residents from both towns. Following a 10-hour standoff, including negotiations with New Canaan police that were captured on a YouTube comment exchange, DeiCas was charged with two felonies, second-degree harassment and third-degree computer crimes. Drug charges from New Canaan police followed, and Weston police told Patch that they were surprised to find images of "extreme sexual behavior involving children" on the computer that they seized from his home.

He's being held on $500,000 bond.

In stark contrast to his outspoken courtroom demeanor during his arraignment last month, DeiCas on Monday stood quietly by while Sherman and prosecutors determined that he would next appear Oct. 18 in Stamford. Physically he also appeared changed, sporting close-cropped hair where he once had a wild head of curls, and a very loose-fitting red prison jumper, including pants that appeared to have been rolled up several times at the bottom.

It will be up to prosecutors to make a motion to consolidate DeiCas' separate trials, Sherman said, though that likely will not happen for a long time. Next, prosecutors in Stamford must evaluate the case and decide what to do.

While they do that, New Canaan and Weston officials continue to grapple with a case that's raised questions about policing the Web and put a spotlight on bus driver background checks, monitoring and hiring practices.