Judge increases bond for 'Mr. ORNG' after new child sex crime charges added

Yahoo

21-04-2025

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge raised the bond amount of a Phoenix Suns superfan who wore orange face paint and attire at basketball games before he was arrested on suspicion of soliciting teenage students for sexually explicit pictures and videos after he was indicted on additional charges.
A grand jury indicted 38-year-old Patrick Battillo in February on seven counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor involving five victims between July 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024.
Peoria police arrested Battillo, a boys basketball coach at Peoria High School who also went by the moniker "Mr. ORNG" at Suns games, in April 2024, after students reported that he had asked them to send him images and videos of them performing various sex acts in exchange for money, according to court documents.
Battillo was booked into jail on a $100,000 secured-appearance bond, which he eventually posted with the help of a bail bond company, according to court documents.
Court documents said Battillo had since been couch surfing with friends who didn't have children since he first posted bail. His attorney previously requested that Battillo's release conditions be modified to allow him to live with his sister and her three children who ranged from 11 to 17 in age.
Prosecutors objected to the motion, citing the allegations against Battillo and a lack of evidence that he wouldn't be a danger to his sister's children.
A judge ultimately denied the motion.
One of the victims' mothers spoke at Monday's hearing opposing Battillo's continued freedom.
"As I search for the right words to express the depth of our frustration and heartbreak, I find myself at a loss," the mother said. "Speaking not only as a parent, but on behalf of my child and the other victims affected by this tragedy, I must say we are deeply disappointed in how this case has been handled by law enforcement, the State (and) everyone responsible for ensuring justice is heard."
The woman said that, while she might not understand the legal minutia involved in court proceedings, she could recognize injustice and that seeing Battillo walk freely while she explained to her child who had lost faith in themselves that they had done nothing wrong was a prime example.
Deputy County Attorney Jonathan Taylor asked Judge Michael Kemp that Battillo's $100,000 secured-appearance bond be changed to cash-only, meaning Battillo wouldn't be able to use his assets as collateral and would instead have to pay the entire bond in cash.
Taylor said Battillo solicited boys between the ages of 15 and 17 for sexually explicit recordings through Snapchat — a social media platform that deletes messages after they are read — while using his trusted position as a high school basketball coach.
"At this point, we are going to negotiate a plea," Taylor said. "But if negotiations do fall through, there may be a third indictment based on what's described."
Battillo's attorney, Dakota Johnson, asked that his client's bond remain as a $100,000 secured-appearance bond, highlighting that Battillo had attended every court hearing on time and had zero slip-ups while equipped with an ankle monitor. Johnson argued Battillo's current bond was already high and increasing it or making it cash-only wasn't necessary to ensure his client would continue returning to court.
"Mr. Battillo used every last dollar to post this bond," Johnson said. "While he has been out, he's been going through medical treatment for the cancer diagnosis he got and he has put money into that as well. He doesn't have any more money."
Johnson added that, when his client's original bond was set during his initial appearance in 2024, Battillo faced a child sex trafficking charge which threatened a much higher prison term. Johnson confirmed that the bail bond company Battillo used provided an affidavit that his $100,000 bond could be transferred to the new case.
Kemp acknowledged that Battillo had appeared at every hearing on time and hadn't violated his release conditions but disagreed that his bond should remain unchanged.
"I do think there has been a change in circumstances," Kemp said. "There are now five victims instead of two in the indictment. There are now seven charges instead of four, which ups the ante. I do think there is a paramount concern with regard to the safety of the community."
Kemp said he wouldn't make Battillo's bond cash-only, but he instead increased the secured-appearance bond to $200,000.
Battillo was handcuffed shortly after Kemp's ruling as he was remanded back to the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Kristopher Babros, a department spokesperson, said after the arrest, police were told about an investigation into Battillo on the morning of April 9, 2024, after school administrators contacted the school resource officer.
Babros said officers arrested Battillo without incident in Goodyear and booked him into jail on suspicion of several felony charges, including luring a minor for sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking.
A grand jury later indicted Battillo on four counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.
Court documents stated that Battillo approached a 16-year-old boy and asked him to send pictures and video of him performing sex acts on himself and his girlfriend, who was also a minor.
Documents said Battillo told the boy that he sold similar child sexual abuse images to an unknown woman, though the boy later suspected the woman didn't exist and was actually Battillo.
The boy confirmed his suspicions when he messaged a Snapchat account Battillo shared, claiming it was the woman's account, and saw Battillo check his phone during a basketball game and start typing and then saw the suspected woman begin typing a response to the boy, documents stated.
Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at [e-mail] or 602-444-2474. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @PerryVandell.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Judge increases bond for 'Mr. ORNG' after new charges added