March 31 update: Since this story aired, there have been updates in the case. Click here to read the latest.
FERNLEY, Nev. (NewsNation) — Bond will remain at $750,000 for the man charged in connection with the disappearance of 18-year-old Nevada woman Naomi Irion, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Lyon County prosecutors filed court documents Wednesday alleging that 41-year-old Troy E. Driver kidnapped Irion on March 12 for the purpose of sexually assaulting or killing the woman, who has been missing for about two weeks. The search for Irion is ongoing.
Wednesday marked Driver’s first court appearance in connection with the woman’s disappearance. Driver’s public defender raised concerns about media presence in the courtroom and asked to set bond arguments for a future date. The attorney could not immediately be reached for further comment Wednesday afternoon.
Driver is expected to make his next court appearance Tuesday.
Police arrested the man Friday on a kidnapping charge tied to Irion’s disappearance. Officials have not released further details about the allegations and Irion’s family doesn’t believe they knew one another.
On Wednesday, Lyon County Judge Lori Matheus ordered the jail not to release Driver — even if he posts bail — unless he is fitted with a GPS monitoring bracelet.
He also would be barred from contacting Irion’s family or stepping foot in her hometown of Fernley, Nevada.
In the meantime, Driver will remain at the local county jail in Yerington. He would need to post $112,500 bail to secure his release.
Irion’s family was present in the courtroom Wednesday but chose not to speak. The woman’s mother has said their focus remains on Irion and not on Driver’s criminal case.
“We don’t care about the prosecution. We don’t care what happens to Troy Driver. We don’t care about anything else,” Irion’s mother Diana Irion told NewsNation on Monday. “We just care about finding Naomi alive. That’s the most important thing; a life is more important than a court case.”
Should Driver post bail, Irion’s family members said they want him to remain safe for the young woman’s sake.
“The family would like to convey again the importance of Troy Driver’s safety at this time,” Irion’s brother Casey Valley said after court Wednesday. “It does look like they’re going to be posting bail from what I understand. He’s the only one who can help us bring Naomi home.”
Attorneys did not say in court Wednesday whether Driver would be able to post bail before his next hearing.
Reports from 1997 in the Ukiah Daily Journal in California detailed Driver’s arrest in connection with the murder of a 19-year-old. Driver was 17 at the time of the crime and pleaded guilty to multiple counts of robbery, burglary, use of a firearm and being an accessory to murder after the fact, California court records show.
He was not charged with or convicted of murder. Two others also were arrested in connection with the same incident.
Naomi Irion’s family has described the young woman as a magnetic and genuine person who usually maintains regular communication with her friends and family. A diplomat’s daughter, Irion moved to the U.S. from South Africa in August to gain independence and save up for a place of her own some day, family said.
March 31 update: Since this story aired, there have been updates in the case. Click here to read the latest.