Judge orders Texas torture suspect to hire lawyer

WEATHERFORD, Texas (AP) — A Texas man accused of torturing a woman for nearly two weeks on a deer-skinning device has been ordered to hire an attorney in 20 days.

Jeffrey Allan Maxwell was arraigned today on one aggravated kidnapping count and two counts of aggravated sexual assault.

He didn’t enter a plea. The judge appointed Maxwell a temporary attorney to help free his assets, worth about $200,000, to hire a lawyer.

In March, the same judge denied Maxwell’s request for a public defender.

Authorities say the 58-year-old man abducted his former neighbor from her home near Weatherford on March 1, then drove her to his Corsicana home about 100 miles away. Maxwell was arrested there March 12, and the woman was rescued.

Maxwell is jailed in Parker County with bond set at $500,000.