Earlysville teenager denied bond at hearing

About 15 family members and friends filled an Albemarle courtroom Monday to support 19-year-old Andrew Reid Bechtle during a hearing at which he was denied bond.

“The testimony established that Mr. Bechtle is a well-respected young man in the community who has a lot of friends and supporters,” said Rhonda Quagliana, his defense attorney, during the hearing in Albemarle Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

Assistant Common-wealth’s Attorney Andrew Sneathern said he opposed bond being set because of the nature of the charges.

The Earlysville teenager was charged earlier this month with abduction, rape and forcible sodomy, police said. According to a search warrant filed in Albemarle Circuit Court, a 17-year-old girl told police Bechtle took her to his home June 16, where she said she was raped.

Bechtle has since been charged with forcible sodomy and sodomy, according to juvenile court records. More information on those charges was not immediately available Monday.

According to Bechtle’s MySpace and Facebook profiles, he went through boot camp with the U.S. Marine Corps a year ago after graduating from Western Albemarle High School. He lists himself with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry, and has multiple quotes and references to the Marines on both online profiles.

Bechtle also wrote in his profiles that he likes snowboarding, paintball, partying and spending time with friends. On June 16, the date of the alleged offenses, he updated his Facebook profile to say, “Andrew is chillin with a very special person.”

Bechtle is being held at the Albemarle-Charlot-tesville Regional Jail, Sneathern said Monday, and he will return July 14 to court for a preliminary hearing.

This story was edited to correct a spelling error in the headline.