- The man accused of kidnapping a Utah college student last month appeared in court on Monday.
- Brent Brown is charged with six felonies, including rape, kidnapping, and obstructing justice.
- Following a request by Brown's attorney, the preliminary hearing was postponed until next month.
The man accused of kidnapping and raping Madelyn Allen, a 19-year-old college student in Utah, made his second court appearance on Monday just hours after Allen issued her first public statement since being discovered in the man's basement last month.
Brent Brown, 39, was arrested on December 18 when authorities found Allen naked and covered in coal dust in his home following a five-day search sparked by her disappearance. Brown is charged with six felonies, including rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, and obstructing justice, according to an indictment obtained by Insider.
Brown's appearance in court on Monday was brief as his attorney requested that Judge Wallace Lee of Utah's Sixth District Court postpone the preliminary hearing until next month as both sides work to gather discovery in the case. A representative for Allen and her family had no objection.
Lee approved the request and set the rescheduled preliminary and detention hearing for February 7.
Michael Labrum, a lawyer representing Brown, told the court his client was in agreement with the request for postponement, but Brown seemed less certain about the delay.
"What is the holdup on getting the discovery to my attorney?" Brown asked the judge before Labrum jumped in to suggest he and his client discuss the details outside the courtroom.
Brown will remain in jail ahead of his next hearing after Lee remanded him to custody last month, citing his connection to a separate felony. In his December court appearance, Brown asked Lee to let him go home for Christmas to see his kids — a request denied by the judge.
On Sunday evening, ahead of Brown's court appearance, Allen issued her first public statement on Instagram, thanking her supporters.
"Just thank you so much," the 19-year-old said. "I really couldn't have done it without all of you guys."
Allen said she plans to take a break from posting videos to her YouTube channel for the time being. A spokesperson for the Allen family told Insider the family is focused on healing.
Allen, a student at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, went missing on December 13 after leaving her apartment for a date with someone she met online, police said. Her parents became concerned the following day after receiving a vague text from her expressing her love for them, according to the indictment.
Allen's parents then contacted Verizon for her phone records. They indicated she was in Loa, Utah, more than 80 miles south of her campus.
Police found text messages on Allen's phone that included "conversations of a violent sexual nature," according to the indictment, and later said Allen and Brown arranged their meetup through the messaging platform Kik.
Investigators eventually encountered Brown at a Loa home owned by his parents. After receiving permission from the homeowners to search the premises, authorities found Allen in the basement, hidden in a coal storage area.
Allen told investigators that Brown held her against her will, sexually assaulted her, and threatened her family, according to the indictment. Brown admitted to having sex with Allen several times but told police that it was part of a consensual kidnapping role-play.
Authorities concluded in the indictment that there was probable cause to believe Allen was raped, kidnapped, and choked, and that Brown attempted to conceal her location, despite likely being aware she was the subject of a missing persons investigation.