Loveland Police Officer Wilbert Howard has been released on a personal recognizance bond as he faces charges of second-degree assault and child abuse.

The 53-year-old Fort Collins resident appeared in video court on Saturday for a hearing at which Judge Chelsea Rengel set bond in his case — charges he said he planned to fight in court.

“I’ve been in the community for a long time,” Howard told the judge.

“I’m planning to fight these charges. I have no reason to leave the community.”

He asked for a personal recognizance bond, meaning he would not have to post any money upfront, while the prosecutor, Laura Hinojos, requested he be required to post $20,000 cash or surety — requests that the judge noted were “obviously quite far apart.”

Hinojos did not offer any reasoning for her request and offered no additional details on the allegations against Howard, who spoke on his own behalf and pointed out his stability in the community and his job as a Loveland Police Department officer as reasons he would stay in the community and show up to court.

When the judge asked where he planned to stay during the duration of the case, as a no contact order would prevent him from going home, he noted that he does have family members in the area but that he planned “to live in an extended stay motel in Loveland.”

Though he faces “significant charges,” including a felony, the judge mentioned that Howard has no previous criminal history and was stable in the community.

She decided to set his bond at $15,000 personal recognizance; this means he was released without posting money, but if he were to fail to appear in court or violate any terms of his release, he would owe the $15,000.

The judge said, as terms of his release, Howard would need to undergo pretrial supervision, remain in Colorado, stay away from drugs or alcohol and abide by a no contact order that states he cannot have any contact with two minors named as victims in the case; she stressed that this includes personal contact, electronic contact or contact through someone else.

Fort Collins police officers arrested Howard on Thursday on three charges stemming from an incident that was reported on Nov. 2.

Police investigated the allegations and ultimately arrested Howard on charges of second-degree assault, a felony; child abuse, a misdemeanor; and violent crime, a sentence enhancer.

Loveland police announced the arrest on Thursday, saying that Howard, who has worked for the department for 17 years, had been placed on administrative leave due to the charges that were being investigated by Fort Collins Police Services.

The incident, they stressed, occurred while Howard was not on duty with the police department and happened in a residence in Fort Collins.

Neither Loveland nor Fort Collins police have released any additional details on the allegations against Howard or the circumstances leading to his arrest, citing statutory protections because the named victims in the case are juveniles.

Investigative reports and court records have been sealed. Howard’s next court appearance is scheduled at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 20 in 8th Judicial District Court in Fort Collins.