Sidney Starr asks for a low bond as her Georgia child sex case moves on

Sidney Starr is asking a Fulton County judge to set a low bond after spending 10 days in jail without one, arguing in a new court filing that nothing identifies her as a flight risk, AllHipHop and HotNewHipHop reported. Starr, whose legal name is Sidney Favors, points to having no prior criminal history and having lived in Chicago her entire life, and describes herself as "indigent," asking the court for a "nominal bond" she can actually afford.

Hapeville police arrested Starr on Aug. 2 at an Embassy Suites hotel after a hotel worker reported an alleged sexual encounter involving a minor. She was charged with aggravated child molestation, sodomy and sexual battery against a child under 16. "Because this case involves a juvenile, no additional information will be released from our agency," police said in a statement, and much of the underlying case file remains out of public view for that reason.

What has surfaced comes largely from arrest warrants and police accounts reported by outlets including TMZ and Atlanta News First: investigators allege Starr performed a sex act on a boy inside her hotel room, and that she told them the encounter was consensual. Police reports say Starr told officers the teenager had told her he was 18; officers later learned from the boy's parents that he was younger than 16. None of these allegations have been proven in court.

Starr has firmly denied wrongdoing. "I unequivocally deny the allegations against me and intend to vigorously defend myself through the legal process," she said in a statement issued days after her arrest. "Allegations should not be mistaken for fact, and public opinion should never replace due process." Starr, who is transgender, also asked the public not to treat the case as representative of transgender people broadly, saying it should be judged on its own facts.

Authorities placed Starr in the jail's protected LGBTQ unit, citing her vulnerability as a transgender detainee among the general population. She is scheduled to return to Fulton County Superior Court on Aug. 25, where her bond request could be addressed. If convicted of aggravated child molestation, Georgia law allows for life imprisonment or a minimum of 25 years followed by lifetime probation.

Starr built a public profile over more than a decade of reality television, including "Baddies," "Baddies ATL" and a stint on "Love & Hip Hop: New York," along with scripted appearances on "Star" and "Empire." She first drew national attention in 2010 over a fabricated claim of a relationship with rapper Chingy, which she admitted in 2012 was untrue; Chingy has said the episode damaged his career and public standing for years afterward.