The offered sale of a $5 million Florida home as collateral to ensure future court appearances of suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez was not enough to convince a judge to release him from jail.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Mears on Thursday rejected a second request for bail from Vazquez, who has been incarcerated at the county jail since last September following his arrest on sexual assault and pornography charges. He is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 2017 and sent her pornographic pictures of himself.

“I have major concerns about the severity of the crime and the possibility of flight because of ties he has with other countries and the great deal of money that is available to him,” Mears said.

Vazquez, 29, through defense attorney Gary Gerson, sought an emergency hearing for bail after a jail inmate tested positive for the coronavirus. That inmate, who had never been placed among the jail’s general population, occupied a courthouse holding cell prior to a hearing before Mears. The next day Vazquez was moved into the same cell ahead of a scheduled pretrial hearing also before Mears.

Mears and his staff were tested and found not be infected with the virus. No other jail inmates tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. Gerson conceded that it appears Vazquez was not infected.

Still, the potential exposure prompted Gerson to again seek bail for Vazquez two months after a similar request had been rejected.

In court on Thursday, Gerson said Vazquez, if released, would live in a Westmoreland County apartment with private security hired to ensure he remains in town. The pitcher’s sister, who also acts as his agent, would sell her $5 million home in Florida as collateral for assurance that he appears in court as scheduled.

Gerson said Vazquez has little money available to him and has not been paid by the Pirates since his arrest last year. According to published reports, Vazquez in 2018 signed a four-year contract extension with the Pirates that guaranteed him $22 million in salary through 2021 and the potential to earn up to $41 million for two additional years.

There is no risk that Vazquez would flee to his native Venezuela or another country, Gerson told the judge.

“That Mr. Vazquez would self deport and return to a life of squalor is absurd. He intends to offer a vigorous defense so why would he give up all of this to self deport,” Gerson said.

Vazquez has maintained his innocence. In prior court proceedings, Gerson suggested the alleged victim lied about her age.

Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar argued Vazquez would have little reason to remain in Westmoreland County or the United States, saying his baseball career is likely in jeopardy because of the sex allegations. Lazar said the case against Vazquez is strong and that should he be released on bail he faces potential detainers that stem from similar charges involving the same alleged victim filed against him in Florida and St. Louis.

“The risk is too great that he will straight up disappear,” Lazar argued.

Vazquez has challenged the evidence in the Pennsylvania case and, during a previous court hearing, contended police acted improperly when they searched his phone and elicited a confession. A continuation of that hearing is scheduled in early September.

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