A 78-year-old Vallejo man on Tuesday pleaded not guilty in Solano County Superior Court in Fairfield to possessing or distributing child pornography, a felony.

Jack Mayblum, previously convicted of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child in 1982, entered Department 4 in a wheelchair to face jail arraignment on the charge. Clad in a striped jail jumpsuit, his hair and beard silvered, he was shackled.

Standing next to him, Deputy Public Defender Matthew Adler showed a document to Mayblum, who said, “I can’t read,” then Adler entered the not-guilty plea on behalf of his client during the brief proceeding in the Hall of Justice.

Addressing Judge Marlo S. Nisperos, Adler said his client “has some mobility issues.”

Making a reference to a pretrial services report, the judge said she was concerned about public safety if Mayblum were released. She then denied his release from Solano County Jail and set bail at $55,000.

Nisperos assigned the case to Judge John B. Ellis in Department 23 in Vallejo, where Mayblum is scheduled for a readiness conference at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 12 in the Justice Building. The judge also set a preliminary hearing for 10 a.m. Sept. 15.

At one point, Mayblum, who seemed mildly disoriented, wondered about the Vallejo dates, looking up at Adler and asking, “How will I get there?” Adler assured him that Solano County Sheriff’s Office employees would transport him there.

As previously reported, Mayblum was one of four Vallejo men Sheriff investigators arrested last week, all on charges of possessing or distributing child sexual abuse materials (child pornography).

On Aug. 28, the Sheriff’s Office Investigation Bureau, acting on a CyberTip received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, arrested Mayblum on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

“Following a thorough investigation, detectives executed a search warrant at Mayblum’s residence, where they recovered evidence of CSAM,” Sheriff officials said in a press statement.