Olathe Criminal Defense Law Blog

Being charged with a sex crime is a scary experience with the potential to seriously damage an individual's reputation, especially if the accused is still a minor. Because there are often only two people involved in the alleged crime, many of these cases come down to one person's testimony against that of the other.

In the Kansas City area, a 16-year-old male is facing serious criminal charges in just such a case. Juvenile authorities have accused the eighth-grader of juvenile delinquency for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old classmate at Raytown Middle School in February. The charges against him include forcible rape and sodomy.

Readers may remember hearing about the attacks on women along the Trolley Track Trail last summer. A 24-year-old Kansas City man who admitted to the crimes will spend the next 30 years in prison for the assaults, a Jackson County judge ruled earlier this month. Felony charges such as the ones this man faced are serious accusations that carry lifelong consequences.

According to news reports, the man admitted to kidnapping both of the women and sexually assaulting one of them. In February 2012, the man pleaded guilty in a Jackson County court to forcible sodomy, one count of robbery, four counts of armed criminal action and two counts of kidnapping.

A 38-year-old Kansas man is on trial for allegedly luring a 14-year-old cheerleader out of her house in the middle of the night, murdering her and burning her body.

Police think the man also attempted to sexually assault the girl, who lived in Great Bend, Kansas. Prosecutors charged him with capital murder, attempted rape, criminal solicitation of a minor, vehicle burglary and theft of property.

A 32-year-old Kansas teacher was arrested earlier this month in Wichita, and charged with sexually assaulting a young girl. The school district where he works has placed him on administrative leave.

The man is being held in jail on suspicion of four counts of rape, and one count of electronic solicitation of a child, and two counts of indecent liberties with a child. He has not been formally charged. The Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office will review the case against the man and determine whether to file formal charges.