Great Bend man enters Alford plea in jury trial regarding Jessica’s Law offenses
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KSNW) — A 49-year-old Great Bend man entered an Alford plea in a jury trial regarding two Jessica’s Law offenses.
According to Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett, Shelby Lee Starr appeared in court this week for the jury trial.
On Monday, an all-male jury was selected. On Tuesday, before opening statements commenced and prior to the formal swearing-in of the jury, both parties announced they had reached a plea agreement, whereas the defendant entered an Alford plea of guilt to one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child under the age of 14.
The Pawnee County attorney says the state agreed to allow the man to be sentenced pursuant to the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines and dismiss the additional count.
As part of the plea agreement, Starr agreed to waive his right to appeal the conviction and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
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McNett, in support of the plea, advised the court “that had the matter proceeded to trial, the evidence would have shown that in February of 2023, DCF received a mandatory-reporter referral from a school counselor that one of their students had disclosed they had been touched inappropriately by their father’s friend named ‘X,’ when the student was six years old. The disclosure occurred after the local Child Advocacy Center had given a presentation to middle school students about ‘good touch and bad touch.’ The subsequent DCF investigation identified ‘X’ as the alleged perpetrator. In a forensic interview, the student disclosed the defendant had first touched her when she was at her grandfather’s Larned residence in 2016. The defendant touched her again when she and her family were at ‘X’s’ Larned residence in July of 2017.”
McNett further advised the court that pursuant to the Kansas Crime Victims’ Act, he had consulted with the victim and her family prior to entering into plea negotiations and that they were in support of the presented plea agreement.
After accepting the defendant’s plea as being knowingly and voluntarily made, McNett said Pawnee County District Judge Bruce Gatterman advised Starr of his duty to register as a sex offender under the Kansas Offender Registration Act and ordered a presentence investigation report be completed to determine the defendant’s criminal history.
His sentencing will be scheduled for a later date.
Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines, the defendant faces a presumptive prison sentence between 59 months and 247 months in the custody of the Department of Corrections, depending on his criminal history, according to McNett.
Starr was arrested in Barton County on April 1, 2023, without incident. He has been in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff ever since.
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