Hearing set in former teacher's sexting case
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for a former Ellinwood teacher charged with two counts of electronic solicitation of a child.
Seth Lee Converse Stevens, now living in Topeka, is free on bond awaiting his next court appearance, set for 1 p.m. on July 21 in Barton County District Court.
The state alleges Stevens solicited two 15-year-olds, through electronic means, enticing them to commit or submit to an unlawful sexual act. The charge of electronic solicitation can involve any message sent electronically, including texting, e-mail, social media and chat rooms.
A 21-year-old man from Ellinwood could be looking at a 25-year prison sentence for soliciting young girls via text messages.
Braeton Joshua Monk is scheduled to be sentenced next month on three counts of electronic solicitation of a minor. He was originally charged with seven felonies last year, after a woman discovered inappropriate text messages on her 12-year-old daughter’s cell phone.
As the Barton County Sheriff’s Office investigation developed, other alleged victims were discovered. Monk was arrested last September at Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, where he was attending classes. He was originally charged with four counts of electronic solicitation of a minor, in which one victim was 12 and the other was 14; two counts of indecent liberties with a child and one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Barton County Sheriff Greg Armstrong said at the time that other charges were expected to be filed as the investigation continued.
On May 9, Monk entered a plea of "no contest" to three counts of electronic solicitation. Two counts were considered greater offenses because the victim was under 14 years old. In exchange for Monk’s plea, Barton County Attorney Douglas Matthews agreed to drop the other four charges and said he would not file new charges that had come to light during the investigation.
The county attorney sent a letter to defense attorney Robert Anderson on April 19, stating, "(a) second report is on my desk, and the alleged crime(s) referred to in that report are potentially as serious as the ones currently before the court. While I would ordinarily not hesitate to file another case, in order to spare the victim and family members the time and emotional distress, I have decided on a different course of action. ...
"In my opinion, the unfiled matter would be the stronger of the two cases, and it goes without saying that imposing consecutive life sentences would be the ultimate goal of this office if it becomes necessary to file a second criminal case."
Judge Hannelore Kitts accepted Monk’s plea of no contest, and pronounced him guilty. She ordered a psychological evaluation prior to sentencing, which was set for 10 a.m. on July 11. Based on what was believed to be his criminal history, attorneys estimated the standard sentence would be close to 13 years on each of the first two counts and another 32 months on the third count. If he receives consecutive sentences on the first two counts, the maximum would be 310 months, which is more than 25 years.
Monk remains in the Barton County Jail in lieu of bond.
