The preliminary hearing for Chaz Stephens, Hoisington, set for Thursday, April 5, has been continued to Tuesday, June 12. He faces charges of first-degree murder and child abuse in the death of a 2-year-old Hoisington girl, Iviona Marae May Lewis, on March 18.
In addition to the murder and child abuse charges, he faces charges of possessing methamphetamine, drugs and drug paraphernalia with the intent to use.
The 25-year-old man had his first court appearance on March 23 and the April 5 preliminary hearing was scheduled at that time. However, it was noted that due to the complexity of the case and the need to secure a court-appointed attorney for Stephens the hearing would probably need to be moved to a later date to allow both the prosecution and the defense time to prepare for the case.
Stephens was an acquaintance of the 2-year-old girl who was reported missing on March 20 and later that day was found dead in Barton County.
He remains in the Barton County Detention Center in lieu of $1 million bond.