The 25-year-old Hutchinson man convicted on child sex charges is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.
Michael Wayne Stahl entered pleas to 4-counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, two counts of electronic solicitation, one count of attempted indecent liberties with a child and exploitation of a child. However at sentencing, the two sides are recommend running all of the counts concurrent to each other, then asking for a departure from Jessica’s Law to the regular sentencing grid with the charges being level-1 person felonies. He was looking at multiple life sentences under Jessica’s Law.
The case centers on Stahl communicating with two 13-year-old girls through Facebook and also by text. That apparently led to him meeting the girls and then the sexual encounters occurring.
Police became involved in the case when two reports were made to them and a detective then started communicating with Stahl. He posed as a 14-year-old girl and that led to Stahl showing up at an abandoned residence where he thought he was meeting the 14-year-old, but met police instead.
After his arrest in October, he apparently admitted that he inappropriately touched the girls. The crimes occurring in September and October of last year.
Stahl is looking at a sentence of between 147-months to 653-months, depending on his criminal history.