The 20-year-old Hutchinson man jailed after he showed up at a local apartment thinking he was going to meet a 15-year-old girl for a sexual relationship only to be greeted by police entered a plea in the case as expected Tuesday afternoon.
Justin Richardson had been charged with a single count of solicitation of a child, but he enter a guilty plea Tuesday to an amended complaint charging him with a single count of attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
The guilty plea coming after Judge Tim Chambers took a break in the hearing, because he wasn’t convinced that Richardson understood the new charge and what that could mean at sentencing.
The case centers on Hutchinson Police Detective Scott Carlton communicating with Richardson through facebook and police decided to set up a sting.
Allegedly, Richardson made comments about wanting sexual relations with what he thought was the teenage girl. Carlton told us the suspect walked a mile and half because he had no transportation, but was greeted by police instead. This occurring back on December 14, 2012.
Both sides will recommend the mid-range number in the sentencing grid box when he’s sentenced on July 26. However, if the defense decides to seek a downward departure, the state would then have the right to seek an upward departure.