Judge Trish Rose issued a ruling today in the civil case filed by a former sheriff and law enforcement instructor seeking relief from his conviction and sentence in a child sex case.
James Ryan Bloom was convicted on several felonies and sentenced to 27-and-half years in prison in a child sex case. Now he seeks relief claiming ineffective counsel during plea negotiations. His attorney at the time was Sarah Sweet McKinnon and Kiehl Rathbun, who at the time were both with the Regional Public Defenders Office. Rathbun is no longer with that office.
Bloom was offered a number of plea offers and turned all of them down. His attorney Sam Kepfield argued that his client got to point during plea negotiations where he didn’t trust anyone, while Senior Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell argued that he just didn’t get the plea offer he wanted.
Bloom was found guilty of one count of rape, six counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and one count of lewd and lascivious conduct. The victim in the case was a 12-year-old girl. The crimes occurring while he was instructor at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Yoder and happened over a period of time in 2006. He’s not eligible for parole until the year 2029.
He exhausted all of his appeals through the appellate process, and that brings up to the civil filing.
Judge Trish Rose ruled that he failed to show that his counsel’s performance fell below “an objective standard of reasonableness.” She dismissed the civil petition. However, he can appeal her ruling.
Bloom also served as the sheriff in Trego County prior to his job here in Reno County.