HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 59-year-old Hutchinson man who entered a plea to a single count of indecent liberties with a child was sentenced to three years in prison by Judge Trish Rose Friday afternoon.
Harold Dryden was charged with two counts of electronic solicitation of a child 14 to 16 years of age, two counts of indecent liberties with a child in the same age range and sexual exploitation of a child for having possession of a visual depiction of a child under 18, but again, entered the plea to the single count.
He was a mentor at Victory Village in eastern Reno County and the crimes involved a child who was here from Colorado. The time frame for the crimes is between May of 2010 and January of 2012.
The defense presented evidence from Dr. Robert Barnett, a clinical psychologist who apparently did an evaluation of Dryden and says he believes he is unlikely to offend again. The defense also noted that Dryden has sought professional help on his own, even before he was arrested in this case.
The defense requested a border box finding and place him on some form of probation, but the judge denied the request believing this case called for the punishment of prison time.