Great Bend, KS – Steven “Dewey” Jordan, age 50 of Great Bend, appeared in custody in the Barton County District Court Wednesday, June 10 for sentencing on convicts of Rape, Aggravated Burglary, and Misdemeanor Criminal Damage to Property. The charges stem from an incident in Great Bend on February 6, 2013.
Jordan was convicted on December 11, 2019, for the second time on the charges following a three-day jury trial. The defendant had been previously convicted of the charges following a five-day jury trial in September of 2015. The defendant appealed his original convictions.
On review, the Kansas Court of Appeals found in an unpublished opinion on January 12, 2018, the district court violated the defendant’s constitutional right to present his theory of defense by excluding relevant evidence, reversed his convictions, vacate his sentences, and remanded the matter for a new trial. The Kansas Supreme Court declined to review the reversal.
Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett was appointed as special prosecutor to present the State’s case at re-trial. Jordan was represented by Shannon Crane of Hutchinson.
At his original sentencing, Jordan was sentenced to 620 months with the Department of Corrections. At the resentencing, however, defense counsel challenged use of the defendant’s criminal history. The State conceded that the defendant’s 1985 out of state juvenile person felony adjudications could no longer be scored as part of his official criminal history, but argued his 1989 Kansas conviction for Attempted Indecent Liberties with a Child was properly scored as a person felony, as well as three additional nonperson felonies.
District Judge Carey Hipp adopted the State’s argument and sentenced Jordan to the standard sentence of 272 months for the Rape conviction based on the revised criminal history. Judge Hipp then sentenced Jordan consecutively to an additional 32 months for the Aggravated Battery conviction for a total sentence of 304 months with the Kansas Department of Corrections.
He is eligible to earn up to 15% good time credit. The defendant will be subject to lifetime post release and lifetime registration as a sexual offender.