PAWNEE COUNTY – A Pawnee County judge charged a Kansas man with having sex with a child during a hearing on Nov. 10.
James Speer, 30, Larned, is charged with rape of a child under 14 years of age and oral sodomy of a child under 14 years of age, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.
The crimes are alleged to have occurred at a residence in Garfield on or about May 25 or 26, 2013. Law enforcement, however, was not notified of the allegations until November 2020. The Pawnee County Sheriff's Office handled the investigation.
If convicted, Speer faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole until he has served at least 25 years.
Arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 13, according to McNett.
Speer is currently in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections after convictions that include four sex crimes, obstruction, aggravated intimidation of a witness and criminal threat, according to the KDOC.