Olathe — The former caretaker for an autistic man pleaded guilty to exposing the man to HIV through sexual contact.
Anthony E. Sleister pleaded guilty Friday in Johnson County District Court to felony charges of attempted aggravated sexual battery and knowingly exposing a person to a life-threatening disease.
He will be sentenced May 11.
According to July testimony in the case, the victim, now 23, voluntarily engaged in sexual activity with Sleister in 1999 when the man was in an assisted-living program at an Olathe apartment with several other men.
Sleister, 40, denied the accusation at first, but later admitted to one sexual encounter.
He also said he had tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, before the encounter, but had not told the victim.
Brenda Cameron, an assistant district attorney, said Friday that if the case had gone to trial, doctors who had previously examined the young man would have testified that he "did not have the capacity to consent" to the sexual activity.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Cameron and Sleister's attorney, Byron Cerrillo, will jointly recommend consecutive sentences.
The sentence length depends on whether Sleister has a prior criminal record.
He likely will be eligible for probation under sentencing guidelines, but will be required to serve 60 days in jail as a condition of probation. He'll also be required to register as a sex offender.
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