A judge Wednesday made sure Robert E. Bornemeier won’t be a neighbor to anyone in Lawrence anytime soon.

“I was a citizen of Lincoln, Nebraska,” Bornemeier shouted as officers led him from Douglas County District Court, “but if I ever get out, I will be your neighbor.”

District Judge Michael Malone invoked the state sex predator law against the 47-year-old man who admitted sexually abusing at least 100 victims before he was arrested for incidents involving three Lawrence girls in 1992.

“This court finds the state has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Bornemeier is indeed a sexually violent predator,” Malone said before he ordered Bornemeier confined to Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility, where the state’s sexual predator treatment program is based.

A Lawrence woman, mother of one of Bornemeier’s victims, was surprised to learn of the court action Wednesday.

“He either has to be hospitalized for a very long time or just kept off the streets,” she said. “I’m glad to hear about this.”

The woman’s then-10-year-old daughter was accosted by Bornemeier on her bicycle in the parking lot of Dillons, 1740 Mass.

“He offered to give her $20 to come over to his truck, and she said no. He asked her again, and she said no thank you and rode off. I’m very proud of her,” the woman said.

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Her daughter helped identify Bornemeier, picking him out of a photo lineup.

“She was so strong about it. She did exactly the right thing,” the woman said.

The woman said her daughter, now 20, still lived in Lawrence and was doing fine.

The victims

Bornemeier’s victims, all female, ranged in age from 5 to 50, according to evidence presented by Assistant Atty. Gen. Loren Snell Jr.

Bornemeier was arrested in October 1992 in Lincoln, Neb., on a Douglas County warrant charging him with indecent liberties with a child, enticement of a child and sexual battery.

The charges stemmed from three incidents in Lawrence in the summer and fall of 1992, two of which involved attempted attacks on young girls in grocery store parking lots.

Parking lot poseur

Less than half an hour after he tried to entice the 10-year-old girl in the Dillons parking lot, Bornemeier used the same ruse, claiming he was a security guard, to search a 10-year-old girl in the parking lot of Checkers, 2300 La. Court documents show after Bornemeier accused the girl of stealing candy, he pushed her to the ground, held his hand over her mouth and unbuttoned her pants.

In the third incident, which occurred a few months before the parking lot incidents, Bornemeier was accused of fondling a girl at her home in the 900 block of Maine Street.

Bornemeier eventually pleaded guilty to the indecent liberties charge. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, the other charges were dropped. Malone sentenced him to five to 20 years in prison in February 1993.

Bornemeier was scheduled for release from prison after serving nearly 10 years. Then the state’s sexual predator law was kicked into action.

“There’s a flagging system within the Department of Corrections that notifies KDOC anytime someone convicted of a sexually violent offense is set to be released from prison,” Snell said.

Between 400 and 500 inmates come up for review each year as part of the Kansas sexual predator law enacted in 1994, Snell said.

The law, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1997 and 2001 after legal challenges, allows the state to send sex offenders deemed likely to re-offend to Larned, even after they’ve served their prison sentences.

Snell said since the law was passed, 95 sexual predators have been committed, not including Bornemeier. Sixty-eight inmates deemed sexually violent predators currently are housed at Larned.

Since the law passed, “some have been released on appeal, some sent back to KDOC, unfortunately some have died there,” Snell said.

‘Dangerous individual’

Bornemeier, who was required to undergo a psychological evaluation at Larned as part of the process, was found to suffer from seven personality disorders, including pedophilia, voyeurism and exhibitionism.

The state argued he was a “particularly dangerous individual with a sexual addiction to children.” Snell also said Bornemeier was a danger to women of all ages. Snell said Bornemeier had an 88 percent chance of re-offending if released.

“He’s indicated he had at least 100 victims, he had just never been caught,” Snell said. “He was sort of a transient who liked to go to college towns.”

About the time Bornemeier was in Lawrence, Johnson County authorities also sought him in connection with similar incidents in Overland Park. One involved an 11-year-old girl he allegedly accused of shoplifting in a grocery store, the other a 26-year-old women he allegedly fondled inside the Oak Park Mall.

“I hope you receive the treatment that you’ve indicated you wanted for some time,” Malone told Bornemeier. “Hopefully in the near future you will no longer be a danger to members of this community.”

Bornemeier will remain at Larned until doctors are convinced he’s rehabilitated and no longer a danger to society. His commitment there is subject to yearly review.