Probation ordered in teen sex case

A Baldwin man was sentenced to 24 months of probation Monday for three felony charges of attempted indecent liberties with a child.

Justin Haskell, 32, was charged in December with having sex with three girls, all ages 14 or 15, after giving them alcohol.

The probation was the result of plea negotiations between Haskell’s defense lawyer and the district attorney’s office, attorneys said during the hearing in Douglas County District Court.

According to the terms of the probation, Haskell must live outside Baldwin during the 24 months and is also restricted from contacting the victims, Judge Paula Martin said during the hearing.

Plus, Martin said, Haskell was barred from having any contact with teenage girls during his probation without the prior consent of his probation officer.

According to the prosecution, all three victims were comfortable with Haskell’s sentence and the terms of the probation.

Charges were filed in December after Baldwin police found the three girls intoxicated at a local park. One of the girls pointed officers toward Haskell’s house, and the police began an investigation.

Baldwin Police Chief Mike McKenna told the Journal-World at the time that Haskell had befriended the girls, and the relationship eventually became sexual.

As a result of the charges, Haskell may have to register with the Kansas Bureau of Investigations as a sex offender, defense attorney Sarah Swain said after the hearing.

Haskell said at the hearing that he planned to live with his mother in Lawrence and spend time caring for his daughter, who will turn 2 in March.