Hutchinson ? A Reno County jury on Thursday found former Trego County Sheriff James Ryan Bloom guilty on eight counts involving the molestation of a young girl.

The charges included one count of rape, six counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and one count of lewd and lascivious behavior for incidents that happened with the 12-year-old during 2005 and the early part of 2006.

Sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 16.

In written and taped confessions, Bloom admitted to fondling his adopted daughter and stepping into the shower with her. He also said he would peer under the bathroom door and watch the girl shower.

Bloom, who also served as an instructor at Hutchinson Community College and the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, denied the confessions while on the witness stand. He called them an idea concocted with his wife, Jessica Bloom, to spare his family harassment and humiliation for what he presumed would be a lengthy and widely publicized trial.

His attorneys claimed the confessions came amid threats and promises from law enforcement.