Kane accused of having contact with student
24-year-old Meredith Kane is behind bars tonight and she'll remain there until her sentencing in late October. Enlarge video
A judge on Tuesday ordered a former Lawrence High School teacher convicted of a sex crime to remain in jail until her sentencing in October.
Douglas County District Judge Stephen Six ruled that Meredith Kane, 24, violated her bond, based on allegations from prosecutors that she has had contact with the victim, a 16-year-old boy, at least five times since her guilty plea July 2.
Kane was arrested and booked into jail Monday and now faces an additional misdemeanor charge of violating a protective order, which barred her from contact with the victim or witnesses in the case. She will remain in jail at least until her October sentencing.
Kane pleaded guilty in July to one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The acts occurred between August 2006 and March of this year with a male student who was 15 at the time.
According to a motion prosecutors filed, family friends of the victim reported to police Sunday that they saw the boy getting out of a car driven by Kane. The boy told a police detective he had been with Kane five times since her guilty plea, according to the motion.
During Tuesday's hearing on bond revocation, Kane's attorney, James Rumsey, introduced a letter that he said the victim had written to Kane.
"It doesn't suggest that there wasn't contact, but I want to make it very clear that the initiation was on his part, not my client's," Rumsey said.
But Six said prosecutors' affidavit documented multiple instances of telephone and in-person contact, some of which they believe Kane initiated. Six said it was Kane's responsibility as the adult to honor her bond agreement and a court order.
Her next court appearance on the new misdemeanor charge will be Oct. 2.
She already faces a prison sentence of between five and 20 years for her aggravated indecent liberties conviction. Rumsey has planned to ask for a lesser sentence at sentencing, now scheduled for Oct. 29.
Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said a possible misdemeanor conviction for violating a protective order carries a sentence of up to one year in jail. He said the recent arrest probably wouldn't greatly affect the sentencing on the felony conviction because prosecutors have sought a prison term since early days of the case.
"With the bond being revoked, we're asking that start much sooner," Branson said.
The Lawrence school board suspended Kane after she was arrested in March, and the board voted in May not to renew the first-year English teacher's contract.
One LHS student who attended Tuesday's hearing said this week's events in the case surprised many people. Senior Jenny Maranell said she was an English office aide when Kane taught at the high school.
"She always seemed really nice. I never really thought that anything like this would ever happen," she said.
Comments
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alm77 (anonymous) says…
Is it just me, or is that skirt a little too short to be wearing to a hearing regarding your status as a sex offender?
cellogrl (anonymous) says…
Just a side-bar here... that picture was from the last hearing. I seem to recall several comments on the skirt last time.
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
alm77 (anonymous) says…
cello - ah, I must have missed that one. Sorry.
consumer1 (anonymous) says…
Blade runner, Thanks for the laugh. In Lawrence we tend to take everything way to seriously. good one.
CindiCat (anonymous) says…
I like the way that HER attorney tried (?) to blame the young boy......"It doesn't suggest that there wasn't contact, but I want to make it very clear that the initiation was on his part, not my client's," Rumsey said.
Ya, SHE knew that she should have just said NO but, went along with it anyway.
Jeez, some people
Hoots (anonymous) says…
She sure is a great decision maker. If she keeps making bonehead choices like she has in the past year I think she might have one super tough life ahead. This gal is her own worse enemy. She probably repeatedly touched the stove and stuck metal objects in the light socket as a kid.
unite2revolt (anonymous) says…
It cracks me up that the prosecuter said she should have acted like an adult. I think NOT acting like an adult is what got her arrested in the first place. I am a little curious at how being behind bars is going to stop her from making phone calls and exchanging letters with the kid. At least she won't be able to drive off into the sunset with him.
Kontum1972 (anonymous) says…
some network is gonna do a made for tv movie on this one..mb john travolta will play the lead role what ya think folks?
Kontum1972 (anonymous) says…
nominations for teacher of the year are up right now....whos is voting?
Kontum1972 (anonymous) says…
what about "No child left behind"......?
and katie couric is going to Iraq....to save sagging ratings....(star spangled banner plays softly in the back ground)
consumer1 (anonymous) says…
Mr_Ramirez (Anonymous) says
The boy she is in ka-hoots with apperently got a RAISE, and she kept going back so it must have been a pretty good one? So, I wonder if he is popular with all the girls in school now? or the Other teachers? Think there are any other teachers out their having their own little fantasy about spanking the bad little monkey on this lad?
consumer1 (anonymous) says…
at age 15 -16 -17 I wanted to jump the bones of several teachers. They were HOT!! I would NEVER have told on them like this little pumkin pie face did. I would be having a dandy time if I could of had some o dat. ;o)
thebigspoon (anonymous) says…
Oh, yeah, R_T, this is so sad because she is "so beautiful", but it would be OK if she was a dog? Where is your vaunted sense of values in relation to this statement? Got any more thoughtless, chauvinistic things sto say about blacks, Native Americans, Italians, Latins, Arabs, Oklahomans, or your next door naighbors. Surely you can find something nasty and hurtful to say about everybody else. Give it a try--maybe everyone who reads your inane comments will see you as you really are.
Wilbur_Nether (anonymous) says…
Pogo wondered "Why are our children so defenseless when it comes to having an iota of say...?"
My most cynical guess? Because they don't vote.