Douglas County District Judge Michael Malone on Thursday delayed a trial in a Lawrence child solicitation case originally scheduled to start next week.

Prosecutors accuse Stephen R. Stout, 47, of trying to lure a West Junior High School student into his car on Dec. 20.

They also allege he exposed himself to three other girls after school that day.

The girls all ran away and called police.

Stout’s attorney, J.C. Gilroy, asked for the delay.

“We have had some (plea) negotiations. They are continuing. It’s not clear whether we will reach an agreement or not,” said prosecutor Kevin Graham, an assistant Kansas Attorney General.

Malone said he also planned to rule on a motion in the next week about whether Graham could introduce evidence at trial about two of Stout’s past criminal cases. He was granted diversion in a 2000 Lawrence exposure case and pleaded guilty in 2006 to misdemeanor sexual misconduct in Clay County, Mo.

Graham also has said police recovered a loaded gun in Stout’s vehicle that day in December, which prosecutors believe shows that he intended to lure the girl into the car or abduct her.

The two sides dispute how the incident unfolded, including what Stout said to the girl and why he was near the school.

Stout faces felony charges of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child, fleeing or eluding police and three counts of lewd and lascivious behavior.

Malone scheduled the jury trial for May 27. Unless something develops with the plea negotiations, Stout will be back in court for a hearing on May 22.