A 42-year-old registered sex offender was charged Tuesday with aggravated indecent solicitation of a child after allegedly asking a preteen girl at a downtown Lawrence restaurant to follow him to the men’s restroom.

Jonathan Stephen Nelson

Prosecutor Mark Simpson alleged Tuesday that Jonathan Stephen Nelson, of Lawrence, attempted to persuade a 10-year-old child to go with him into a “secluded place with intent to commit an unlawful sexual act,” according to charging documents.

Nelson was arrested around 6 p.m. Sunday after the incident was reported to police, Lawrence police spokesman Trent McKinley said Monday. Nelson was intoxicated and uncooperative at the time of his arrest, police said.

Simpson said at Nelson’s court appearance Tuesday that Nelson was “out celebrating as he’d just gotten off of parole” at the time of the alleged incident. Simpson asked for a $250,000 bond because he said Nelson is a “danger to the community.”

Nelson’s attorney, Stacey Schlimmer, said Nelson is not a flight risk and has familial support, so his bond should be lower.

“They are just accusations at this point,” Schlimmer said. “He has done his time.”

Nelson was convicted in 2010 of felony sexual exploitation of a child. The offense involved a 5-year-old girl and occurred in Olathe in 2007, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s public offender registry. He has been registered as a sex offender since his release from prison in September 2012.

Douglas County Judge Pro Tem James T. George ultimately set bond Tuesday at $125,000. If he makes bond, he must not have any contact with children or drink alcohol.

If convicted, Nelson faces up to 136 months, or about 11 years, in prison, depending on his criminal history. Because of his previous sex crime conviction, Nelson’s sentence could be doubled if found guilty, Simpson said.

Nelson is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. He remains in the Douglas County Jail.