Baldwin City man ordered to 24 years in prison for raping two children

A Baldwin City man convicted of raping two children has been sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for the crimes.

Edwin E. Wasson, 54, must serve 294 months in prison — or about 24 and a half years — Douglas County District Court Judge Peggy Kittel ordered Friday at Wasson’s sentencing hearing.

Wasson also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

In explaining her sentencing decision, the judge noted that Wasson victimized not one but two children, and did so over a period of years.

“Based on that fact, and the egregious behavior by the defendant in this case, I believe that the sentencing recommendation is appropriate,” Kittel said. “It will have lifetime ramifications for these two victims.”

Edwin E. Wasson

Wasson’s sentencing matched recommendations agreed on by prosecutors and his appointed defense attorney, Forrest Lowry, in a plea agreement.

Wasson raped the first victim between 2002 and 2008, when the child was a pre-teen and a teenager, according to charges he admitted to at his plea hearing in September. He raped the second victim between 2013 and 2015, when the child was a teenager, he admitted. Both victims were overcome by force or fear.

Neither Wasson nor any victims gave statements at the sentencing hearing.

In asking the judge for a sentence no harsher than the recommendation, Lowry said his client was in his mid-50s, suffered from “significant” health problems including diabetes and that even with the 24-year recommended sentence he would not get out of prison until he was in his 70s.

Prosecutor Alice Walker said the plea agreement followed “a lot of conversations with the victims,” who were satisfied with avoiding testifying at a preliminary hearing or trial.

Wasson was arrested and charged in late May, following a Baldwin City Police Department investigation.

At the time of Wasson’s arrest, Baldwin City police chief Greg Neis told the Journal-World that the girls were known to the assailant and that police did not believe other victims were involved.