photo by: KBI Sex Offenders Registry

Zachary Jonathan Lang

A Lawrence man entered a guilty plea in Douglas County District Court this month to multiple counts of criminal sodomy involving two children who were under the age of 14.

Zachary Jonathan Lang, 38, pleaded guilty on Sept. 2, to four felony counts of aggravated criminal sodomy involving two children in his care between the ages of 8 and 12 years of age, according to court records. The charges are off-grid felonies and could result in a life sentence.

Lang was originally charged with 10 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child under the age of 14, which is also an off-grid felony. The original charging documents alleged that the abuse against the children began in 2009 when one of the children was a newborn and included a third child who was 4 years old. The charges were later amended to include only two children and to state that the abuse occurred between June of 2018 and June of 2021.

In court filings leading up to Lang’s plea, his defense attorney, Michelle David, filed a motion to suppress Lang’s initial interview with police and the statements he made when police first made contact with Lang in reference to the allegations. Senior Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Vrana, who has since left the district attorney’s office, filed a motion in opposition.

According to Vrana’s response, Lawrence police arrived at Lang’s residence, and when he answered the door, he told police “I need to place myself under arrest for child molestation” and Lang went on to tell police that he had been a victim of molestation himself as a child and “It’s just something I’ve been dealing with my whole life and I brought it upon this family. Yeah, I need to be taken away from society, and I don’t know, hopefully, I can get help.”

David’s motion said that as soon as Lang asked to be arrested he should have been read his Miranda rights but instead police interrogated him in the driveway of the residence and did not read him his rights until he was at the police station later.

Vrana’s response said that despite Lang asking to be placed under arrest, he wasn’t handcuffed and wasn’t in custody and that any statements he made to police he made freely. Vrana said that the conversation Lang had with police in the driveway was not an interrogation and the officers on the scene attempted to direct the conversation away from the topic of his alleged crimes so that a detective could question him formally.

The motions were filed prior to Lang’s scheduled jury trial on April 25, but the case went to mediation before the motions could be ruled on. Lang’s guilty plea came a few months later, according to court records.

As reported by the Journal-World, Lang was arrested on Oct. 4, 2021, at the Lawrence Police Department Headquarters and he has been held on a $200,000 cash or surety bond since then.

Lang is currently in custody at the Douglas County Jail and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 27.