photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Richard Eugene Marshall

A Lawrence man entered a no contest plea Monday in Douglas County District Court to two counts of sexual battery as part of a plea agreement in which the state dismissed additional sex crimes involving teenage girls.

The man, Richard Eugene Marshall, 49, was originally charged with multiple counts of aggravated endangerment of a child, but after his preliminary hearing in October of 2021, the state increased the charges to multiple sex crimes involving two teen girls in addition to the endangerment charges, according to court records.

Charging documents said the incidents occurred between August and December of 2020. Marshall was first arrested on the charges in June of 2021 and is currently free on a $75,000 bond.

Marshall pleaded no contest to two felony counts of aggravated sexual battery, avoiding a trial that was scheduled for next week.

Judge Amy Hanley accepted his plea and said that he faces as much as five years in prison when he is sentenced but that as part of his agreement the prosecution has agreed to recommend probation. He will be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years, Hanley said.

According to allegations in the affidavit supporting Marshall’s arrest, a 16-year-old girl reported to police that Marshall regularly gave her methamphetamine in the same way he gave it to his Doberman pinscher. She said that he would inhale the smoke, then blow it into her mouth, making contact with his mouth. She said Marshall also provided her with alcohol, acid and concentrated marijuana, or “dabs.”

She reported that when she and Marshall got high together that he would grope her, sometimes with his genitalia exposed, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit also alleges that Marshall provided drugs to and sexually assaulted another teenage girl he was in contact with, but charges in connection with a second victim were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Marshall is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4.