photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Isaiah Jamin Duckworth is pictured at a trial that turned into a plea hearing on June 6, 2023, in Douglas County District Court. Duckworth was set for trial all week but pleaded to two counts of sexual battery after the jury had been selected.

A Lawrence man was set for trial Tuesday in Douglas County District Court on charges of kidnapping and aggravated sexual battery, but entered a last-minute plea, sending the jury home.

The man, Isaiah Jamin Duckworth, 35, was ordered to stand trial in February on one count of kidnapping and one count of aggravated sexual battery, both felonies, after a preliminary hearing in which a 16-year-old girl testified that he drunkenly pulled her inside his bedroom, closed the door and groped her while she was too afraid to fight back, as the Journal-World reported.

The incident occurred on Oct. 11, 2022, in the 100 block of North Michigan Street.

Duckworth’s defense attorney, Branden Smith, and Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden spent a full day on Monday selecting jurors for the trial and were planning to give opening arguments at 9 a.m. Tuesday; instead, the parties worked out a last-minute deal.

With the jury sequestered in a back room, the attorneys were checking case law and printing new charging documents. At one point Seiden said, “They’re not leaving until we get this done,” referring to the jurors and whether they could be dismissed before Duckworth signed the agreement.

Judge Sally Pokorny finally called Duckworth’s case around 10 a.m. She advised Duckworth of his rights and made sure he was confident entering a plea. She said that if he wanted the trial, the jury was waiting.

Duckworth acknowledged that he understood, then entered a no contest plea to two felony counts of aggravated sexual battery. Pokorny said he could face between 31 and 136 months, or 2.6 to 11.3 years, on each charge, depending on Duckworth’s criminal record.

Seiden said that as a condition of Duckworth’s plea he would be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years and that the defense would be able to argue for probation at sentencing, though the state would be recommending prison time.

Seiden said that Duckworth still had a case pending in California and would face extradition after he is sentenced.

While Pokorny was explaining sex-offender registration requirements and how soon he might need to be concerned with the process, Duckworth asked whether his convictions would be eligible for probation.

Pokorny explained that his convictions fell into a “border box” on the Kansas sentencing guidelines, meaning that his attorney would be able to argue for probation instead of prison but that it would be her decision.

“Is there any way you can have mercy at the sentencing?” Duckworth asked.

“No,” Pokorny replied.

Pokorny then said that she didn’t mean that she wouldn’t consider Duckworth’s argument for probation but that the plea hearing was not the appropriate time to discuss the matter.

Duckworth has been in custody since his arrest in October 2022 and is being held on a $50,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21.

photo by: Chris Cond/Journal-World

Isaiah Jamin Duckworth, 35, is pictured at a trial that turned into a plea hearing on June 6, 2023, in Douglas County District Court. Duckworth pleaded no contest to two counts of sexual battery involving a 16-year-old girl.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the minimum sentence Duckworth could get on each charge.