photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured in March of 2022. The center houses the Douglas County District Court and other county services.

A Lawrence man has been charged with multiple child sex crimes for allegedly encouraging young children to perform sexual acts.

John Grant Redding, 37, is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor by promoting a sexual act with the intent to distribute a recording or photograph of the act. The charge involves a child under the age of 13 and is an off-grid felony that could result in a life sentence in prison if Redding were convicted, according to charging documents.

Redding is also charged with one felony count of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child involving a second child under the age of 13, one felony count of aggravated endangerment of a child and one misdemeanor count of promoting obscenity to children.

All of Redding’s charges stem from the same incident, which is alleged to have occurred in May of 2022. The charges were filed in December 2023, and witnesses listed on the charging document include multiple children and detectives from both the Lawrence Police Department and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Redding was arrested on Sunday in the 2200 block of Harper Street by Lawrence police, according to the Douglas County Jail booking log. He was released on Wednesday afternoon on a $100,000 cash or surety bond and is required to wear a GPS tracking device. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 17.