photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Alex James Skidmore

A Lawrence man who had pleaded no contest to aggravated sexual battery was sentenced on Friday to 9.5 years in prison — nearly double what the plea agreement in the case had recommended — after the judge said she thought he had not taken responsibility for his actions.

Alex James Skidmore, 21, was originally charged with one felony count of rape and one felony count of aggravated sodomy of a 23-year-old woman, according to charging documents. The charges relate to an incident in June of 2022. He was arrested in February of 2023 shortly after a similar case was dismissed in Wyandotte County, as the Journal-World reported.

In November, Skidmore pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of aggravated sexual battery, and the state recommended a sentence of 60 months, or five years, in prison, according to court records. That is half the length of the standard sentence for aggravated sexual battery for someone with Skidmore’s criminal history; court records indicate that Skidmore pleaded no contest to one count of attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a child as a juvenile in January 2021.

During Friday’s hearing, Skidmore’s attorney, Cline Boone, argued that Skidmore had taken responsibility for his actions by waiving his right to a preliminary hearing and trial, thus preventing the woman from having to testify about the incident.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Tatum read a statement prepared by the woman. It said the woman had suffered emotional harm such as post-traumatic stress disorder and issues with trusting those around her, and that she was paranoid that Skidmore would come and find her. After the incident, the woman’s statement read, she experienced a “butterfly effect” where she had to move out of the state and invest in personal safety items to feel safe; she did subsequently move back to Kansas and has still struggled after the move.

Tatum read that the woman wishes she could “go back to her bubbly” personality, but that she can’t. Tatum then asked the court to follow the plea agreement and the recommended five-year prison sentence.

Judge Stacey Donovan then asked Skidmore whether he had anything to say about the case, and Skidmore began by saying he had suffered a great deal during the case.

“I have suffered losing all of my friends and having family members disown me,” Skidmore said.

Skidmore began to tremble as he said that he had not tried to contact the woman since he had been charged, and that his child with another woman will soon be born. He said he didn’t want to say anything that might risk the plea agreement he had made with the state.

“I can’t gamble my life. I have to take this (plea),” Skidmore said.

He said that “if I did anything wrong to the victim, I apologize.”

Donovan acknowledged that the state had recommended the five-year sentence in the plea agreement, but she also said that when someone asks for a lesser sentence, they usually do so after demonstrating that they have taken responsibility for their actions. Donovan said Skidmore may have agreed to waive his preliminary hearing and that the woman did not have to testify, but that “the court does not see anything beyond that.”

Donovan then said she would not grant the reduced sentence and ordered Skidmore to serve 114 months, or 9.5 years, in prison and to register as a sex offender for 25 years. She said he would be on lifetime supervision with the court after he is released.

As Donovan read the sentence, Skidmore repeatedly interrupted and tried to talk over her, asking “I don’t have a right to a trial now?”

Donovan then said that Skidmore would have 14 days to appeal the sentence. Skidmore, who had been free on a $75,000 bond, was then taken into custody.