photo by: Mugshot courtesy of the Kansas Sex Offender Registry

Romeo Martinez is pictured with the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

An Emporia man was sentenced to more than five years in prison on Wednesday for a battery conviction after originally being charged with rape.

The man, Romeo Devontay Martinez, 22, was charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of rape but entered into a plea agreement with the state in May that reduced his charge to aggravated battery. Judge Stacey Donovan made the finding that the battery was sexually motivated and ordered Martinez to register as a sex offender for 15 years, as the Journal-World reported. On Wednesday, Donovan sentenced Martinez to 66 months in prison, or 5.5 years.

The charge is in connection with an incident on Dec. 5, 2022. The woman involved, who was 21 at the time of the incident, testified at a preliminary hearing in August 2023 that Martinez violated her after a party despite her repeatedly telling him to “please stop,” as the Journal-World reported. The rape charge with Martinez’ criminal history could have resulted in a 20-year prison sentence if he had been convicted of rape, according to Kansas sentencing guidelines.

Martinez has a prior felony conviction for criminal threat in Lyon County from 2022. Prior to sentencing, Martinez had been free on a $50,000 own-recognizance bond, meaning he was not required to pay any money to be released from jail.