photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Kendrick Atkins appears at his plea hearing on Feb. 25, 2025, in Douglas County District Court.

A Lawrence man who was accused of giving a 15-year-old girl cocaine in exchange for sex pleaded no contest on Tuesday to two sex crime counts as part of a plea agreement.

Kendrick Deandre Atkins, 25, was originally charged in Douglas County District Court with one count of rape, two counts of aggravated human trafficking, two counts of criminal sodomy, and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, all felonies, according to charging documents. The charges relate to incidents that allegedly occurred on March 6 and 8, 2024, all involving the same 15-year-old girl, as the Journal-World reported.

On Tuesday, Atkins pleaded no contest to one count of criminal sodomy and one count of attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Senior Assistant District Attorney Ricardo Leal said that the remaining charges would be dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Leal said that he and Atkins’ attorney, Hatem Chahine, had negotiated the plea agreement ahead of the trial date that had been scheduled for the first week of March. The attorneys agreed to recommend that Atkins serve 120 months, or 10 years, in prison, and Leal said Atkins must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Judge Amy Hanley accepted Atkins’ plea but advised him that she is not bound by the agreement and that she could sentence him to more time in prison within the Kansas sentencing guidelines based on his criminal history.

Atkins said he understood that he could receive more time but that he was ready to move forward with the plea agreement. In the courtroom, the girl’s mother began to cry after Hanley declared that Atkins was convicted of the crimes.

In June of 2024, the teen girl had testified that she was out walking in Lawrence one night when Atkins drove by her and offered her drugs. She said that over the next two days, Atkins gave her cocaine in exchange for sex. When she told Atkins that she was 15 years old, she testified, he became possessive and more aggressive and the sex acts became more violent.

Atkins has been in custody since his arrest on March 21, 2024, and is being held on a $250,000 bond. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Kendrick Atkins is led away by a sheriff’s deputy at his plea hearing on Feb. 25, 2025, in Douglas County District Court.