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 pleaded guilty on Thursday to posing as a minor to have sex with a 15-year-old girl.

The man, Rylin Ellis Gipp, 24, of Lawrence, was originally charged with one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and one count of sexual exploitation of a child for possessing child pornography, both felonies. The incidents happened between April and August of 2024.

Gipp pleaded guilty on Thursday as part of a plea agreement where the state agreed to dismiss the exploitation charge in exchange for Gipp’s plea.

Judge Stacey Donovan accepted Gipp’s plea and said that for his conviction Gipp Faces a minimum of 55 months in prison, just under five years, and that he will be required to register as a sex offender.

Gipp’s attorney, Hatem Chahine, said that Gipp would be asking the court to depart from the Kansas sentencing guidelines that recommend a prison sentence for Gipp’s conviction. Chahine said that Gipp pleaded “guilty” rather than “no contest” to the crime to show that he was serious about taking responsibility for his actions. He said Gipp has already taken a psychosexual evaluation and has enrolled in therapy to address any psychological issues he may have with underage women.

Gipp has been free on a $10,000 own-recognizance bond since his arrest in September 2024, meaning he was not required to pay any money to be released from jail.