photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Kyle Elder appears Friday, May 23, 2025, in Douglas County District Court with his appointed attorneys, Branden Smith, left, and Hatem Chahine.

A violent sex offender from New York who is accused of aggressively preying on a Lawrence girl pleaded not guilty Friday in Douglas County District Court to 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of electronic solicitation.

The defendant, Kyle Elder, 35, has waived his right to a preliminary hearing, as well as his right to a speedy trial in the case. Had he not waived the latter, his trial would have to have been scheduled before Oct. 20; it is now scheduled to begin on Dec. 8.

Earlier this month, Elder’s appointed defense attorney, Hatem Chahine, asked Judge Amy Hanley to appoint a second defense attorney to assist him due to the number of charges in the case and the volume of evidence to be reviewed. Hanley granted that request, and attorney Branden Smith appeared Friday with Chahine at the defense table.

The defense asked for access to around 12,000 text messages related to the case, and the state, represented by Senior Assistant District Attorney Ricardo Leal, was ordered to obtain those from the Lawrence Police Department and turn them over by June 13.

Hanley warned the parties to stay on top of the discovery process and said she would not tolerate any unnecessary delays.

“Don’t sit on it,” she said, referring to acting with efficiency and keeping the court apprised.

According to allegations in an arrest affidavit in the case, which Hanley released earlier this month over objections by both the state and the defense, Elder exchanged thousands of lewd messages, including sexually graphic photos, videos and phone calls, with a Lawrence 14-year-old last summer, and made plans to travel here for the purposes of statutorily raping her.

Elder was on supervised release in New York for a sex crime at the time he was allegedly interacting with the Lawrence girl. He was convicted in 2015 of one count of use of a child under 17 years old in a sexual performance and one count of second-degree course of sexual conduct against a 5-year-old child. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and is currently serving 10 years of post-release supervision. He is listed as a violent sexual offender on the New York registry.

In the Lawrence case, he was taken into custody last summer by officers from the Lawrence Police Department, assisted by New York law enforcement, who forced their way into a home in Niagara Falls, New York, and arrested him. His bond has been set at $250,000 cash or surety.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Kyle Elder appears Friday, May 23, 2025, in Douglas County District Court.