photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Jordey M. McTaggart is pictured Feb. 13, 2026, in Douglas County District Court with his defense attorneys Allyson Monson, left, and Jessica Glendening.

A Lawrence man pleaded not guilty Friday in Douglas County District Court to charges that he molested two girls eight years ago during sleepovers at his home.

The teens testified at a preliminary hearing in January about separate incidents that they said occurred at the home of Jordey McTaggart as they spent the night with his children when they were in elementary school.

Judge Sally Pokorny ordered McTaggart to stand trial in mid-July on two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child whose birth year is listed as 2010 and one count of raping a child whose birth year is listed as 2011. The alleged crimes all occurred in 2018 and are punishable by life in prison if McTaggart is found guilty.

As the Journal-World reported, McTaggart was arrested and charged in July 2025 and later released from custody on a $25,000 cash or surety bond with GPS monitoring.