Second charge lodged against Basehor man

A 41-year-old Basehor man, who already faces a misdemeanor charge alleging he fondled himself at the Basehor Community Library earlier this month, was arrested by police Thursday and faces an additional charge for a similar incident.

On April 11, a woman reported to Basehor police that she witnessed the man acting inappropriately while at a library computer. After an investigation, the man was arrested and charged in Basehor Municipal Court with one count of lewd and lascivious behavior.

Basehor police Chief Terry Horner said police uncovered another alleged incident involving the same man in March. Separate witnesses told police of the alleged incidents in March and April, the police chief said.

The man now has been charged in Leavenworth County District Court with a felony count of lewd and lascivious behavior and a misdemeanor county of lewd and lascivious behavior. He appeared in court last Friday without an attorney.

A district attorney’s spokesman said the Basehor man is scheduled to appear in court next at 9 a.m. this Friday with an attorney. Roger Marrs, chief deputy for the district attorney’s office, will prosecute the case.

Prosecution of the original misdemeanor charge has been transferred to district court. The additional felony charge will also be argued in district court because the city’s court system doesn’t have jurisdiction to prosecute felonies, Basehor police said.

The defendant’s name is being withheld because of a policy of this newspaper not to name people accused of sex crimes until they plead guilty or are convicted.

Following the allegations, library officials moved quickly to keep the man away from the library.

After the initial report, library director Carla Kaiser banned the man from the library. Soon after, the Basehor Community Library Board of Trustees revoked the man’s library privileges for life.