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Read comments (13)At approximately 3 p.m., Monday, in the Bourbon County Courthouse, Gibson was placed on 48 months of intensive supervised probation on two counts of indecent liberties with a child, a severity level five person felony.
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" ... I'm standing here a fully broken man," Gibson said. "I'm not addicted to molesting children. I do have an addiction to pornography, but I don't have an addiction to preying on under-age girls."
Everyone in the courtroom waited patiently as Gibson finished his plea for the court's mercy.
"I want a chance to prove that I can keep this from happening again," Gibson told Judge Mark Ward. "Just give me one chance. Let me prove to you that I can make the right choice," Gibson pleaded.
After passing down judgment, Ward spoke directly to Gibson.
"Mr. Gibson," he said, "I believe you were sincere in your comments to the court. You promised if I give you one chance, you won't ask for a second chance."
Should Gibson break the terms of his probation, he will be remanded and placed in the custody of the Department of Corrections to serve two consecutive 38-month sentences totaling more than six years in prison.
As part of Gibson's probation, Ward ordered him to complete a psychological evaluation; remain on all prescribed psychotropic medications; continue counseling; attend Sexoholics Anonymous; provide a DNA sample for the Kansas Bureau of Investigations; register as a sex offender; and pay various costs associated with his court case. In addition, Gibson must not have any contact with children under the age of 18, with the victims, or his co-defendant Aaron Myers. Ward ordered Gibson to abstain from accessing any form of pornography; and from possessing or consuming any alcohol or illegal drugs.
Before dismissing court, Ward approved the removal of the Global Positioning System bracelet Gibson was previously ordered to wear around his ankle.
Neither of Gibson's victims were present at the sentencing. However, Gibson's friends, family and members of his church congregation were in attendance to show their support, encircling him with prayer just moments before the hearing began.
In September, Gibson was charged with one count of felony criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties with a child, three counts of indecent liberties with a child, and misdemeanor charges of unlawful hosting of minors consuming alcohol, and two counts of endangering a child.
Gibson's co-defendant Myers, who was originally charged with one count of indecent liberties with a child, indecent solicitation of a child, and misdemeanor counts of furnishing a cereal malt beverage to a minor, and two counts of endangering a child; was placed on 3 years of probation on May 12, 2008, in the Bourbon County District Court for indecent solicitation of a child.
To Rayma Silver's editor's note: You cannot be tha6t naive. Terri may have appeared to you to work real hard to be harsh. The prosecutors have all the power. When they decide what to charge, they are deciding a man's punishment. If they want to see him go to prison for life, they stack the charges. If he goes to their church, they only charge one or two charges, knowing they can let him off with a plea later. When Terri stacked the charges against Paul, (who is mentally and physically ill) she had in her mind at that time, "Now, here is a mentally ill sucker, I can make a big name for myself if I charge him with a whole bunch of charges. That way, I can threaten and scare him to death and he will accept a harsh plea." The judge has a very limited range of what he can sentence, once Terri has charged, and once Terri has offered her plea. He has only a choice of a year or two, sometimes months. Don't let Terri fool you into thinking she is a good person. She has only hatred in her heart.
I do believe Terri tried to give him prison time but the judge didn't. I believe Terri is against child abuse of any type seems like the judges are forgetting the law and think they are GOD. At least some of the judges. By the way I heard one of the judges does not go back 5yrs on battery charges to grant you custody of a little baby but will go back 5yrs and more if you do anything else. I think this judge needs to be investigated. She or He is a abusers dream. Sure is not in the best interest of the child.
Hi slr9356 i just thought i would give you the legal deffiniton of Indecent Liberties with a Child since you are mentioning it. Here is the source http://www.lectlaw.com/files/sex07.htm. Reading the deffiniton I would say that ksgirl1957 was correct in her posting.
21-3503. Indecent Liberties With A Child.
1. Indecent liberties with a child is engaging in any of the following
acts with a child who is not married to the offender and is under 16
years of age:
-- Sexual intercourse; or
-- any lewd fondling or touching of the person of either the child or
the offender, done or submitted to with the intent to arouse or satisfy
the sexual desires of either the child or the offender, or both; or
-- soliciting the child to engage in any lewd fondling or touching of
the person of another with the intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual
desires of the child, the offender or another.
2. Indecent liberties with a child is a class C felony.
Lets suppose Mr. Lowry had committed suicide (he didn't) or was running from the authorities and died in a blaze of Hollywood style shoot em up glory. What kind of person would make disparaging remarks that could be hurtful to his survivors? Not since I shot JFK from the grassy knoll in Dallas in 63 have I heard this kind of slanderous speculation about someone's death. What motive would anyone have for covering up the details of Mr. Lowry's death, it's cause or the circumstances? He has children. Let's be nice. DB
Bourbon County it is the right name for the county because when people do not care about the children they have to have drank way TOO MUCH BOURBON. I say the court system needs to take a class on abuse and child molestation
Doesn't anyone realize that sodomy also includes anal sex? What the hell happens in Bourbon County? Is this type of behavior the norm? You should ashamed of yourselves.
What Mr. Gibson did was obviously wrong and he accepted this....HOWEVER...why are these 2 girls not being charged with minors in possession. Unfortunately, they were apparently very willing participants but as usual the adult is the one that gets all the blame and punishment.
May Mr. Gibson attempt to move forward with his life and learn from this huge mistake in his life and begin the healing process with his family.
The court system in Ft Scott is a mess the police arrest the criminals and the judges just spit in there faces. I have heard about a drug dealer who got custody of his baby and he had been having sex with the mother since she was 15yrs now where is the justice when the farm says no but the judge says yes and they take the baby from a loving grandmother and give the child to the drug dealer. It is time the court gets investigated cause something is truly wrong with this picture along with the one I just read about this Xan guy. I break a law and all you have to say is sorry and you get another chance??? Boy oh Boy do the people in Ft Scott care about there children??? If so they better get something done.
I come from a family who has had two victims of molestation and oh let me get the phrase right indecent liberties with a child. All I'm hearing on these posts is poor poor Aaron and Xan. Give them a chance to make things right. What about the the trauma and lifelong problems that the victims have to endure. Unless you have personally experienced this, you do not know what I'm talking about. I'm so sick to my stomach over the the justice system slapping all these people on the hands and walking away. I say don't even waste the taxpayers dollars of putting them thru the court system. Turn them all loose and let the parents of these victims take care of them. Then justice would be served. I wasn't there when this happened, but what grown man furnishes alcohol to a teenage girl and doesn't have alterior motives. This is sick and demented. Believe me when I say justice will be served when you meet your maker!!!! God be with you all!!!!!! Girls I pray that you are able to get past this and have a wonderful life.
Xan was a friend of Terri Johnson's. He pled guilty to 2 counts of indecent liberties. But, he had been charged with intercourse. He was prominent in Terri Johnson's church. TALK ABOUT INJUSTICE! Paul Johnson pled guilty to one count of indecent liberties and one count of sodomy (oral sex) He had never been charged with intercourse, and his accuser insisted it had never occured. He got 24 years and Xan got probation? I CAN ONLY CONCLUDE THAT TERRI JOHNSON CAN DO WHATEVER SHE DECIDES TO DO.
I am glad Xan did not get a longer sentence. But, I am not glad that Paul got a sentence of death, because that is what it is, death. He is ill, very ill, and dying. Prison tortures even the strongest. Terri Johnson is sadistic! Paul's accuser is sadistic. She is as happy as a lark, she was not injured in any way, and she was able to torture and kill the step father who wouldn't let her have a cell phone.
YOU HAVE NO JUSTICE IN FT SCOTT, YOU HAVE ONLY TERRI.
I will support the opinion of ksgirl1957. Mr. Gibson's punishment I believe was justifiable. First off, to contradict the information 'whattheheck' stated in his bias, one-sided opinion Mr. Gibson did not commit any crime that involved sexual intercourse of any kind! If you feel you must vocalize and defame the character of an individual who has expressed the truth and exposed himself to criticism and pessimism, at the very least allow our community and Mr. Gibson the courtesy of reviewing the case in its entirety and support your beliefs with facts and not inaccuracies. The information expressed in your post was false. He pled guilty on 2 counts of indecent liberties of a child -- that does not signify sex. Must you review the definition of the two terms? I believe so. The information presented and released in the court documents; viewable by the public I might add, never referenced sexual intercourse. Grant him and his family the liberty of moving on from this situation and allow him the opportunity to prove that Honorable Judge Ward made the appropriate decision. We place our trust in our country's judicial system to make their suitable; and in this situation, justifiable determinations. They have obviously reviewed and studied the information presented in this case much more than you have, and I might add are professionals that we appoint to make the necessary decisions on the differences in right and wrong and their correlated punishments suitably. Mr. Gibson has an extremely long road ahead of him. Prove me wrong if you must, but I believe the situation will only make him a stronger individual. Struggling with an addiction and the unfortunate circumstance in its entirety, he has no easy task in making the necessary changes that must be performed on his road to recovery. Our community should endorse the Court's ruling allowing him the opportunity to demonstrate his remorsefulness, and bestow to him his due right to restart his life and develop into a better person.
you know what is sad...aaron made a small mistake with all of this and he is on 3 years probation. He plead guilty under the pressure of his lawyer, the stupid court system, and the cops. Xan actually sleeps with these girls and he gets just 12 more months than aaron because he gets up in front and says that he promises he won't do it again. WHAT THE HECK!!! Oh and not to mention the fact that Aaron was told to take the deal because they would essetially rip him up in court and throw him right in jail! SOMETHING is conspiring here!!! I am not in anyway trying to radify what Aaron did. He made some mistakes and he will forever live them out...but Xan should be punished much more than he has been. A simple slap on the wrist is RIDICULOUS!!!
I think the right thing was done. I do believe he is sorry for what happened but again I think the girls needed to take blame too. We are all human and temptation is sometimes the evil we can't pass up. I hope you can stay on the straight and narrow from now on because not only did you hurt yourself but your family and friends also.