Basehor man pleads guilty to sex crimes involving children

A Basehor man pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of electronic solicitation and one count of lewd and lascivious behavior in a case involving child victims.

William Lawrence Battle, 50, committed the crimes from 2013 to 2016, Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said.

Thompson said his office received input on the plea agreement from the families of the victims involved.

“We always listen to the family in matters like this,” Thompson said. “We understand how tough this entire situation can be particularly for children.”

Battle was set to go to trial June 17. The agreement means the child victims won’t have to testify.

The parties will request a 20 year prison term. Sentencing is scheduled for June 28.

Katie Moore

The Kansas City Star

816-234-4312

Katie Moore was an enterprise and accountability reporter for The Star. She covered justice issues, including policing, prison conditions and the death penalty. She is a University of Kansas graduate and began her career as a reporter in 2015 in her hometown of Topeka, Kansas.