Three defendants in rape case enter into plea deals

Three of five defendants accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in January have entered into plea agreements and await sentencing.

Doug A. Harper, 18, Corey W. Davis, 18, and Evan D. Simpson, 18, all have entered pleas with the Bourbon County Attorney's Office to allegations they assaulted the teen on Jan. 27 in Fort Scott.

Sentences for the three have not been scheduled. Presentencing investigations are being conducted on the three defendants.

No details of the crime have been disclosed in court records.

Harper pleaded guilty to one count of indecent solicitation of a child, which was amended from the original charge of aggravated indecent liberties, a more severe count. He was originally charged with two counts of criminal sodomy, but those charges were dropped because of the plea agreement.

The solicitation felony charge carries a minimum of 1 year and 4 months and a maximum of 3 years and 8 months.

Harper agreed to obtain a psycho-sexual evaluation and to comply with any recommendations that may arise from the examination. He also will testify in any hearings concerning co-defendants charged in connection with the incident, if any of the cases go to trial. Harper must also comply with requirements of sex offender registration statutes, according to court documents.

Davis entered into an Alford plea to indecent solicitation, a lesser charge than criminal sodomy, the charge with which the county attorney originally charged him. Davis was also charged with sexual exploitation of a child. That charge was dropped in accordance with the plea agreement.

Davis must register as a sex offender, must have no contact with the victim, must write a letter of apology to her, must complete a psychological sexual evaluation, must provide a statement to law enforcement, and must testify truthfully.

According to Davis' plea agreement, the county attorney will not oppose probation if his presentence investigation determines presumptive probation, however right now it's undetermined what sentence will be handed down.

Simpson, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to unlawful voluntary sexual relations with the girl. He was charged indecent liberties.

Another co-defendant, Jared Cosens, was also 17 at the time but has since turned 18. Cosens was charged with aggravated criminal sodomy. He has a plea hearing set for Sept. 6.

Denzell Davis, 15, was charged with attempted aggravated criminal sodomy and indecent solicitation of child. Davis has a plea hearing set for Aug. 16.