Prosecutors and defense lawyers will meet next week in the first of a series of status hearings leading up to a preliminary hearing for a Garnett man accused of 18 counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Thirty-four year-old Evan Ladewig was arrested and charged in late May after local law enforcement received a tip from Wichita police after that agency was contacted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They identified Ladewig’s telephone number as the origination point for an upload of child pornography photos.
He had a first appearance in Anderson County District Court May 30th. Status conferences are pointed toward a preliminary hearing in which the court hears evidence from both sides in order to determine if enough evidence exists to pursue an arraignment and possible subsequent trial. Each count carries a potential penalty of life imprisonment and a mandatory sentence of not less than 25 years in prison.
