Jury Finds Former Lawrence Youth Group Director Guilty of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child

10/06/2008
PRESS RELEASE RELEASE DATE: 10/06/08 CONTACT INFO: Charles Branson Douglas County District Attorney 785-841-0211 cbranson@douglas-county.com Jury Finds Former Lawrence Youth Group Director Guilty of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announced today that former Lawrence resident Christopher L. Cormack, 38, now of Billings, Montana was found guilty of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The trial in the courtroom of the Honorable Robert W. Fairchild began Wednesday morning and it continued through Friday. The case went to the jury around 12:30 p.m. The jury deliberated until 4:30 p.m. Friday, returned at 9:00 a.m. today and returned its verdict around 9:13 a.m. The victim now 24 years old came to investigators and reported the abuse after she learned Cormack was to be ordained to serve as a chaplain at Kansas State University. The victim was afraid this new position would give him access to minors and this would lead to him having inappropriate relationships with them, just as he had done to her. The victim met Cormack when she was about 13 years old and was attending a Lawrence Church where he was the youth group director. Their relationship began at the age of 14 with kissing, but become sexual by the time the victim was 15 years old. The abuse continued for another three years. While Cormack's defense attorney did not deny his client had a sexual relationship with the victim, he claimed it was after she was 16, the legal age of consent. The jury weighed this claim against the facts presented by the State and they were not inclined to believe his version. Cormack who faces 55-233 months in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections will be sentenced on November 25th at 10:30 a.m. in the Division One Courtroom. The length of sentence will depend on Cormack's criminal history. The conviction is a presumptive imprisonment offense. -30-

Related Links:
http://www.douglas-county.com/depts/da/da_home.aspx -

Media Contact:
Cheryl Wright
District Attorney's Office
841-0211
cwright@douglas-county.com