Former Garden Plain coach bound over for trial

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May 17, 2012|By Brian Heap | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

Brian Heap/Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — A former Garden Plain football coach accused of trying to hire a teenage prostitute will stand trial on child sex charges.

Todd Puetz was bound over for trial on charges of electronic solicitation, attempted aggravated indecent liberties and attempted criminal sodomy.

The trial is scheduled for August 6th.

The former coach and P.E. teacher was arrested in Wichita last October, following an undercover sting designed to catch child sex predators.

At a preliminary hearing Thursday, prosecutors played audio recordings of eight phone calls made over a two hour period. The calls were between Puetz and Wichita Police Detective Jennifer Wright, who was posing as a teen prostitute named "Marissa."

Prosecutors said Puetz and six other men responded to a phony ad on a classified website where teen girls had been known to prostitute themselves.

"That's pretty young," Puetz said after learning the girl he's speaking with is 15. Seconds later, she tells him about specific sex acts she'll perform at a rate of $120 an hour.

During the conversations, three of which were initiated by the officer, Puetz repeatedly expresses concern about her age and whether she's working with police.

At one point, he sees a patrol car parked near her address and tells her "I'll pass."

The officer then called his number back and tried to get him to meet her. She offered a two for one deal with her 15 year-old friend.

Decoy: "I'll give you a special. How about a hundred? Not a hundred each but a hundred for both because of all that stuff.

Puetz: "That sounds too good to be true, you must be cops."

Eventually Puetz arrived at a home on West Kellogg police used for the operation. After some coaxing from the decoy, Puetz came to the door and was arrested.

Puetz's defense attorney Dan Monnat asked the judge to dismiss the charges, claiming his client went there was no evidence his client pursued sex. Monnat said Puetz went to help out the runaway girl by giving her money. He said Puetz had no condoms or sex paraphernalia with him.

Based on Monnat's statements, he appeared to be setting up a defense of entrapment because of the way the undercover officer pursued his client.

Former Garden Plain coach bound over for trial

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