Hutch man gets 21 years in sexual abuse case

A Hutchinson man has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for sexually abusing a pair of 13-year-old girls.

The Hutchinson News reports that a Reno County judge on Friday also sentenced 25-year-old Michael Stahl to lifetime post-release supervision. Stahl was convicted of multiple charges, including four counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

The judge followed a plea agreement in the case in granting a departure from Jessica’s law on the indecent liberty convictions, which mandated a life sentence. Court documents say Stahl was diagnosed with mild mental disabilities, but an examination ruled he was mentally competent to stand trial.

Stahl first made contact with his victims online. He was arrested in October 2013 in a sting set up by police posing as another teen.