SEDGWICK COUNTY — A registered Kansas sex offender accused of attempting to kidnap a 10-year-old boy made his first court appearance Wednesday.
Webb Ketcherside is formally charged with aggravated indecent solicitation of a child and attempted kidnapping, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.
Just before 5p.m. July 11, police responded to a disturbance call at the Quik Trip located in the 700 block of South Broadway in Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.
At the convenience store, officers contacted a 10-year-old boy who reported while walking on the sidewalk in the 800 block of South Wichita that a suspect later identified as Ketcherside approached him on foot, made sexually explicit comments and then grabbed his arm.
The boy was able to break free from Ketcherside and run to the Quik Trip to get help. The boy received only minor injuries, according to Wheeler.
Through the investigation, Ketcherside was determined to be involved in the incident. Officers located him at his home at an apartment complex in the 800 block of South Water Street, and he was arrested without incident.
He remains jailed on a $75,000 bond, according to online jail records.
Ketcherside has previously been arrested and convicted on charges of indecent solicitation of a child, criminal threat, and theft. He is also a registered sex offender through the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.