PAWNEE COUNTY– Gary Leslie Furthmyer, 73, appeared in custody Monday morning in the Pawnee County District Court for a change of plea hearing, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.
A Jury Trial on the matter had been scheduled to begin on Tuesday on a two count felony complaint. The defendant was charged with Violation of the Kansas Offender Registration Act and Aggravated Escape from Custody.
In exchange for the defendant’s plea to the Escape charge, the State agreed to dismiss the Offender Registration charge.
The charges stem from Furthmyer walking away from the Sexual Predator Treatment Program (SPTP) located on the campus of Larned State Hospital (LSH) the night of June 23, 2024.
In support of the plea, Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett advised the Court that at the time of the escape Furthmyer was in the transition phase of program wherein the residents are allowed additional privileges.
Upon returning from a supervised trip at the casino in Dodge City, Furthmeyer threw his cellular telephone into the trash and walked away as the group unloaded in the facility parking lot.
The Kansas Highway Patrol located him two and half hours later hiding in a grove of trees northwest of the Larned State Hospital campus. They were assisted in the search by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department, Edwards County Sheriff’s Department, and multiple K-9 units from surrounding jurisdictions.
The Offender Registration charge stems from the defendant failing to register his cellular telephone with the sheriff’s department. Once residents enter the transition phase of SPTP they are required to maintain employment and have a cellular telephone for location check purposes.
Furthmyer has previous convictions for indecent liberties with a child, aggravated failure to appear and aggravated escape from custody, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines, the Furthmeyer faces a presumptive prison sentence between 7 months and 23 months in the custody of the Department of Corrections depending on his criminal history. Sentencing is scheduled for December 16.