The girls didn't know it, but someone was following their dialogue. K.D. Someone now accused of taking advantage of the teen-age girl when she was most vulnerable. K.D. vanished from her parents' farm in rural Northwest Arkansas just a few weeks after she met a man in a chat room. Police say K.D. went willingly, that she was enamored of this man she had met on the computer. Gelhardt is charged in Benton County with interference of the custody of a minor, a felony, which carries a sentence of three to 10 years.
Prosecutors say a plea agreement is being discussed.
Otherwise the case will proceed to trial. Kristin Powlick, Gelhardt's defense attorney, says one of the primary issuses in the case will be the point at which Gelhardt learned how old K.D. was. Identities aren't always clear. The charge against him could be stiffer if only K.D. would agree to talk about her weekend encounter, detectives say. Should she ever admit that sex occurred, the case could change dramatically, Carter says.