Blood. plea deal for escape from sex offender treatment program

PAWNEE COUNTY – Gary Leslie Furthmyer, 73, was taken into custody for a change of plea hearing Monday morning in Pawnee County District Court, according to Pawnee County Prosecutor Doug McNett.

A Jury Trial in the matter was scheduled to begin Tuesday on a two-crime complaint. The defendant was charged with violating the Kansas Criminal Registration Act and Aggravated Escape from Custody.

In exchange for defendant’s plea to the Escape charge, the State agreed to dismiss the Criminal Registration charge.

The charges stem from Furthmyer walking away from the Sexual Predator Treatment Program (SPTP) located on the Larned State Hospital (LSH) campus on the night of June 23, 2024.

Pawnee County Prosecutor Douglas McNett, in support of the defense, told the Court that Furthmyer was in the transition phase of the program where additional privileges were granted to residents at the time of the escape.

After returning from a supervised tour of a casino in Dodge City, Furthmeyer threw away his cellphone and walked away while the group unpacked in the resort’s parking lot.

The Kansas Highway Patrol found him two and a 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 areas.

The Criminal Registration fee is due to the defendant’s failure to register his or her cell phone with the sheriff’s department. Once residents enter the transition phase of SPTP, they are required to maintain employment and have a mobile phone for location control purposes.

According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Furthmyer has previous convictions for improper liberties with a child, failure to appear in court and aggravated escape from custody.

Under the Kansas Sentencing Rules, Furthmeyer faces a possible sentence of 7 to 23 months in Department of Corrections custody, depending on his criminal history. The sentence is scheduled to be handed down on December 16.