Chase Co. man’s child sex crimes trial delayed again

CHASE COUNTY, Kan. (WIBW) - The trial for a Chase Co. man accused of child sex crimes has been delayed - again.

KVOE reports that a jury trial for Walter Haskin, who is accused of child sex crimes in Chase Co., has now been delayed for a second time.

Haskin, who is accused of possession and distribution of child pornography, was originally set for trial by jury in October, which had been delayed to Dec. 12. The original delay was approved so that Haskin’s defense team could have additional time to review evidence.

After a motions hearing during the week of Nov. 21, the trial was again delayed - this time until Feb. 27. However, the trial will only proceed if plea negotiations are unsuccessful.

Currently, the docket also includes a Jan. 20 motions hearing and a Feb. 13 status conference.

Haskin has been accused of attempting to upload child sexual abuse materials that involved a 6-year-old to a Dropbox account in 2021. He has also been accused of being in possession of child sexual abuse materials on his phone.

The minimum sentence is 5 - 20 years in federal prison for attempted distribution and up to 20 years for possession of child sexual abuse materials. As Haskin is already a registered sex offender, he could face between 15 - 40 years if convicted on the distribution charge and 10 - 20 if convicted on the possession charge.

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