By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Two suspects in the case of the Jan. 12, 2025, death of a 17-year-old Plainville teen signed plea agreements in Rooks County District Court on Wednesday.
Walter V. Lowry II, 40, pleaded no contest to aggravated endangerment of a child, a felony. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
According to court documents, Lowry allegedly left the teen, who was allegedly intoxicated, on a county road in the middle of the night. The documents said the temperatures were between 32 and 24 degrees, and the teen was wearing minimal clothing.
The child died as a result of hypothermia, according to court records.
Judge Curtis Brown said Wednesday he believed Lowry will have a criminal history of A, the highest on the sentencing grid.
Lowry's plea deal includes the maximum sentence for aggravated endangerment of a child, 46 months in prison with credit for time served.
Bailey Jo Lepper, 24, was originally also charged with aggravated endangerment of a child. Rooks County Attorney Danielle Muir filed an amended complaint of interference with law enforcement, a non-person felony, in exchange for Lepper's guilty plea.
According to the amended complaint, Muir said Lepper allegedly made false statements to law enforcement on Jan. 12 regarding this case.
Lepper could face between five months of probation and 17 months in prison, depending on her criminal history score.
Lepper is also facing drug charges in Ellis County. She has signed a plea agreement to plead guilty or no contest to one count of possession of methamphetamine in exchange for charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and possession of psilocybin being dismissed.
The plea agreement in the Ellis County case would result in Lepper serving probation.
Lepper was released on bond in the Rooks County case. As a condition of her release in both cases, Lepper was ordered to be a resident of an Oxford House for substance abuse recovery and attend outpatient substance abuse counseling.
Sentencing dates have not been set for either Lowry or Lepper in the Rooks County case.
A third defendant, Serena Marie Barnhill, 41, Natoma, has also been charged with one count of felony aggravated endangerment of a child in the Plainville teen's death.
She was arrested on Nov. 25 and posted a $20,000 bond, according to court records. A preliminary hearing for Barnhill's case has been set for 1:30 p.m. May 15.