A four-day jury trial in Johnson County Court concluded with an Olathe man being found guilty of having indecent liberties with a child.
On Thursday in Johnson County District Court, Anderzon Alexander Valdez-Zelaya, 19, was found guilty by a jury of his peers for aggravated indecent liberties with a child, where an offender is older than 18 fondles a child younger than 14, an off-grid felony.
The verdict came less than 24 hours after closing arguments and deliberation by the jury.
Off-grid felonies are crimes whose seriousness requires harsh mandatory sentences that can range from 25 years to life in prison, depending on the severity of the offense.
Valdez-Zelaya had previously entered a not guilty plea to the charge on Jan. 21.
Judge Thomas McCarthy presided over the case.
Calls for a comment to Valdez-Zelaya’s attorney from the Johnson County Post were not returned.
The crime happened in 2025
On Aug. 18, 2025, Valdez-Zelaya was arrested by the Olathe Police Department and charged with unlawfully engaging in lewd fondling or touching with a child under the age of 14.
On that day, the victim’s mother exited her apartment in Olathe while her daughter was on one bed and Valdez-Zelaya was on another.
Several minutes later, she returned to find them both on the same bed, with the victim covering herself up with a blanket. When the blanket was removed, some of the victim’s clothes were missing and she cried that Valdez-Zelaya, referred to by the victim as “Nacho,” touched her inappropriately, according to court documents.
The victim continued crying the entire night, court documents added.
Court documents did not state what relationship Valdez-Zelaya had with the victim.
The victim did not have to testify
On Aug. 19, 2025, the victim underwent an exam through Children’s Mercy Hospital’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program, which provides expert forensic and medical care to sexually abused children.
The following day, the victim was forensically interviewed by an intake coordinator at Sunflower House, a children’s advocacy center in Shawnee with expertise in child abuse intervention and prevention services.
The court allowed statements the victim made during her exam at Sunflower House and to her mother as exhibits to be admissible during this trial in lieu of requiring in-person testimony during the trial.
What’s next
Valdez-Zelaya is scheduled for sentencing at 1:30 p.m. on July 2 by Judge McCarthy.
He remains in custody on a $250,000 bond.
