LARNED, Kan. – Carl A. Bortz, 39 of Larned, Kansas, appeared in the Pawnee County District Court, Tuesday afternoon for an evidentiary Preliminary Hearing related to a charge of rape of a victim overcome by force or fear.
Following the presentation of evidence, Magistrate Judge Kenton Gleason found the State presented sufficient evidence to support the charge and bound the defendant over to the higher court. The charge stems from a single incident alleged to have occurred at a motel in Larned, Kansas, during the earlier hours of August 16, 2026. Bortz was arrested without incident on August 18, 2026.
The Larned Police Department is handling the investigation with the assistance of the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department, the Great Bend Police Department and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation crime lab.
If convicted of the current felony charge, under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines for Non-Drug Offenses the defendant faces a presumptive sentence between 147 months and 653 months in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections depending on his criminal history. He would also be subject to the Kansas Offender Registration Act.
Following the Preliminary Hearing, Judge Gleason modified the bond to be $25,000 cash only and further directed that if the defendant posts the cash bond he will also be subject to supervision and electronic monitoring.
Arraignment has been scheduled for November 19, 2026. Bortz is currently being held in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff in lieu of bond.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Douglas W. McNett
Pawnee County Attorney
Pawnee County Courthouse
715 Broadway
Larned KS 67550
