The suspect in a January stabbing in Ark City pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of aggravated battery. Sentencing is set for July 8.
Wearing an orange Cowley County Jail jumpsuit, 55-year-old Sean M. Boydston appeared in person before Judge Chris Smith in Cowley County Dist. Court in Ark City. Prior to reaching a plea agreement with the state, Boydston was facing multiple charges including attempted first-degree murder.
In agreeing to a lesser felony charge, neither Boydston, or his attorney Ian Clark, will contest prosecutors’ sentencing recommendation. Boydston is a previously convicted felon and registered sex offender.
Boydston waived his right to a preliminary hearing in the case.
Court officials said Boydston will serve time in prison. Aggravated battery in Kansas carries a sentence of up to 11 years in the custody of the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. The exact length of sentence depends on Boydston’s criminal history score, which will be determined by the courts.
Prosecutors are requesting he receive a sentence on the high end of the scale for someone with his criminal history, Judge Smith said.
On Jan. 25 of this year, a 40-year-old woman was hospitalized following an incident in the 1200 block of W. Oklahoma in Ark City. Boydston was arrested not long after police began investigating. He has remained in jail ever since.
The victim sustained multiple stab wounds, including injuries to her neck. She was hospitalized briefly and expected to make a full recovery.
In 2001, Boydston was convicted of sex crimes involving a victim under 14 in Reno County.
He is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He was currently living at 1201 W. Oklahoma, according to publicly available registration records.