A Kentucky man accused of traveling to Lauderdale County to have sex with a teenager pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.
Justin Stephens, 43, is charged with traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, second-degree rape and enticement of a child for unlawful purpose.
Prosecutors believe Stephens drove from Lowmansville, Ky., to meet a 15-year-old girl at Central High School. He pretended to be her father so he could check her out of school. According to court documents, he is accused of taking her to an abandoned house where he raped her.
After seeing text messages about the incident on their daughter’s phone, her parents contacted police. Stephens was arrested in October 2024.
He was indicted in January and then entered a not guilty plea this week. His trial is scheduled for August.
The mother of the child has also filed a civil lawsuit against Stephens and the school administrators.
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