HARVEY COUNTY—A Kansas woman is going to prison for child sex crimes.
On Tuesday, Judge Wilder of the 9th Judicial District sentenced 24-year-old Veronica Darby of Newton, Kansas, to 232 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections, according to a statement from the Harvey County Attorney's Office.
The sentencing follows Darby’s guilty plea entered on July 18, 2025, to two counts of Aggravated Criminal Sodomy and Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child. The victim was under the age of 8 at the time of the offenses.
During sentencing Harvey County Attorney Heather Figger urged the Court to impose the maximum sentence of life in prison with no possibility of parole for 75 years, citing the heinous nature of Darby’s crimes. County Attorney Figger emphasized to the Court that Darby committed multiple sex crimes against a child, actively participated in documenting those offenses, and those images were shared with others.
She further noted that when the crimes were discovered, Darby fled the state in an attempt to avoid accountability.
Defendant requested the Court grant a departure to the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines from the presumed sentence of life in prison with no possibility of patrol for 25 years on each count. Defendant further requested the Court grant a durational departure to 77 months in prison with all counts running concurrently.
Judge Wilder granted Darby’s request for a departure to the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines from the presumed sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years. The Court imposed a sentence on Count 1 to 155 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections. On Counts 2 and 3, the Court granted a further departure to 77 months on count 2 and 59 months on count 3, running the counts concurrent for a total sentence of 232 months.
Previously, Chief Judge Llamas sentenced co-defendant, Christopher M. McAhren, to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 100 years on July 25, 2025, finding him to be a danger to the community and finding his action were unconscionable.