By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
The substitute teacher charged with allegedly arranging to meet a minor for sex entered into a not-guilty plea during her Oct. 8 arraignment in Barren County District Court.
Krystal Sims, 30, of Cave City was arrested on Oct. 2 by a Barren County sheriff’s deputy after an interview wherein she said she had agreed to meet the male juvenile “so that he could apologize for the way he acted in class,” her uniform citation stated. She did not meet the juvenile and nothing physical happened between them, according to Sims.
Appearing via Zoom before Judge Gabe Pendleton, Sims pleaded not guilty and had a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. Before moving on to the next case, Sims’ attorney, Travis Lock, requested that Pendleton consider modifying her bond — which is currently set at $25,000 cash. Lock recommended such things as an ankle monitor, no contact with minors and making her bond partially secured, which often means a person only has to make a partial payment rather than the full bond amount.
“I believe there’s going to be quite a bit of additional information that’s going to come out, as is true with all cases,” Lock said. “I would ask the court to consider modifying her bond…Sims has no criminal record whatsoever; it’s my understanding that she’s never been arrested or accused of any crime previously. I think she may have a speeding ticket and a failure to have insurance at one point but other than that she has no criminal history.”
The prosecution said they were not opposed to a bond modification, noting, however, the severity of the alleged crime. She is charged with unlawfully using electronic communication to solicit, procure, or promote a child for sexual activity or other prohibited acts.
“I would ask the court to take into account the seriousness of these allegations and, if the court is so inclined to do some form of GPS monitoring or partially securing her bond, ask that a condition be placed that Sims has no contact with minors excluding her biological daughter,” the prosecutor said. “I think that is more than fair, and absolutely no contact with the victim.”
Pendleton said he would take her bond under advisement.
