Defense attorney: Goddard man likely to plead guilty to federal sex charge

The trial of a Kansas Air National Guardsman from Goddard on a federal sex charge in Texas has been pushed back to Nov. 17, according to court documents.

The continuance is the third in the case involving Paul Grimm, who faces a charge of taking a girl younger than 18 across state lines for the purpose of having sex.

But in a document filed with the federal court in Galveston, Texas, earlier this month, David Adler, Grimm’s attorney, indicated there won’t be a trial.

“Grimm is likely to enter a guilty plea ... and a trial would then be unnecessary,” Adler wrote in his motion requesting the continuance.

The motion also said that Grimm needed “no more than 30 (days) to resolve some issues unrelated to this case.” The court granted the request Oct. 6.

Grimm, 43, a senior master sergeant, had worked full time at McConnell Air Force Base as facilities manager for the Guard’s 184th Intelligence Wing. But he was fired from that job in mid-May because his incarceration prevented him from doing his job, a Guard spokeswoman said in August.

If Grimm is convicted of the federal charge, he also will be kicked out of the military, the spokeswoman said. He has been a member of the Guard since 2003.

Grimm was arrested on March 29 after he and the girl, who is from Ohio, got off a cruise ship in Galveston. U.S. Customs officials found naked pictures of the girl on Grimm’s cellphone, and the girl told FBI agents she had had sex with him, according to the criminal complaint.

Grimm arranged for the girl to come from her home in Ohio and meet him in Texas. He previously lived in Ohio.

This story was originally published October 14, 2014 at 6:18 AM with the headline "Defense attorney: Goddard man likely to plead guilty to federal sex charge."