Christopher Garnier, a former director for the Barton School of Business, will not face charges for six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor due to lack of probable cause.
Six additional charges of breach of privacy may potentially be dismissed as well, according to The Wichita Eagle.
Garnier, the former director of executive education and center for management development for WSU’s business school, was charged with six counts each of breach of privacy and sexual exploitation of a child under the age of 18 for crimes that allegedly occurred on April 20, 21 and 24. The victim’s age has not been disclosed.
Police discovered that Garnier had purchased a clock with a hidden camera from Amazon, which he allegedly used to film a minor dressing and undressing to “make sure she was not getting herself into trouble.”
The Wichita Police Department discovered six of these videos on Garnier’s cellphone in which the minor was in various states of undress.
Charges were filed against Garnier on May 14, after his employment with WSU ended, according to Lainie Mazzullo-Hart, Wichita State’s director of communication.
The Kansas district judge presiding over the case recently ruled that there was a lack of probable cause for the six sexual exploitation of a child charges levied against Garnier.
The charges accused Garnier of using persuasion or coercion on someone under 18 to engage in “sexually explicit conduct with the intent to promote any performance.”
Upon further review, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said in an interview with The Wichita Eagle that Kansas case law doesn’t support the amended charges. As a result, the six charges for sexual exploitation have been dropped.
A motion to dismiss the other six charges for breach of privacy is currently being taken under advisement, which means these charges could also be dismissed. Until the preliminary examination, Garnier’s case will still proceed under the original six charges of breach of privacy.
