HUTCHINSON, Kan. — We now have a preliminary hearing date for a 55-year-old Hutchinson man jailed on a 52-thousand, 500-dollar bond after he was arrested for electronic solicitation.

Steven Peterman is also charged with aggravated violation of the offender registration act. If convicted he could face a sentencing range of between 55 and 247 months in prison on each count.

His attorney during a waiver-status hearing Wednesday had requested two more weeks to work on how they wished to proceed. The state wanted a preliminary hearing set in the case and Judge Trish Rose agreed to the states request. She set the hearing for July 2, in front of Judge Joe McCarville.

The arrest goes back to around 3:30 p-m, on February 12, when Peterman was allegedly waiting to pick up an underage girl in the parking lot of the Hutchinson Mall.

The state alleges that Peterman was engaged in conversations via cell phone with detectives whom he believed to be an underage female. Peterman went to the mall to pick up the female with the intentions of assisting her in running away from home. Peterman was under surveillance the entire time he was in the parking lot, so no one was in danger.

Sheriff Officials discovered that he had a cell phone used for calls, text messages and internet access which he didn’t register with the sheriff’s office within 3-days of getting the phone which is required. He also allegedly created an internet site affiliation which he didn’t report. He apparently was using these devices to make contact with what he thought was the young female victim.

Peterman has served time in prison for two counts of attempted rape and electronic solicitation of a child from a case from 2001. But, he also has convictions for three counts of theft, perjury and issuing a worthless check. Those cases go back to 1979 and 1980.