Jacob Artist Fontes, 44, of Olathe was sentenced to roughly 23 and a half years in prison after a jury convicted him of raping and sexually abusing his teenage stepdaughter.
Judge Michael P. Joyce imposed the 283-month sentence Oct. 16 in Johnson County District Court, according to the Johnson County Post. The sentences will run consecutively: 165 months for rape, 59 months for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and 59 months for aggravated criminal sodomy.
Fontes also received concurrent sentences on several additional charges, including criminal sodomy with a child and indecent liberties with a child, the Post reported.
The Olathe Police Department arrested Fontes in January 2025 after the 15-year-old victim, his stepdaughter, sent text messages to a friend about being inappropriately touched. The friend sent those messages to a counselor, who contacted police. The victim was then examined at Children's Mercy Hospital and interviewed by Sunflower House, a children's advocacy center serving Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
The Post's review of court records showed the abuse began when the victim was in seventh grade and escalated over time. Fontes told the victim not to tell anyone because he would "go to jail or be killed for things like this," according to the Post's account of court records.
A jury found Fontes guilty in June. His attorneys filed a motion for a new trial, which Joyce denied. After the Oct. 16 sentencing, Fontes's attorneys filed an appeal. The Post reported the law firm representing Fontes did not respond to a request for comment.
Fontes will be on lifetime post-release supervision and must register as a sex offender upon his release.
To report suspected child abuse in Kansas, call the Kansas Protection Report Center at 1-800-922-5330 or contact local law enforcement. Call 911 in an emergency. For questions about services or the reporting process, contact Sunflower House at 913-631-5800.
