Update: 29 possible trafficking victims found in Finney County
18 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – An accomplice to a sexual offender escape has reached a plea deal.
Rachel Rena Perez, 52, of Larned, appeared Thursday before a judge. Perez was one of three women charged with helping John Freeman Colt escape from the Larned State Hospital. Colt was later captured in Utah and is back in custody.
At the hearing, a formal agreement was reached between the state and the defendant. In pursuant to the agreement, Perez pleaded no contest to three felonies. In exchange, the state agreed to dismiss the remaining charges. The parties recommended that Perez be sentenced to a prison term consistent with a previously sentenced codefendant. A judge has scheduled sentencing for Dec. 14, 2023.
Two other former Larned State Hospital employees, Liliana Guadalupe Houser, 47, and Sydni Hartman, 31, were also charged as a result of the Colt escape investigation. On January 6, 2022, Houser pleaded no contest to three felonies. She was later sentenced to serve 16 months and is on postrelease supervision. Hartman entered into a felony diversion agreement as a result of her role in the matter and is currently being supervised by community corrections.