Ex-Hutchinson police officer sentenced for sexually assaulting women, girls for years

Amy Renee Leiker
·2 min read
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A former Hutchinson police officer guilty of preying on women and girls for a decade will serve 23 1/2 years in prison, a Reno County judge ruled Monday.

Todd W. Allen, 52, worked for the Hutchinson Police Department for more than 24 years, serving in positions that included school resource officer and patrolman, before his January 2019 resignation. Last month, he admitted committing a dozen felonies and five misdemeanors linked to sexual assault, prowler and peeping tom reports involving at least 15 victims ranging in age from 15 to 28. He was arrested in August 2022.

Police and prosecutors have said in some of the cases, Allen posed as an on-duty security guard at local parks, ordered victims out of their vehicles under the guise of questioning them about drugs and sexually assaulted them while their boyfriends or friends were in the car. Allen often wore a mask and shined a flashlight inside of or tapped on a victim’s car window to get their attention, authorities have said. He would flee after they yelled for help.

Police also linked Allen to a series of prowler and window peeping complaints in northwest Hutchinson, near his home.

He was caught after a security camera recorded him peering over a fence on June 19, 2022, court records say.

The 17 crimes Allen pleaded guilty to on April 10 include:

  • An aggravated sexual battery on Oct. 9, 2012

  • Rapes on July 5, 2013, and Oct. 8, 2015

  • Attempted rapes on Aug. 16, 2013, and Feb. 18, 2014

  • Attempted aggravated sexual batteries on Oct. 3, 2013, and Oct. 19, 2014

  • Aggravated indecent liberties with a child on Nov. 17, 2016

  • Kidnappings and aggravated sexual batteries on Nov. 2, 2018, and in July 2018

  • Misdemeanor breaches of privacy that occurred in May of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 and on June 19, 2022

Reno County District Attorney Thomas Stanton told The Eagle last month that he was seeking the 23 1/2-year prison term.

Allen’s lawyer, Chrystal Krier, asked for five years of probation instead, arguing in a written motion that the harm caused was “less than typical” because “the victims did not require medical attention for any injury” and that Allen had done well on bond waiting for the case to resolve.