A registered sex offender has been slated to stand trial in January for a sexually related child abuse and neglect charge.

Patrick Lee Leno, 26, maintained his not guilty plea to the Class Cfelony Monday afternoon at the Burleigh County Courthouse.

South Central District Judge Gail Hagerty said Leno will be scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 24.

Leno is a registered sex offender because of an indecent exposure conviction out of Cass County from 2002, in which he exposed himself to a 4-year-old girl at a McDonald's restaurant where he was working. According to the North Dakota attorney general's sex offender Web site, Leno is a moderate-risk offender who has to register with law enforcement until 2027.

Leno was charged June 28 with abuse or neglect of a child for allegedly exposing a 3-year-old's "sexual or intimate parts" and a 6-year-old's "sexual or intimate parts" to each other in June, according to court documents.

The mother of one of the children reported that incident to police.

Leno posted a $5,000 cash bond in that case, and a bond order, signed by South Central District Judge David Reich, prohibited Leno from having contact with any children or being within 100 yards of his home at 2500 Centennial Drive.

At the request of Leno's attorney, Robert Bolinske Jr., South Central District Judge Donald Jorgensen rescinded the order prohibiting Leno from having contact with children or being at his home. Burleigh County assistant state's attorney Julie Lawyer objected to Bolinske's motion, citing information from Leno's previous indecent exposure conviction.

On Aug. 21, Leno was charged with gross sexual imposition for allegedly having sexual contact with a 3-year-old girl on Aug. 20. South Central District Judge Tom Schneider ordered Leno held without bond in that case and in the child abuse case, and Leno is not allowed contact with children.

Leno had been scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing in the gross sexual imposition case on Monday, but his attorney in that matter, Todd Schwarz, was sick and unable to attend, and the hearing was postponed

That hearing will be rescheduled.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)