A local printer says Mike Capra, a frequent critic of Lawrence City Commission candidate David Schauner, attempted to print a political mailer containing the same language as one voters received Thursday that spuriously attempted to link the incumbent to domestic abuse.

Dee Bisel, owner of Lawrence-based Minuteman Press, said Capra came into her store on March 18 and asked her to immediately print 5,000 copies of index-sized cards.

Rally supports clean campaign Group rallies to end negative campaigning (4-3-05) Mysterious postcards target Schauner Mysterious postcards target Schauner (4-1-05) Commission candidate targeted through postcards (3-31-05)

When Bisel asked to see the content, she said, Capra showed her the same excerpt of a Google search that appeared on the cards primarily received by registered women voters on Thursday.

The excerpt on that card was edited in a way that suggested Schauner was involved in a domestic abuse incident with his first wife. In actuality, the Google search produced nothing more than a summary of a case that Schauner was involved with as an attorney.

Bisel said she refused to print the card after seeing its content.

“I asked him if he (Schauner) beat his wife, and he (Capra) said ‘I don’t know,'” Bisel said. “I told him I wasn’t going to print this.”

When reached by phone, Capra said he never paid for the cards or had them printed and then later denied ever going to Minuteman Press.

Bisel identified a photo of Capra as the man who entered her business and showed her the Google excerpt.

A second Lawrence printer, Terry Jacobsen of Printing Solutions, also confirmed that Capra entered his business in mid-March and sought to have approximately 5,000 index-sized postcards printed. He also identified a photo of Capra.

Jacobsen said he did not ask to see the content of the card. Jacobsen, citing company policy, declined to comment whether his company printed the mailer. He did confirm, though, that his company had nothing to do with mailing the card, which is under investigation by the U.S. Postal Service.

Jacobsen said Capra told him he was intending to mail the postcards himself.

Capra did not return phone calls seeking comments about Jacobsen’s story.

Neither printer has any connection to the Schauner campaign. Schauner has called any suggestion that he was involved in domestic abuse a “bald-faced” lie and a political cheap shot.

Capra has admitted being involved in sending a mailer that voters received on Friday criticizing Schauner and his position on helping Lawrence youth.