Man pleads no contest in December apartment burglary

A third co-defendant has entered a plea in connection with a Dec. 3 burglary at a Louisiana Street apartment.

Kyle Peterson, 21, entered a no-contest plea to one count of attempted aggravated burglary Monday as prosecutors dismissed a count of conspiracy to commit robbery.

Douglas County prosecutors accused Peterson of taking part in a foiled burglary with three other people late Dec. 3 in the 1100 block of Louisiana Street. The attempt was eventually interrupted by Lawrence police, and Michael Hammond, 20, and Peterson and two women, Shelby Sprauer, 21, and Kayla Kling, 20, were arrested.

Sprauer has a trial scheduled for Aug. 3 on charges of conspiracy to commit burglary and aggravated burglary. Kling and Hammond had already entered pleas in connection with the case.

According to prosecutors, Hammond entered a plea to two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary because he was connected to a robbery that occurred in the same apartment building one night earlier. Prosecutors say the accused robbers burst into the wrong apartment and used a gun to rob three female Kansas University students.

Three Wichita men faces robbery charges, and according to defense attorneys involved in that case, Hammond was accused of recruiting the three suspects to come to Lawrence because Hammond wanted to rob an alleged drug dealer.

District Judge Kay Huff is scheduled to sentence Peterson 8:30 a.m. July 18.