Weekend wrap-up: Former Haskell student pleads guilty in sexual assault; third man charged in botched home invasion

• A 24-year-old man was sentenced to two years in prison Monday for his role in a January 2012 robbery at a Lawrence apartment in the 1700 block of West 19th St.

Dallas Jay Ambler

Douglas County District Court Judge Kay Huff sentenced Dallas Jay Ambler, of Ottawa, to two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery. Huff said the sentence would run consecutively after a 21-month prison sentence for a 2008 burglary conviction in Franklin County. Ambler is the third of four co-defendants, all Ottawa men, to be sentenced. Four victims in the case testified at a preliminary hearing that Colby Blaine Simon and three other men they did not know came to their apartment early on Jan. 10, 2012, and stole several items, including marijuana, from them. One of the victims said at least two of the suspects hit and kicked him as they ordered him to open a safe and give them marijuana. On Jan. 10, Dustin Jamal Burnett pleaded no contest to one count each of robbery and attempted robbery as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors and is scheduled to be sentenced March 11. Colby Blaine Simon, 19, received probation after pleading no contest to attempted robbery and theft, and Dominique Rashad Burnett, 22, was sentenced to 52 months in prison in September after pleading guilty to various charges.

• In the case of a December home invasion, a third man has been charged in what police say was a botched robbery that left one suspect with an accidental gunshot wound.

Andrew Michael Johns

Prosecutors have charged Andrew Michael Johns, 21, with attempted robbery, attempted aggravated kidnapping, and attempted aggravated burglary, along with Connor McKenzie Mayhan, 20, who had his left arm in a sling during a December court appearance, and Alex Eftekhar, 21. Lawrence police say the defendants are suspected of trying to force their way into a home in the 1200 block of New Jersey Street just after midnight on Dec. 14. A resident at the home blocked two robbers from entering and said one of them was wearing a ski mask and carrying a rifle. Police said that, at some point in the incident, Mayhan received a gunshot wound to the arm. Officers said they learned through interviews that because the wound required medical attention, Mayhan and Eftekhar called police and reported that they had been robbed at their home in the 800 block of Mississippi Street.

• A 39-year-old Lawrence man has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and domestic battery after police responded to a domestic disturbance Monday at a home in the 2400 block of Cedarwood Avenue.

Ronald Dwayne Walters

Ronald D. Walters was arrested at the home, where a witness reported seeing a female being chased outside and dragged into the residence by a male. The victim escaped and met with officers nearby, said Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman. She was injured and required immediate medical treatment, McKinley said, but her injuries appeared to be nonlife-threatening. Officers surrounded the home and attempted to establish contact with the suspect inside, but he refused to speak with officers or come outside, McKinley said. Police surrounded the house until they obtained an arrest warrant from Douglas County Court and entered the house about 3 p.m., arresting Walters. Walters remains in jail on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 28. Aggravated kidnapping carries a prison sentence from 12 to 54 years in prison, depending on a person’s criminal history.

• A 19-year-old former Haskell Indian Nations University student will face sentencing in March after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual battery in the assault of a female Haskell student in November.

Carlo Gregory Wilson

Carlo Gregory Wilson pleaded guilty Jan. 10 and is scheduled for sentencing March 15. According to testimony at Tuesday’s preliminary hearing, the victim said Wilson — who attended Haskell at the time and knew the victim — forced his way into her dorm room on the Haskell campus in the early morning hours of Nov. 12 and began kissing and groping her. After a struggle, during which the man said he wanted to have sex with the victim, the victim was able to leave and contacted police, according to her testimony. According to the man’s court-appointed defense attorney, the man was no longer enrolled at the school when ordered to stand trial in the case last year. Wilson could face up to 136 months in prison for the felony aggravated sexual battery conviction, depending on his criminal history.

• A 25-year-old Perry man has pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated robbery and possession of marijuana in connection with a Jan. 17 incident at an apartment in the 1700 block of W. 24th Street. Charles T. Brockman was charged last month, along with Robert Lee Coleman, 19, of Lawrence, Quentin Marcel Hill, 18, of Lawrence, with two counts of aggravated robbery and one count each of aggravated burglary, theft, possession of marijuana and conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery. Brockman also faced the additional charge of misdemeanor battery.

Prosecutors accused the three men of using a handgun to commit a robbery at the apartment, stealing $260 in cash, a television, a PlayStation gaming system and a jar containing six grams of marijuana. Aggravated robbery can carry a prison sentence of up to 247 months in prison, depending on a person’s criminal history. Aggravated burglary carries a maximum sentence of 136 months in prison.

• Douglas County prosecutors have dismissed charges against a 36-year-old Lawrence man charged with aggravated assault in December, when he was accused of pistol-whipping a person at The Pool Room, 925 Iowa St.

Sunthala S. Chanhkhiao was arrested by Lawrence police who responded to a disturbance at the pool hall about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 14. At the time, police seized a firearm that they said a suspect pointed in the face of another person during an argument. This week, prosecutors said they were unable to locate the victim and dismissed the case without prejudice, leaving open the possibility of filing the case again in the future.

• An 18-year-old Kansas University student has been charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after his arrest in January at Oliver Hall dormitory. KU Police officers arrested Cooper Christensen, of Medicine Lodge, on Jan. 24 and seized 33 grams of marijuana, rolling papers, pipes, and a digital scale, among other items, according to police records. Christensen was booked into Douglas County Jail and released on a $28,250 bond.

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