Lawrence man charged in armed robbery of teenager

A Lawrence man conspired with a youth to rob a 15-year-old of an iPhone, while armed with a dangerous weapon, court documents allege.

Kaspar A. Engelberg, 20, made his first appearance Thursday in Douglas County District Court on charges in the incident, which allegedly occurred Tuesday.

Engelberg is charged with three felonies, according to the complaint: aggravated robbery while armed with an unspecified dangerous weapon; conspiring to commit the robbery, including by hiding in the backseat of a vehicle; and contributing to a child’s misconduct by causing or encouraging a child under 18 to commit a crime.

Engelberg also is charged with violating a protective order, a misdemeanor, in the same complaint.

Judge James George set Engleberg’s bond at $40,000 and his next court appearance for July 19. George appointed attorney Branden Smith to represent him.

Prosecutor Eve Kemple, in requesting the $40,000 bond, said Engleberg had a pending aggravated battery case, two pending probation violation cases and a previous charge of attempted robbery when he was a juvenile.

The Lawrence Police Department’s activity logs show the incident Engelberg is charged in was reported at 1 a.m. July 3 in the 1400 block of East 24th Street. Additional information from police was not available late Thursday.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify information in the charges.

Contact Journal-World public safety reporter Sara Shepherd

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