Jesse Fray / LJWorld.com

Staff

Jesse Fray (Crime and Safety reporter)

I joined the 6News/Lawrence Journal-World team in April 2008. I’m the crime and safety reporter and I anchor 6News at 6, on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6.

Before coming to Lawrence, I worked at KTKA-TV, our sister station and the ABC affiliate in Topeka.

While there, I was awarded first place by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters in 2007 for an in-depth investigation into the safety of Topeka Public Schools. In 2008, I received third place in the same category for an investigation into a questionable transaction by the president of the local airport authority, who resigned a short time later.

I’m a lifelong Kansan and grew up in Wichita, where I began my news career as an assignment editor at KAKE-TV, the ABC affiliate.

While there, I was involved with coverage of the reemergence, arrest and trials of the BTK serial murders. The infamous Dennis Rader sent letters to KAKE-TV and others, connecting himself to some of the 10 murders he committed more than three decades earlier.

I graduated from Wichita State University's Elliott School of Communication. My appreciation for journalism developed in elementary school, when I published a weekly newspaper for my neighbors, called The Block News.

You can follow me on Twitter, @lawrencecrime, where I provide instant updates on crime news in the Lawrence area.

Recent stories

New method makes meth more mobile: By Jesse Fray; November 9, 2009; After years of steady declines, methamphetamine production in Douglas County soon could rise, thanks to a new way to create the addictive drug.
Honors bestowed on veteran officers: By Jesse Fray; November 7, 2009; Three veteran police officers were honored for their service during an award ceremony Friday night in Downtown Lawrence.
City police welcome 6 graduates after 23-week ‘grueling academy’: By Jesse Fray; November 7, 2009; Six new law enforcement officers were officially welcomed Friday night into the Lawrence Police Department during a swearing-in ceremony.
Guilty plea entered in shooting outside the Hawk: Staff reports; November 5, 2009; A man accused of firing shots into a crowd of people outside a bar near the Kansas University campus pleaded guilty to three counts of felony aggravated assault on Thursday, prosecutors said.
KU graduate student in critical but stable condition after chemical contamination: By Jesse Fray; 08:05 a.m., November 5, 2009 Updated 04:57 p.m.; A Kansas University graduate student was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries Thursday after accidentally ingesting a toxic chemical while working in a university lab, KU officials said.
Accused rapist in Colorado not connected to rapes in Lawrence, Manhattan: By Jesse Fray; November 4, 2009; A Colorado man suspected of sexually assaulting more than a dozen women in New Mexico and Texas has been ruled out as a suspect in a series of rapes in Lawrence and Manhattan, Kan., the Kansas attorney general’s office said.
Prosecutors likely to decide this week on charges for hit-and-run fatality on Tennessee Street: By Jesse Fray; November 3, 2009; Prosecutors could determine whether to file charges against the driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident by the end of the week, Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said Tuesday.
Ex-police officer given two years of probation in wire fraud case: By Jesse Fray; November 2, 2009; A former Lawrence police officer on Monday was sentenced to probation for two years, after pleading guilty to 14 counts of federal wire fraud, prosecutors said.
Nearly full moon, extra hour of partying, Halloween combine for possibly busy night for Lawrence police: By Jesse Fray; October 30, 2009; While this Halloween may be no different for young trick-or-treaters, all odds point to a particularly nutty night for the grownups.
Lawrence man hits the road to nation’s capitals to raise awareness of fallen law enforcement officers: By Jesse Fray; October 30, 2009; Riding a motorcycle to every state capital in America seems unfathomable for most, especially in a period of just three years. But for Lawrence resident Harry Herington - who is the chief executive officer of a multimillion-dollar company - anything is possible.

Full story list

Recent photos

This sedan collided with a tanker truck carrying liquid nitrogen at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and County Road 460. U.S. 59 was closed for several hours Monday as crews cleaned up the accident site.

Sarah Klebenstein and her neighbor Donald Haime stand outside Klebenstein’s mobile home in Eudora. The home was damaged early Tuesday by a fire, which was largely confined to the exterior of the structure.