Kennedi Grant, 20

The criminal drug possession proceedings surrounding a Kansas University student and former leader of KU’s Black Student Union are now near an end with a diversion agreement and hundreds of dollars worth of fees.

Kennedi Grant, 20, was arrested on Feb. 5 on suspicion of possession of marijuana, a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

Grant was released from jail after posting a $5,000 bond, and her case was soon referred from Douglas County District Court to Lawrence Municipal Court.

On May 16 the court accepted a diversion agreement for Grant, who does not have any prior criminal record in Douglas County.

The agreement states that Grant will pay $60.50 in court costs and a diversion fee of $700. In addition, within six months Grant will complete a round of substance abuse treatment at her own expense.

In the agreement Grant agreed not to consume alcohol or recreational drugs for a year and to submit to any blood, breath or urine tests requested by police or prosecutors.

If Grant satisfies the diversion agreement, she will not be convicted, but the diversion record will remain on her record, the document states; however, after three years, she can petition the court to expunge the record.

Last November, Grant, then-president of KU’s Black Student Union, and a group of other students calling themselves Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk interrupted KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and others at a town hall forum about race at KU. During the interruption the group issued a list of diversity-related demands.

While on stage Grant, who initially identified herself as Kynnedi Grant to the Journal-World, said she and several of her friends were assaulted at an off-campus house party last Halloween. She said that during the incident they were called racial slurs and had a gun pulled on them. She accused Lawrence police of failing to investigate the incident because she and her friends are black.

Lawrence Police Sgt. Laurie Powell said Thursday that the investigation into the house party incident was complete and that the findings have been sent to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office for further consideration.

Cheryl Wright Kunard, assistant to the Douglas County District Attorney, said the office is currently prohibited in discussing the case.

I report on crime and courts for the Journal-World. I can be reached by email at cswanson@ljworld.com, by phone at (785) 832-7284 or on Twitter @Conrad_Swanson.