WRITER: Chris Conde

Convicted sex offender from Oskaloosa ordered to stand trial for alleged crimes against teen at Lawrence hotel

An Oskaloosa man was ordered to stand trial on Wednesday in Douglas County District Court after a 15-year-old girl testified that he contacted her on social media and asked her to be his “sugar baby” before he took her to a hotel in Lawrence to sexually assault her. Kenneth John McClelland, 30, is charged with one felony count of aggravated human trafficking and one count of aggravated indecent liberties ...

2 Lawrence police dogs place in the K9 Games in Topeka

Two Lawrence patrol service dogs placed at the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office K9 Games on Sunday in Topeka, and a Lawrence Police Department spokeswoman said they "had a blast" performing for the crowd. The second annual K9 Games featured 11 teams, each consisting of a dog and their law enforcement handler, from northeast Kansas law enforcement agencies. The dogs competed in three events — jumping over a ...

Alleged assault rifle turns out to be paintball gun in disturbance near Lawrence Public Library; suspect charged with felonies

Lawrence police arrested a man on Tuesday after a disturbance initially reported as an assault with an AR-15 style rifle. The weapon turned out to be a paintball gun, police determined. Just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, officers rushed to the parking garage next to the Lawrence Public Library, in the 700 block of Vermont Street, after someone reported being threatened with a firearm by a gunman who then left the ...

Midsummer Night on Mass returns Friday with deals all over downtown

Downtown Lawrence businesses will stay up late on Friday night for the third annual Midsummer Night on Mass, which will feature live entertainment on the street and special offers at stores and restaurants all over downtown. This is the third year for the Midsummer Night on Mass event, which starts at 4 p.m. Friday and runs until 10 p.m. It was first held in 2023 as a replacement for the city's annual downtown ...

Judge to determine if handyman that allegedly took $2,000 from a customer was felony theft or just a contract violation

A judge heard evidence of an alleged felony theft on Monday, but the attorney for the man accused said that the case shouldn't even be in criminal court because the victim willingly paid for services that the suspect failed to provide. The accused, Jason Lee Stark, 34, of Lawrence, is charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of theft. A woman testified on Monday that she paid Stark in ...

Person hospitalized after fall from ladder near electrical lines

A person was taken to a hospital Thursday after what was described as a "long fall" from a ladder near electrical lines. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical crews responded at 10:34 a.m. to a greek house in the 1600 block of West 15th Street after receiving a report of a person having fallen into a live electrical line, said LDCFM Chief of Staff McKenzi Ezell. When crews arrived they found an extension ...