WRITER: Chris Conde

Eudora man sentenced to probation for aggravated sexual battery in case that was originally charged as rape

A Eudora man was sentenced to probation Monday in connection with an incident in 2020 in which he was alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman in her home. The man, Griffin D. Oxley, 22, entered a no contest plea to one felony count of aggravated sexual battery in April, according to court records. He was originally charged with one count of rape of a 34-year-old woman around 8 p.m. at the woman’s home on ...

Lawrence man pleads no contest to sex crimes involving a 16-year old girl; prosecution will recommend probation

A Lawrence man entered a no contest plea Monday in Douglas County District Court to two counts of sexual battery as part of a plea agreement in which the state dismissed additional sex crimes involving teenage girls. The man, Richard Eugene Marshall, 49, was originally charged with multiple counts of aggravated endangerment of a child, but after his preliminary hearing in October of 2021, the state increased ...

Lawrence man's bond set at $1 million in kidnapping case; court says he poses significant risks

A Lawrence man's bond was set at $1 million after prosecutors argued that he was a threat to the public and to his alleged 65-year-old victim. Tahreon Lamont Allen, 20, was charged with one count of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery with a handgun, aggravated burglary and possession of a firearm by a felon, all felonies, according to charging documents. The charges are in connection with an incident on ...

Lawrence activist charged with felony after allegedly interfering in police standoff with attempted-murder suspect

A Lawrence activist appeared Thursday in Douglas County District Court to face a charge of interference with law enforcement in connection with an armed standoff between police and a shooting suspect. The activist, Phillip Michael Eravi, 53, was charged with one count of interference with law enforcement. The charge is a low-level felony with a sentencing range between five and 17 months in prison if convicted, ...

Nearly 4 inches of rain hit Lawrence over 28 hours; more is on the way

Rainfall in Lawrence has totaled nearly 4 inches since Tuesday morning, and the rain is expected to last through the weekend with hot temperatures creating unpredictable conditions. The National Weather Service in Topeka reported that 3.74 inches of rain had fallen in Lawrence between Tuesday morning and midday Wednesday. The heat made the atmosphere capable of holding more moisture, which could lead to more ...

Police searching for additional suspects in a kidnapping case; Lawrence man in custody, accused of committing multiple crimes while out on bond

Lawrence police arrested a man Tuesday in connection with an alleged kidnapping that occurred on Monday morning, and they are searching for additional suspects. According to a news release from the Lawrence Police Department Wednesday afternoon, police found a 65-year-old man Monday morning in a nearby city — they did not identify the city — and the man said he had been kidnapped from his residence in the ...

Sex offender arrested on Douglas County warrant, accused of multiple new sex crimes against a child

A Topeka man who is a registered sex offender was charged on Tuesday with multiple sex crimes involving a child under the age of 14 after he was arrested on a Douglas County warrant at an area hospital. Calvin L. Payne, 33, was charged in Douglas County District Court with one count of rape and one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, both of which are off-grid felonies that could result in a ...

Jury acquits former Lawrence police officer who was accused of raping woman while on duty

Story updated at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 26: Jurors on Friday acquitted a former Lawrence police officer who was accused of raping a woman more than six years ago and later using police computers to search for the woman’s personal information. After a weeklong trial in Douglas County District Court, Jonathan Mark Gardner, 42, of Tonganoxie, was found not guilty on all of the counts he was charged with — one ...

Lawrence woman pleads no contest to setting fires at Lawrence businesses; she's eligible for probation

A Lawrence woman entered a no contest plea on Friday in Douglas County District Court to setting fires at multiple businesses in the city, one of which caused more than $1 million in damages. The woman, Abie Schnacke, 19, was originally charged with one felony count of aggravated arson in connection with an incident on Nov. 13, 2022, at 3111 W. Sixth St., which is the address of Lawrence Family Vision Clinic, ...

At ex-officer's rape trial, woman testifies about fear, conflicted feelings before reporting incident; defendant takes stand and denies assaulting her

Updated at 6:25 p.m. Thursday, May 25 Before she reported her allegations to police, a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a Lawrence police officer in 2017 was scared, conflicted and struggling with whether what happened to her that night was her fault. That's what she told a jury in Douglas County District Court on Thursday at the trial of the former officer, 42-year-old Jonathan Mark Gardner, of ...

On Day 2 of ex-officer's rape trial, witness testifies about woman's reluctance to report crime: ‘I cannot call the police. He is the police'

Story updated at 6:52 p.m. Wednesday, May 24: A witness on Wednesday testified that her friend didn’t tell the police about being raped because the alleged rapist was a Lawrence police officer. The officer, Jonathan Mark Gardner, 42, of Tonganoxie, who is no longer employed by the Lawrence Police Department, is standing trial in Douglas County District Court on one count of rape, 17 felony counts of ...

Driver taken to hospital after crash caused by medical problem in North Lawrence

A man was taken to an area hospital on Wednesday after he suffered a medical problem while driving in North Lawrence, veered off the road and crashed, according to police. Emergency crews responded to the crash at around 4:40 p.m. in the 1000 block of North Third Street. At the scene, an SUV that appeared to have struck a tree could be seen lying on its side. Sgt. Drew Fennelly with the Lawrence Police ...

Former Douglas County sheriff’s deputy charged with domestic battery against former sergeant

A former Douglas County sheriff’s deputy has been charged in connection with a years-old domestic battery incident involving a now-retired sheriff’s lieutenant. Breanna S. Pence, 32, of Lawrence, is facing one count of domestic battery, a low-level misdemeanor charge, according to charging documents. The incident is alleged to have occurred on Oct. 31, 2020. Pence started her career with the Douglas ...

Defense and prosecution provide differing accounts of night that on-duty Lawrence officer is accused of having raped woman

Story updated at 6:24 p.m. Tuesday, May 23: A trial got underway Tuesday for a former Lawrence police officer accused of raping a woman when he gave her a ride home after she'd been drinking at a downtown bar — with jurors hearing differing accounts of what transpired that winter night six years ago. The ex-officer, Jonathan Mark Gardner, 42, of Tonganoxie, is charged in Douglas County District Court with ...

Lawrence activist arrested at scene of police standoff with shooting suspect, accused of compromising safety of officers and others

Updated at 5 p.m. Monday, May 22 A Lawrence man known for filming and confronting police during arrests and offering angry criticism at local government meetings was arrested early Saturday morning at the scene of a standoff between police and a shooting suspect. Phillip Michael Eravi, 53, was arrested on suspicion of felony interference with law enforcement around 2 a.m. in the 1900 block of Heatherwood ...

Man ordered to stand trial for attempted murder after allegedly trying to crash a van he was a passenger in

A man was ordered on Thursday in Douglas County District Court to stand trial for attempted murder for allegedly trying to crash a van he was a passenger in. The order came after a two-part hearing at which a witness indicated she had been untruthful to police about what happened. The man, Jayce Tyler Ingham, 36, of Iola, is facing two felony counts of intentional attempted murder in the second degree and a ...

Lawrence man charged with sexual exploitation of a child by possessing nude photograph

A Lawrence man was charged Thursday in Douglas County District Court with sexual exploitation of a child. The man, Larry Dale Athey Jr., 43, is facing a single felony count of sexual exploitation of a child by possessing a nude photo of a minor, according to charging documents. The incident is alleged to have occurred on or about April 22, 2022. Athey was arrested by Douglas County sheriff’s deputies, who ...

Lawrence man pleads guilty to two sex crimes against a 7-year-old, plans to plead to third, agrees to more than 28 years in prison

A Lawrence man on Thursday pleaded guilty in Douglas County District Court to two sex crimes against a 7-year-old girl and plans to plead to a third after he is sentenced. He has agreed to serve more than 28 years in prison as part of the plea. The man, Jason Edward Dallinga, 41, was originally charged with four counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child by engaging in lewd touching to satisfy a ...

Must Albert Wilson be formally declared innocent for his wrongful conviction suit to proceed? Judge will decide

Albert Wilson claims he was wrongly convicted of rape in Douglas County — but does he need to be formally declared innocent in order for his lawsuit against the state to go forward? That's what a Douglas County District Court judge is now considering after hearing arguments from the state's assistant attorney general and Wilson's lawyer on Thursday afternoon. The state made a motion in March to dismiss ...

Witness testifies about being 'terrified' after man allegedly brought gun to Lawrence workplace, made threat after being fired

A witness testified on Tuesday that he could have been first in line to be shot if the worst had happened when a Lawrence man allegedly brought a gun to his former workplace the day after he was fired. The man, Marquis Deshan Lee, 48, is charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of criminal threat and one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon, according to charging documents. ...