Two men were scheduled for trial later this month in connection with a 2021 fatal shooting in Lawrence, but they instead pleaded no contest to lesser charges on Tuesday in Douglas County District Court. The men, Javier Isidro Romero, 20, and Andrel Darnell Spates Jr., 21, both of Lawrence, were each originally charged with one count of murder in the first degree in connection with the fatal shooting of ...
A tip to Lawrence police has led to the recovery of a stolen firearm and the arrest of an individual suspected of auto burglary. Officers were called to a residence around 2 a.m. in the 2100 block of Carolina Street after a man was reported to be in possession of a gun and he was claiming the gun was stolen, said Sgt. Drew Fennelly in an email. When police arrived, the man was cooperative and allegedly told ...
A burst water pipe flooded a jury room on Monday, requiring the court to close one courtroom and some offices at the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center for repairs that could be lengthy. A fire suppression line ruptured from freezing temperatures above the ceiling of the jury deliberation room for Division 7 in the basement of the judicial center, said Karrey Britt, spokesperson for Douglas ...
A Lawrence man currently charged in multiple cases with fleeing from police was arrested early Monday morning after he allegedly rammed into a sheriff’s deputy’s patrol vehicle while fleeing. Deputies attempted to stop a Chevrolet pickup for speeding around 1:25 a.m. in the area of East 1600 Road and U.S. Highway 24-40 in northeastern Douglas County, said George Diepenbrock, spokesperson with the Douglas ...
A Lawrence man was sentenced to more than three years in prison this month in connection with the fentanyl overdose death of an 18-year-old man. The man, Logan Hastie Morgan, 23, pleaded no contest last February to one felony count of attempted distribution of a controlled substance causing death. As part of a plea agreement, the state reduced the original charge’s felony severity level, dismissed two felony ...
A Lawrence man who says he has severe memory problems because of a brain injury was granted probation on Friday in a case where he was originally charged with exposing himself to a child. The man, Eric L. Collins, 45, was originally charged with one felony count of lewd and lascivious behavior, but on Friday he instead pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor criminal restraint as part of a plea ...