WRITER: Chris Conde

Judge accepts apology and does not punish teen who posted screenshot during murder case

A judge did not punish a 15-year-old boy on Thursday after he admitted to posting a screenshot from YouTube of a court proceeding in a murder case. The murder case was that of Derrick Del Reed, 18, of Lawrence, who was charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Kamarjay Shaw on March 18, 2023. Reed was acquitted by a Douglas County jury in March, as the Journal-World ...

Car strikes mail truck north of Lawrence; mail carrier injured

A driver struck a mail truck north of Lawrence on Thursday, sending a mail carrier to the hospital and briefly closing a rural road. Douglas County Sheriff's Office spokesman George Diepenbrock said in a news release that at about 1 p.m., a 2008 Hyundai Accent hit the mail truck in the 2000 block of East 1400 Road, north of Midland Junction and near the Jefferson County line. The mail carrier was taken to a ...

Oskaloosa man wanted for obstruction in connection with teen shooting death turns himself in

An Oskaloosa man who was wanted for obstruction in connection with the shooting death of a 14-year-old Lawrence boy has turned himself in. The man, Camdon Joe Collins, 21, is charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of obstructing apprehension or prosecution by knowingly helping a person charged with a felony escape or avoid conviction or punishment. The charging document alleges that ...

2 Lawrence men sentenced in 2021 shooting during a drug deal that left a Wichita man dead

Two Lawrence men were sentenced to prison time on Wednesday — one to more than six years and another to just over 17 years — in connection with a fatal shooting that took place in 2021 during a drug deal. The men, Javier Isidro Romero, 20, and Andrel Darnell Spates Jr., 22, both of Lawrence, were each originally charged with one count of murder in the first degree in connection with the death of ...

Rape charge against former KU basketball player dismissed due to insufficient evidence

A rape charge against a former KU basketball player was dismissed on Tuesday due to insufficient evidence. Arterio Morris, 21, of Dallas, was charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of rape in connection with an incident on Aug. 28, 2023, involving an 18-year-old woman at the KU basketball player’s dormitory, as the Journal-World reported. Morris was scheduled for a preliminary ...

Lawrence man charged with sex crimes involving a 6-year-old child

A Lawrence man has been charged with multiple sex crimes involving a 6-year-old child, according to court documents. The man, Joseph Adam Long, 41, is charged in Douglas County District Court with one count of aggravated criminal sodomy and one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Both charges are off-grid felonies that could result in a life sentence if Long is convicted. The alleged offenses ...