WRITER: Dylan Lysen

Douglas County Sheriff's Office unveils data dashboards with statistics on arrests, jail population

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has created new dashboards with local law enforcement data, which officials hope will help increase government transparency. During a Criminal Justice Coordinating Council meeting on Tuesday, Sheriff Jay Armbrister and county data analyst Matt Cravens unveiled two dashboard tools — one about the county jail and local arrests, and another that focuses specifically on ...

3 teens face robbery, assault charges in connection with weekend incidents

Three men are facing felony charges stemming from two incidents in Lawrence last weekend, including a “strong-armed robbery,” a police official said. All three men were formally charged in Douglas County District Court on Tuesday. Jamaz D. Epps, of Lawrence, 18, was charged with aggravated robbery; Kavaun M. Clark, of Lawrence, 19, was charged with aggravated assault; and Michael D. Phillips, of Kansas ...

Lawrence man convicted of aggravated robbery, attempted manslaughter in long-running shooting case

Updated at 4:52 p.m. Monday A Douglas County jury on Monday found a Lawrence man guilty of two charges stemming from a 2018 shooting incident. Michael Hormell, 21, was convicted of aggravated robbery and attempted voluntary manslaughter, Judge Amy Hanley said in court as she read the jury’s verdict. He was found not guilty of a third charge, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, the Douglas County ...

Lawrence school board approves plan to close Kennedy Elementary, use building for early-childhood education community center

Starting next fall, Lawrence’s Kennedy Elementary will no longer educate K-5 students after the school board approved a plan to close the school. The Lawrence school district plans to turn the building into an early-childhood education community center, with outside organizations initially providing services. But to make the change possible, Kennedy Elementary's 185 K-5 students will have to move to three ...

Douglas County District Court faces significant backlog as jury trials resume

As the Douglas County District Court recently resumed jury trials amid the coronavirus pandemic, the court began a daunting task of working a yearlong backlog of cases that will take months to resolve. That backlog also means new criminal cases in the county that require jury trials could take much longer than usual, and individuals who are in jail awaiting new trials could be there until the end of the ...

Lawrence man faces felony charges, including attempted arson, after police chase

A Lawrence man who reportedly led police on a chase through town on Wednesday is facing two felony charges in Douglas County District Court. Brandon T. Rothwell, 29, made his first appearance in court Thursday, where he was charged with attempted aggravated arson and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, which are both felonies, according to a charging document provided to the Journal-World on ...