A former Lawrence police officer who is accused of misusing law enforcement information systems for personal reasons is now seeking a jury trial. The Journal-World reported in June that David Shane Williams, 33, was hoping to enter a diversion agreement with the Douglas County district attorney’s office. A diversion program could allow Williams to avoid prosecution for his class A misdemeanor charge of ...
Dates were set Friday for two all-day motions hearings during a short scheduling conference in the case of Rontarus Washington Jr. Washington, 24, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated burglary in connection with the November 2014 death of 19-year-old Justina Altamirano Mosso. The jury hung after Washington’s first four-week-long trial, which began Sept. 9, 2019. The prosecutor immediately ...
Story updated at 3:17 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10: On the one hand, defendants in criminal cases — who are presumed innocent — shouldn’t be detained in jail just because they can’t pay to get out; on the other, those who are dangerous but wealthy can be held without bond only if they’re suspected of capital crimes. Those were two of the key viewpoints that the Kansas Supreme Court’s ad hoc pretrial ...
It’s been almost six years since 19-year-old Justina Altamirano Mosso was found bludgeoned and stabbed to death on the bathroom floor of a Lawrence apartment. Lawrence police and prosecutors have long held that the evidence points to Rontarus Washington Jr. as the killer in the brutal murder. He was 18, and he lived at the opposite end of the hallway at Cedarwood Apartments, 1727 W. 24th St., at the time. ...
The driver of an SUV approached speeds of 90 mph on city streets before crashing in an intersection, according to Lawrence police. Just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Kansas Turnpike Authority notified officers of a white SUV being driven erratically and reaching speeds of 100 mph, Lawrence Police Department spokesperson Patrick Compton said Thursday. The driver exited the turnpike in North Lawrence, Compton ...
The Lawrence Police Department wants more of its supervisors present on calls for service, and that was a large part of the reason for the creation of the new rank of lieutenant. Interim Chief of Police Anthony Brixius said the department has had a “really flat structure” for all of his 17 years there, and that’s brought some problems with information dissemination and having leadership in the right ...