Updated story - June 11 — Man arrested on arson charges from house fire in eastern Lawrence Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical is investigating the cause of a Monday afternoon fire at an eastern Lawrence home. The fire was reported at 12:30 p.m. in a house at 1405 E. 15th St., according to a news release from Division Chief Lyle Schwartz. Firefighters arriving at the scene encountered a fire in the ...
A girl’s description of being groped for years led to high-level felony charges against a Lawrence man, a police affidavit reveals. The girl told Lawrence police detectives that the sexual abuse began when she was 12 and continued until she was 15, up until shortly before police got involved and the man was arrested and charged. Frank J. Martinez, 35, is charged with three counts of aggravated indecent ...
A Lawrence woman was home by herself on a recent Saturday when a man she didn’t know suddenly came in through the back door, then grabbed her by the hair when she tried to run. The man, it turns out, was trying to hide after leading law enforcement on a car chase and then a foot chase from Clinton State Park into Lawrence, according to a police affidavit in the case. Following the incident, Justin L. ...
Douglas County officials say they’ve now confirmed the recent tornado destroyed over a dozen homes and affected over 80 more in the county. The May 28 tornado touched down south of Lawrence and mowed through properties to the county line. It continued northeastward into Leavenworth County, where it finally lifted after being on the ground a total of nearly 32 miles and reaching EF-4 strength, according to the ...
Someone fired gunshots that hit a west Lawrence apartment building overnight, Lawrence police said. About 1:15 a.m. Friday, police went to the 700 block of Monterey Way after getting multiple 911 calls from nearby residents who heard the sound of gunshots in a nearby parking lot, Officer Shawn Gross said in an email to media. When they arrived, officers found "several" empty handgun shell casings in the ...
The public is invited to a retirement reception honoring Douglas County District Court Judge Paula Martin. The reception is planned for 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, June 14, in the Douglas County Commission Room at the old courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. Martin's announced retirement date is June 15. Martin has been on the bench 25 years, since being appointed by Gov. Joan Finney in 1994. She has presided ...