A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy who left the force after being accused of a sexual rendezvous with a female inmate has been granted a two-year probation. At his sentencing hearing Friday, Mario J. Godinez, 47, of Lawrence, apologized to authorities and the community for what his attorney described as “a lapse in judgement” and “a terrible mistake.” “I feel like I failed them all, and failed ...
Story updated at 12:24 p.m. Thursday A woman is safe after escaping the turbulent and rain-swollen Kansas River near downtown Lawrence and being swept to the opposite bank nearly a mile downriver Thursday morning. The woman initially told law enforcement that she slipped and fell into the water, said Sgt. Kristen Channel of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. However, Channel said that further investigation ...
Story updated at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, 2019: A teen who took a handgun to Lawrence High School in February has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime in connection with the incident. The teen pleaded no contest to criminal use of weapons on Wednesday in Douglas County District Court, according to the district attorney’s office. His sentencing is scheduled for July 3. The boy was arrested Feb. 12 at LHS, ...
For shooting a Lawrence man with his own gun in his own apartment last year, a Kansas City, Kan., man has been ordered to nearly three years in prison. Rodney L. McNeal, 22, was sentenced Tuesday in Douglas County District Court. Judge Kay Huff sentenced him to 34 months in prison plus two years of post-release supervision. She said McNeal also must register as a violent offender for 15 years because the ...
A Lawrence man was one of two Kansas residents killed in a wreck Sunday in Colorado. The fatal wreck happened about 2 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of West Alameda Avenue and South Kipling Street in Lakewood, a suburb of Denver, the Lakewood Police Department said Tuesday in a news release identifying the victims. Killed were Jesse Edmonds, 30, of Lawrence, and Jacob Bowen, 26, of Gardner, said John Romero, ...
Ten nominees to replace retiring Douglas County District Court Judge Paula Martin are scheduled to be interviewed this week. The 7th Judicial District Nominating Commission will interview candidates throughout the day Thursday, starting at 9:30 a.m., at the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E 11th St. According to the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration, nominees are, in order of their ...