WRITER: Sara Shepherd

Armed robbery reported in Lawrence’s Oread Neighborhood

Lawrence police are investigating an armed robbery reported in the city’s Oread Neighborhood, just east of the University of Kansas campus. About 10:40 p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a reported armed robbery in the 1300 block of Kentucky Street, Officer Derrick Smith said in an email. The victims told police that about 25 minutes earlier three or four men had entered the home, with at least one ...

Last-minute access to victim’s phone prompts another delay for murder trial of Lawrence man now jailed 4-plus years

Everyone in the courtroom agreed: The recent unlocking of a homicide victim’s phone adds critical evidence to the trial of her accused murderer. However, the unlocking came too recently for lawyers to process evidence in time to get 22-year-old Rontarus Washington Jr. to trial on Monday as planned. The judge this week pushed back Washington’s trial yet again, tentatively until mid-September. At that point, ...

Lawrence police make 7 DUI arrests during recent special patrols

As part of special patrols last weekend and the weekend before, Lawrence police arrested seven people on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. During the first DUI saturation patrol on March 8, officers administered field sobriety tests to eight drivers and four of them were arrested for DUI, Officer Shawn Gross said via email. As part of the department’s saturation patrol on ...

Lawrence paradegoer ran up to float before tripping, being run over, police say

The woman who was struck and run over by an entry in the Lawrence St. Patrick’s Day Parade was an onlooker who ran up to the float, police said. The woman reportedly crossed a chalk line, drawn to keep people safely away from the vehicles, that parade organizers say their volunteers do their best to enforce. The accident happened at about 2 p.m. Sunday, temporarily stalling the annual parade as it made its ...

Judge affirms KU’s expulsion of man for stalking female students, dismisses 1 of his lawsuits against school

The University of Kansas was not wrong to expel a man for sexually harassing and stalking female students, a judge has ruled. With Douglas County District Court Judge Paula Martin’s recent order, one of Ray Kamila’s two lawsuits against the university has been dismissed. KU expelled Kamila in fall 2017, banned him from campus for 10 years, and put a notation on his transcript that the expulsion was for ...

Residents can get free gun locks to help keep kids safe, sheriff’s office reminds

Local gun owners who want to keep their firearms secure — especially from children — can get free gun locks from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the office reminded residents this week on social media. The locks are provided by Project ChildSafe. Residents can obtain locks by going to the sheriff’s window inside the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E 11th St., during regular business ...