WRITER: Kim Callahan

Woman sentenced to 6 months, suspended to probation, in theft case that was originally charged as sex crime

A Missouri woman was sentenced Tuesday in Douglas County District Court to six months in prison — which was suspended to probation — for a crime that was originally charged as criminal sodomy but that was reduced through plea bargaining to two counts of felony theft. As the Journal-World previously reported, Michalia D. Williams, 25, of Liberty, Missouri, and her husband, Joshua Michael Williams, of Belton, ...

Kansas City man pleads no contest to aggravated assault on Lawrence police officer

A Kansas City, Missouri, man on Tuesday pleaded no contest in Douglas County District Court to assaulting a police officer. The man, Carlos Garcia Gaspar, 43, entered the plea to one felony count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer as part of a plea deal that saw multiple other felony charges being dropped. The case against Gaspar arose on Aug. 30, when he was alleged to have damaged a car and ...

Lawrence author's 'Belittled Women' is a contemporary twist on a beloved classic

Amanda Sellet evidently had way more fun writing 2022's “Belittled Women” than Louisa May Alcott did writing 1868's “Little Women.” But perhaps that's not surprising. Alcott wrote her novel a bit begrudgingly — at the behest of a male publisher who wanted a book about girls. Judging by Alcott's letters, she didn't enjoy the task much, and she certainly didn't anticipate that her quiet, domestic tale ...

Sentencing delayed for man in burglary, assault case that relied on Google 'geofence' data

A man who was scheduled to receive a sentence Monday for multiple crimes related to stalking a woman and breaking into her central Lawrence home instead received a new appointed attorney and a delay in the disposition of his case. A jury on Sept. 20 found Lee Andrew Mitchell Pennington, 34, of Lawrence, guilty of felony aggravated burglary, felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor stalking — in a case that ...

Area residents hold candlelight vigil for victims of Colorado nightclub shooting — and for victims of anti-LGBTQ violence everywhere

A number of area residents paid tribute Monday evening to the five lives that were lost in the Saturday night shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. At a candlelight vigil in South Park, organized by Amy Meigs, residents shared their grief over the violence at Club Q, which also injured dozens of people in addition to those who were slain by a gunman with an AR-15 style rifle. The 22-year-old ...

Woman charged with 4 counts of arson after series of fires at North Lawrence businesses

A Lawrence woman accused of starting a series of fires earlier this week in North Lawrence has been charged with four counts of arson. The woman, Abie Schnacke, 19, made her first appearance Friday in Douglas County District Court, where Judge Sally Pokorny read the charges against her, appointed attorney Dakota Loomis to represent her and set her bond at $20,000 cash or surety. Two of the four counts of ...