WRITER: Kim Callahan

Topeka man charged with murder in fatal downtown Lawrence stabbing

Story updated at 3:26 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9: The suspect in a fatal stabbing in downtown Lawrence last week has now been charged with murder. Keisonn Smith Jr., 25, was arrested Aug. 30 in connection with the death of 20-year-old McMillin Tutu, of Kansas City, Missouri, and - after some delay - was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder and intimidation of a witness or victim. The Douglas County District ...

Woman who was accused of stealing city bus pleads no contest to lesser charges

A woman who was accused of stealing a City of Lawrence bus last summer and driving it across town has pleaded no contest to lesser charges and is scheduled to be sentenced next month. The woman, Sherika Carey, was originally charged with robbery, fleeing or attempting to elude police and unlawful request for emergency service assistance for an incident on Sept. 19, 2025, in which she reportedly pried open a bus ...

Homeless man accused of masturbating in front of restaurant window, spitting on police officers

A Lawrence homeless man is facing a slew of misdemeanor charges after he allegedly masturbated in front of a restaurant window early Sunday evening and battered multiple police officers. The man, Michael Edward Evans, 44, whose address is listed on the jail booking log as the Lawrence Community Shelter, is facing one count of lewd and lascivious behavior, three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, ...

City of Eudora and sheriff's office won't say whether cyberattacks on same day are related; it's still unclear whether personal data exposed

Government officials continue to say very little about a cybersecurity issue that has significantly affected taxpayer-funded computer systems, including whether incidents in the City of Eudora and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office are related and whether the incidents have exposed the personal financial and other private data of residents. After initially saying nothing apart from noting “technical issues" ...

Judge finds Lawrence police unlawfully detained man; after she suppresses evidence, DA drops case

A case against a criminal defendant was dismissed on Wednesday after a Douglas County judge found that Lawrence police officers had acted unlawfully. Judge Stacey Donovan on Aug. 28 granted a motion to suppress evidence in the case of Elijah Joseph Garcia, who was facing felony charges of aggravated battery and possession of cocaine. Donovan determined that police conduct related to Garcia's arrest was ...

Lawrence teen arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter; he's also being sued by the Kansas Turnpike Authority

A Lawrence teen who was seriously injured in a fatal car accident last year in Leavenworth County was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. Kaiden Jordan Jimenez was taken into custody in Overland Park on a felony warrant out of Leavenworth County, though it wasn't immediately clear if the warrant pertained to the 2025 wreck or to some other matter. As the Journal-World reported, Jimenez ...