WRITER: Kim Callahan

Lawyer asks judge to sanction Valdez and others for claim that murder case was reopened; he says DA later said under oath that there was no active investigation

Updated at 1:55 p.m. Tuesday, July 2 An attorney is asking a district court judge to sanction District Attorney Suzanne Valdez and others for claiming that a murder investigation had been reopened against a Lawrence woman, then later admitting in a deposition that no such investigation exists. The “lie” about the investigation being reopened, as Bill Skepnek, the attorney for Carrody Buchhorn, has ...

U.S. lawmakers, concerned over report of serious misconduct at Haskell, demand documents for congressional investigation

The chairpersons of two U.S. House committees sent a letter Tuesday to the director of the Bureau of Indian Education expressing concern over the federal agency’s failure to address concerns of Haskell Indian Nations University students over a variety of issues at the Lawrence school, including allegations of sexual assault and other serious misconduct. The letter notes that a congressional investigation is ...

City of Lawrence sues landlord, alleges violation of source of income ordinance; landlord says 'see you in court'

The City of Lawrence has filed a lawsuit in Douglas County District Court against a local landlord on behalf of a prospective renter who was allegedly discriminated against based on source of income. The city earlier this year approved a nondiscrimination ordinance that prevents landlords from refusing applications from tenants who receive rental assistance such as Section 8 housing vouchers and also makes it ...

DA still mum on her deputy abruptly leaving and other questions related to his departure

Updated at 3:20 p.m. Friday, June 28, 2024 Nearly a week after her deputy abruptly departed her office, District Attorney Suzanne Valdez has not publicly commented on the reason for the departure or answered many questions related to the matter. Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden, widely regarded as a top decision-maker in the DA’s office, abruptly left Valdez’s employ shortly after he was seen on ...

Rape count dismissed against Lawrence defendant because of statute of limitations; 2 remaining counts in question

One count of rape in a three-count complaint was dismissed on Friday after a Lawrence defense attorney successfully argued that it was barred by the statute of limitations, and the other two rape counts could face a similar fate when a judge makes a ruling in November. The dismissal occurred in the case of Lance Yoder, who is accused of raping two girls in the early 2000s. Kansas no longer has a statute of ...

Jury convicts man of beating woman with sex toy and damaging her home, but acquits him on more serious count of aggravated domestic battery

A Douglas County jury on Thursday convicted a Lawrence man of beating a woman with a sex toy after he found it in her nightstand drawer and allegedly became enraged. The jury also found the man guilty of criminal damage to property, but acquitted him of the trial’s most serious charge: aggravated domestic battery by choking. The jury rendered its verdicts in the case of Servando Martinez-Vazquez, 24, after ...