photo by: Contributed

A screenshot from a video of the Douglas County DA forum shows, from left, audience member Sarah Swain; Pastor Leo Barbee Jr. and candidates Dakota Loomis, Suzanne Valdez and Tonda Hill.

Two of the three Democratic candidates running for Douglas County district attorney left the stage of a candidate forum that turned heated Saturday after an audience member made accusations against current DA Suzanne Valdez.

Valdez left the forum’s stage and did not return to participate in the question-and-answer session, while the second candidate, Tonda Hill, left but then returned to participate in the last 45 minutes of the forum.

Hill was the first to leave the stage after Valdez startled her by reaching out toward her in an effort to grab a microphone that Hill was holding. Valdez sought to grab the microphone to respond to allegations that former defense attorney Sarah Swain made against Valdez related to how she ran her office and oversaw employees.

Valdez and Swain were speaking in raised voices and talking over each other frequently, according to video of the event that was held Saturday at Lawrence’s Victory Bible Church and moderated by the church’s pastor, Leo Barbee Jr. The video shows Hill standing up and walking off the stage.

Hill told the Journal-World on Monday that she departed from the stage at that moment to “de-escalate” a yelling match that she didn’t think would stop otherwise.

“They were yelling back and forth at each other; none of them were adhering to” what the pastor was asking them to do, she said.

Hill said she was also “appalled” that there was screaming in a house of worship, and she was taken aback by the “hostility” of Valdez “snatching the mic from me.”

Valdez did not respond to the Journal-World’s request for comment.

In the video, Valdez stands up and talks over Hill, saying she doesn’t “want to be a part of this either,” but she continues talking and sits back down next to the third candidate on the stage, Dakota Loomis. The video showed Loomis remaining silent during the incident.

Moments later, as the heated discussion continues, Barbee says, “I need to call this to a halt because we’re not here to tat-for-tat.”

Barbee then dismisses the candidates, and Swain and Valdez depart, with Valdez walking past Barbee apologizing and saying “This is why this was not a good idea.”

Shortly afterward, the forum resumed — Barbee guessed for another 45 minutes — with Hill and Loomis answering questions.

Barbee told the Journal-World Monday that he was not happy with the turn the event took.

“We were looking to have a nice discussion,” he said, not “an attack,” but he believed that Swain “came with an agenda.”

“We’re not going to have that kind of discussion,” he said.

Swain, who has been publicly supporting Hill’s campaign, told the Journal-World on Monday that she believed it was important for the public to hear what she had to say, as someone who had worked in the legal community with Valdez’s office. Swain, who was the Democratic candidate for Kansas Attorney General in 2018, acknowledged that she was sharing pent-up grievances but also said that Valdez’s response to her Saturday was revealing.

“I’m glad that the public got to see who DA Vadez really is instead of the image she tries to cultivate,” she said.

Despite the disruption, Loomis said he appreciated the opportunity to participate in the forum.

“I always welcome the opportunity to hear from voters and answer any questions they may have about me or the District Attorney’s Office,” he said in an email to the Journal-World. “That is why I came to the forum, that is why I stayed and continued to answer questions after the disruption between Ms. Swain, District Attorney Valdez, and Ms. Hill, and that is why I stayed after the event to continue chatting with folks about why Douglas County deserves a professional District Attorney’s Office that will focus on keeping our community safe.”

Advance voting is underway in the Democratic primary, which is scheduled for Aug. 6. The winner of that primary will face Republican candidate for DA Mike Warner.