photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking photo

Alfred D. Sanders

Story updated: 10:47 a.m. Tuesday, June 4, 2019.

A man charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting up a moving car with people inside — who’s been out on bond more than a year — was arrested this weekend for allegedly having a stolen gun and illegal drugs.

After posting a comparatively low bond in the new case, the suspect was released again, according to jail records. It’s two more weeks before he’s scheduled to go to court.

In his more serious felony case, Alfred D. Sanders, 47, of Lawrence, is charged with attempted second-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a gun at an occupied vehicle.

About 2 a.m. Feb. 5, 2018, two men and a woman were driving on Iowa Street near Bob Billings Parkway when a man pulled up beside them and fired three gunshots into their moving car, shattering both front windows but missing the occupants, according to a Lawrence police affidavit previously reported by the Journal-World.

The victims, all Hispanic, had argued with Sanders, who is black, earlier that night inside Astro’s Billiards and Bar, 601 Kasold Drive. One victim said he used to work at a restaurant with Sanders but didn’t know why he would follow and try to shoot them, except that Sanders’ wife once warned him to watch out for Sanders because he didn’t like Mexicans and carried guns. Another victim told police that while at the bar, Sanders made a comment indicating “he did not like Mexicans.”

Police investigated and arrested Sanders within hours.

On Feb. 26, 2018, Sanders posted $60,000 bond and was released from jail, according to court records. He was ordered not to possess guns or illegal drugs while out on bond.

On Saturday, Sanders was arrested at a North Lawrence convenience store on suspicion of possessing a stolen gun as well as opiates and drug paraphernalia, according to jail records. He was released on $4,500 bond and ordered to appear in court June 18.

A Lawrence police officer who recognized Sanders as someone who didn’t have a license saw him driving near Sixth and Massachusetts streets and followed his vehicle, Officer Shawn Gross said in an email.

When the vehicle stopped in the 1000 block of North Third Street, the officer stopped behind it, contacted the driver and smelled marijuana coming from the car, Gross said. He said the driver admitted to having marijuana but was uncooperative when the officer tried to search the car.

The officer then detained the driver “due to him being uncooperative and interfering with the continuance of the officer’s investigation,” Gross said. He said the officer found a stolen handgun under the driver’s seat, plus drugs and paraphernalia in the car and in the man’s pocket.

Sanders was cited twice in 2018 for allegedly driving on a suspended license, according to Douglas County District Court records.

Sanders’ attempted murder case remains pending, with his next hearing in that case as well as the two 2018 traffic cases scheduled for June 21.

New charges against Sanders didn’t appear in a search of Douglas County District Court records Monday.

Cheryl Wright Kunard, assistant to Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson, said that over the weekend the court rather than the DA’s office set Sanders’ $4,500 bond. Generally, she said the DA’s office could ask to have a defendant’s bond revoked but that such a request wouldn’t be public until it’s filed or made verbally in court.

“Our office is not consulted prior to setting these bond amounts and our office only learned (Monday) of the new arrest,” she said, in an email late Monday. “When a suspect picks up a new criminal case, our attorneys will review the affidavit and reports on the new case. A motion to revoke bond can be filed in an existing case.”