photo by: Kansas Department of Corrections

Kaleb T. Maxwell, pictured in March 2020

A Lawrence police officer said she heard a “crunch” when a man headbutted her, possibly breaking her nose, according to the affidavit supporting the man’s arrest.

Kaleb Troy Maxwell, 23, of Lawrence, was arrested April 19 after a reported domestic incident led to the alleged altercation with the responding officers.

Maxwell is facing charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and battery against a law enforcement officer, both felonies. He is also charged with three misdemeanors: criminal restraint, interference with law enforcement and battery against an officer.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has twice declined the Journal-World’s requests for Maxwell’s recent booking photo. Jail records describe him as a 5-foot-11 white male with brown hair and blue eyes.

The Journal-World requested and recently received the police affidavit supporting Maxwell’s arrest. Allegations in affidavits have not been proved in court, and all defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless and until they are convicted.

According to the affidavit, officers were called to a domestic disturbance just after 12:30 p.m. on April 19 in the 1300 block of West 24th Street. As the officers intervened, Maxwell allegedly “started to fight” them. The officers called for backup, as Maxwell was refusing to comply with their orders, according to the affidavit.

During the alleged altercation, Maxwell reportedly headbutted one of the officers, who later said that she “could hear a crunch in her nose” when Maxwell’s head hit her face. A doctor at Lawrence Memorial Hospital who examined her said that she had a nasal contusion with a suspected fracture, according to the affidavit.

Two more officers then arrived and helped place Maxwell in handcuffs “and the wrap due to his erratic behavior,” the affiant wrote, referring to a restraint system designed to prevent injury to arrestees and law enforcement.

One of the officers who arrived to help said that Maxwell had kicked him in the groin, the affidavit states.

Patrick Compton, a spokesman for the Lawrence Police Department, said medics treated a couple of minor injuries to Maxwell and the responding officers at the scene. The officer who suffered the broken nose has since recovered and returned to duty, Compton said.

When Maxwell was taken to the Douglas County Jail, a corrections officer emptied his shorts pockets and found a number of plastic bags containing a “white crystallized substance” that tested positive as meth, according to the affidavit; altogether, the 13 bags and their contents weighed 25 grams.

Compton said the street value of that amount of meth would be in the neighborhood of $600 to $800.

As of Wednesday, Maxwell remained in custody on $15,000 cash or surety bond, according to jail records.

Nick David, the defense attorney of record for Maxwell, did not respond to an email seeking comment for this article.