photo by: Chris Conde/ Journal-World

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured in September 2018.

A Topeka man has been charged in Douglas County District Court with aggravated robbery after allegedly stealing a car from a Lawrence man at knifepoint.

The man, Juan Marco Sanchez Sagarnaga, 18, is charged with one count of aggravated robbery with a dangerous weapon. The felony charge stems from an incident early Friday morning, according to charging documents.

Police responded to a report of a robbery around 3:45 a.m. at an apartment in the 500 block of Eldridge Street, said Lawrence police spokesperson Laura McCabe. A man told police that he was leaving for work when he was confronted by two men, one of whom was armed with a knife, and they took his keys, wallet and car. The man was not injured during the incident, McCabe said.

Shortly after the car was reported stolen, a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper located the car on U.S. Highway 24 just east of Kansas Highway 32 and arrested the driver. Another suspect connected to the incident was located in Leavenworth County in a different reportedly stolen vehicle, McCabe said.

Sanchez Sagarnaga was booked into the Douglas County Jail around 4:40 a.m. Friday, according to the jail’s booking log. At his first appearance later that day, he was appointed defense attorney Branden Smith and was given a $40,000 cash or surety bond, according to court records. He was still in custody as of Tuesday afternoon. He is scheduled in court for a status update on Aug. 30. His booking photo was not immediately available.

Listed as a witness in Sanchez Sagarnaga’s charging documents is Miguel Gonzalez Morales, 30, of Topeka. Gonzalez Morales was booked into the Leavenworth County Jail Friday afternoon on suspicion of interfering with law enforcement, felony flee and elude, possession of stolen property, drug possession and operating a vehicle without a license. The Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office told the Journal-World that charges were not filed against Gonzalez Morales and he was released to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s custody Monday morning.

photo by: Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office

Miguel Gonzalez Morales