photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured in March of 2022. The center houses the Douglas County District Court and other county services.

A Lawrence man was ordered to stand trial Tuesday in Douglas County District Court on multiple counts of criminal damage and battery against a law enforcement officer — after previously having been ordered to stand trial in a separate case where he is alleged to have thrown bricks at passing cars.

The man, John Timothy Price, 34, in the most recent preliminary hearing is charged with four counts of criminal damage, two counts of battery against a law enforcement officer and one count of interference with a law enforcement officer.

The charges relate to an incident on Sept. 9, 2021, when Price is alleged to have broken windows at Commerce Bank, 955 Iowa St., Crimson and Brews Bar, 925 Iowa St., QuikTrip, 900 Iowa St., and an apartment, all near the intersection of Ninth and Iowa streets.

Multiple witnesses from law enforcement and the affected businesses testified Tuesday. Sgt. Robert Neff, who just retired from the Lawrence Police Department, testified that Price slapped him across the face as Neff tried to subdue him.

Neff said that he was nearby when he responded to the criminal damage calls and that he saw Price hurl a rock through two windows of the QuikTrip.

The assistant manager of the QuikTrip testified that he was stocking shelves in the store when a window next to him shattered. He said he stood up just in time to watch a man throw a rock through another of the store’s windows.

Tuesday’s preliminary hearing was interrupted when Price attempted to fire his attorney in the middle of the proceeding. After the first witness was called to the stand, Price interrupted the prosecutor and started to speak to Judge Stacey Donovan directly.

“I do not wish to go forward with this man as my attorney,” Price said, pointing to defense attorney Hatem Chahine.

Chahine is the fourth attorney who has been appointed to Price on this case and the other case where he is facing seven counts of aggravated assault and four counts of criminal damage.

Donovan denied Price’s request to fire Chahine and ordered Price to participate in the remainder of the hearing from a video conference room instead of from the courtroom.

The other case relates to an incident on Sept. 12, 2021, a few days after the first case, when Price is alleged to have thrown brick pavers at passing cars. Price had been bound over for trial in that case on May 16, according to court records.

He was free on a $3,000 own recognizance bond from the first incident at the time of the second incident, according to court records.

Donovan set trial dates for both cases — the brick-throwing case for Oct. 17 and the window-breaking case for Nov. 8.

Price was returned to the Douglas County Jail, where he is being held on a $20,000 cash bond that was set in the aggravated assault case on Sept. 12.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office declined to release Price’s booking photo.