photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

A Lawrence Police Department patrol vehicle is pictured June 28, 2022.

Story updated at 7:08 p.m. Tuesday:

A Lawrence police detective has been charged in Douglas County District Court with a DUI after he crashed into a parked car while off duty.

Detective Adam Christopher Welch, 38, of Lawrence, faces one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level of .08% or more, according to charging documents. The charges relate to an incident around 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 3, when Welch is alleged to have crashed into a parked car in the 1500 block of Lindenwood Lane.

Welch was charged on Oct. 18 in Douglas County by prosecutor Karen Cudlin Wittman from the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office, according to court records.

Wittman has significant experience in DUI law; she and a Sedgwick County prosecutor compiled an indexed record of Kansas DUI cases — “DUI Law 18th Edition: All Published and Abridged Unpublished Cases Through September 2022” — and Wittman also worked on several previous versions of that document. She has also helped provide training in DUI law for Kansas prosecutors, including at a “2022 Prosecutor DUI Boot Camp” with the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office.

“Due to the prior working relationship between the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office and Lawrence Police Department Detective Adam Welch, District Attorney Valdez sought an outside prosecutor to conduct a review of this case to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest,” said Cheryl Cadue, spokesperson for the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.

The Wyandotte County DA’s Office was contacted in early September about the case, and the charge was filed as soon as Wittman obtained all of the necessary reports related to the case, said Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Jonathan Carter.

“Ms. Wittman will appear in court in Douglas County District Court for any and all hearings in this matter. The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office will not be involved in any hearings or decisions made in the case,” Carter said in an email to the Journal-World.

Prior to becoming DA, Valdez worked as a special prosecutor for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office for a number of years.

Laura McCabe, spokesperson for the Lawrence Police Department, said that Welch has returned to his regular duties after having been initially placed on paid administrative leave. The Lawrence Police Department is not involved in the investigation of the incident.

According to a crash report from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, which was called to the scene by a Lawrence officer who recognized Welch, a deputy observed signs of alcohol impairment in Welch, but Welch refused to submit to an impairment test. Welch was driving a silver Nissan Maxima southbound on Lindenwood Lane when he struck a black Ford Fusion.

The owner of the damaged vehicle made contact with Welch after the accident, and Welch identified himself, then apologized for the damage and claimed responsibility for the accident, according to the report. Welch requested an attorney before deputies arrived and did not answer any questions.

The crash report indicates that a blood test was performed on Welch after his arrest.

Welch is scheduled for arraignment on Dec. 2. After his arrest he was released on a $250 cash bond.