photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

The Allstars nightclub at 913 N. Second St. is pictured Thursday, July 14, 2022.

Charges were dismissed Friday in Douglas County District Court against two men who were accused of battering a man at the now-closed Allstars nightclub in North Lawrence.

Daequan Jermaine Rayton, 24, and Christopher Shane Wuenstel, 23, both of Topeka, were each facing one felony count of aggravated battery, but after a preliminary hearing Friday, their charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the charges could be refiled.

The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 1, 2021, when Rayton and Wuenstel were accused of battering Jermey Anthony Johnson, 24, of Lawrence. Johnson allegedly returned to the club with a gun after the altercation and fired several rounds, as the Journal-World previously reported.

Johnson is facing two counts of attempted first-degree murder and is currently free on a $100,000 bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 19 for a status conference.

Rayton was recently acquitted in an unrelated case by a Douglas County jury, as the Journal-World reported. On Sept. 16, he was found not guilty of attempted first-degree murder. His defense attorney, Nicholas David, argued at trial that Rayton’s shooting of a man Jan. 1 at The Outhouse nightclub was self-defense.