photo by: Mugshot courtesy of Montgomery County, Indiana, Sheriff's Office

Chadwick Elliott Potter is pictured with the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center

A man who has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a body found near downtown Lawrence has been convicted of disorderly conduct for an incident that happened just weeks before the killing.

Chadwick Elliot Potter, 34, was arrested July 13 after the body of David Blaine Sullivan, 62, of Lawrence, was found a day earlier near the intersection of Sixth and Vermont streets. Potter, believed to be a transient, faces one count of second-degree murder in the case. Police have said that Sullivan suffered traumatic injuries after being struck with a blunt object, as the Journal-World reported.

But Potter had contact with Lawrence police less than three weeks prior to Sullivan’s death. Potter was charged with disorderly conduct around 11:15 p.m. in connection with an incident near the intersection of Tenth and Massachusetts streets on June 26.

According to the public record portion of the police report, the incident occurred at 947 Massachusetts St. Police classified the incident as “disorderly conduct; brawling or fighting.” The report says that the offender was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, and it does not specify a victim in the case beyond “society/public.”

There is no arrest in connection with the incident in the Douglas County Jail’s booking log at the time of the incident, but Potter was remanded to jail custody on Aug. 8 for 30 days in connection with the incident.

A clerk with the Municipal Court confirmed that the case had been resolved and that Potter was serving 30 days in jail.

The Journal-World has attempted to learn more about the charge, but both the Lawrence Police Department and the Municipal Court have declined to release additional information about the incident.

District Court Judge Amy Hanley has sealed the affidavit in the murder case against Potter.

Potter’s defense attorney, John Kerns, argued that news organizations sought information about the crime simply to obtain “hits” on their websites and to “make a buck.” He wrote that the public knowing information about a serious crime in the community would create a “massive cog in our system of justice,” as the Journal-World reported.

Kerns filed a motion to withdraw from the case shortly after saying that, indicating to the court that his client was dissatisfied with him, but Hanley denied the motion, ordering Kerns to continue as Potter’s attorney, according to court records. Hanley indicated in her order to seal the affidavit that she would reconsider releasing the document after Potter’s preliminary hearing.

Potter remains in custody at the Douglas County Jail on a $1 million bond in the murder case. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 6.

During Potter’s first appearance on the murder charge in July, Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden said that Potter had a criminal history in several states. Potter told the court he would not be able to afford an attorney because he was homeless.