Charges dismissed due to insufficient evidence against three men accused in Lawrence pit bull attack

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.

Charges were dismissed Wednesday against three men accused of using a pit bull as a weapon in an attack at a south Lawrence apartment complex.

The men, Malachi Samuel Thomas, 22, Trevon Andrew Anderson, 19, and Isaiah Jawone Mabry, 21, all of Lawrence, were each facing one felony count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon using a pit bull and two misdemeanor counts of battery. A police affidavit alleges that the men attacked two men at The Reserve on West 31st apartment complex, 2511 W. 31st St., on June 26, 2022, as the Journal-World previously reported.

On Wednesday, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office filed its motion to dismiss charges against Anderson and Mabry “due to insufficient evidence” and against Thomas due to “lack of cooperation.” Court records indicate that the court was unable to serve subpoenas to multiple witnesses in the case and that those witnesses no longer live at the addresses the court has on record.

The charges have been dismissed without prejudice, meaning that they could be refiled at a later date.

A fourth man charged in the incident, Devontae Deshon Rae Torres, 24, of Lawrence, pleaded no contest in Douglas County District Court in November 2022 to one count of felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in connection with the incident.

This is the second case involving Thomas, Anderson, and Mabry that has been dropped in recent months. The men were also accused of stealing liquor and beer from an apartment, also at The Reserve on West 31st apartment complex. Torres was also charged in that case along with Blake William Brown, 21, and Nasir Rahman Ali Penny, 20, both of Leavenworth.

In that case, the charges were dismissed “due to insufficient evidence” after a preliminary hearing in January where witnesses who testified were unable to accurately identify the men.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Devontae Deshon Rae Torres is pictured at a sentencing hearing on Jan. 6, 2022.

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