photo by: Journal-World File Photo

Breanna S. Pence

A former Douglas County sheriff’s deputy has been charged in connection with a years-old domestic battery incident involving a now-retired sheriff’s lieutenant.

Breanna S. Pence, 32, of Lawrence, is facing one count of domestic battery, a low-level misdemeanor charge, according to charging documents. The incident is alleged to have occurred on Oct. 31, 2020.

Pence started her career with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer in 2016 and became a deputy in 2019, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Pence’s employment with the office ended on May 3, said George Diepenbrock, spokesperson for the office, in an email to the Journal-World on Monday.

The person named in the charging document who was allegedly battered is Michael Hladky, who was a sergeant with the office at the time of the incident but was later promoted to lieutenant, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Diepenbrock said Hladky retired from the sheriff’s office on Jan. 30.

Diepenbrock declined to comment further about the nature of the incident or if there was a different connection between Hladky and Pence outside of the workplace.

A special prosecutor, William F. Hurst IV, out of Johnson County has been appointed to prosecute the case.

Pence is currently free on a $1,000 own-recognizance bond, meaning she was not required to pay any money to be released from jail but may be charged that amount if she fails to appear.

Pence first appeared in court in connection with the charge on May 18 in response to a summons and is next scheduled for a status conference on July 18.