photo by: Journal-World File Photo

Breanna S. Pence

A former deputy with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has lost her certification to work as a law enforcement officer after entering into a diversion agreement to resolve misdemeanor domestic battery charges against a senior officer she was in a relationship with.

The deputy, Breanna S. Pence, 33, of Lawrence, was placed on diversion for one misdemeanor count of domestic battery in July, as the Journal-World reported. The battery incident occurred on Halloween night in 2020 at a party attended by multiple employees of the sheriff’s office. Pence is alleged to have been drinking a large amount of alcohol before she punched, kicked and hit with a bat Sgt. Michael Hladky, with whom she was in a romantic relationship, while he was attempting to give Pence a ride home from the party, as the Journal-World reported.

The Kansas Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, also known as CPOST, revoked Pence’s certification on Oct. 18 for lack of good moral character, being convicted of a misdemeanor domestic abuse incident and failure to maintain minimum requirements for certification. The revocation order was published on Tuesday.

Pence’s employment with the sheriff’s office ended on May 3, 2023, after she was charged with the offense in April, but she had been under investigation since late 2022. Her ability to testify in pending cases has been put under scrutiny by Lawrence attorney Gerald Wells, who has argued in court that the allegation against Pence should have been disclosed to his client by the district attorney’s office under Brady/Giglio rules, as the Journal-World reported.