photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Xaviar Dean Anderson

One of five people accused of attacking an off-duty Lawrence police officer in 2022 pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two felonies in the case.

As part of a plea agreement, Xaviar Dean Anderson, 20, of Pomona, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated battery and one count of aggravated intimidation of a victim, both felonies. At a hearing in February, he had been bound over for trial on both of those charges and a count of felony aggravated battery, but the latter charge was dismissed under the plea agreement.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Tatum said Tuesday in Douglas County District Court that the state believes Anderson has no prior criminal history. If the state is correct, Judge Stacey Donovan said, that would mean Anderson would be eligible for probation under state sentencing guidelines, and Tatum said the state would be recommending an underlying sentence of 19 months in prison. If Anderson is sentenced to probation, he will be required to register as a violent offender during the term of his probation, Donovan said.

Anderson’s charges were in connection with an incident in the early morning hours of Nov. 4, 2022, near the intersection of Bob Billings Parkway and George Williams Way, when police officer Austin Corbitt was out for a walk during his off-duty hours and was confronted and attacked by multiple people, as the Journal-World reported.

Corbitt testified in February that he was approached by a person who attacked him with a tire iron and that another person demanded money from him. Corbitt said he was able to fight them off and run away. He also testified that while he was hiding under a nearby bridge after the attack, he heard gunfire from the attackers’ vehicle before police arrived.

The other people charged in the attack were Zachary Taylor Maddux, 19, of Lawrence; Addison Jon Leo Giullian, 19, of Lawrence; Jackson Eugene Brouhard, 20, of Lawrence; and a person who was a minor at the time.

During the preliminary hearing for Anderson in February, Detective Josh Leitner testified that he took a statement from Anderson in which Anderson said that Maddux had intended to attack Corbitt with a nearby rock, but that Anderson went to the trunk of the vehicle the men were riding in, retrieved the tire iron and gave it to Maddux. Leitner said Anderson told him that Maddux and the minor approached Corbitt while the other three men waited at the car.

Anderson agreed as part of his plea agreement that his statements to police after his arrest were truthful and that he would testify against any codefendants if necessary, Tatum said.

The juvenile, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was alleged to have been the person who demanded money from Corbitt. The juvenile pleaded no contest to one felony count of aggravated battery in March and was sentenced to nine months of probation.

Brouhard pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of reckless aggravated battery and was sentenced to three years of probation with an underlying sentence of 34 months in prison.

photo by: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

Jackson Eugene Brouhard

Giullian was alleged to have been the one who fired a gun; he pleaded guilty to one felony count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in March. The conviction invoked a special rule in Kansas sentencing guidelines that says a person convicted of a felony involving use of a firearm is required to serve their time in prison regardless of their criminal history. He was sentenced to 11 months in prison in May.

photo by: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

Addison Jon Leo Giullian

Maddux is charged with attempted first-degree murder and is scheduled for a status conference on Oct. 10. He is currently being held on a $250,000 cash or surety bond. Court records indicate his attorney, KiAnn Caprice, has been negotiating a plea agreement with the state.

Anderson is currently free on a $75,000 cash or surety bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 9.