photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Aaron Michael Davidson, left, appears at a hearing on Aug. 13, 2024, in Douglas County District Court.

A man accused of numerous violent felonies has been paying for GPS monitoring to stay out of jail but not paying his attorney, which led on Tuesday to his attorney withdrawing and the creation of further delay in the case.

“Not the smartest move, in my opinion,” said Judge Amy Hanley, who told the man, Aaron Michael Davidson, that paying for his attorney should have been a priority.

Davidson, 23, is charged in Douglas County District Court with one count of rape, one count of aggravated criminal sodomy, one count of aggravated battery, two counts of aggravated domestic battery, one count of cruelty to animals and four counts of criminal threat, all felonies. He is also charged with four misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and one misdemeanor count of criminal restraint, according to charging documents.

The charges relate to incidents between August 2023 and January of 2024 and involve two victims. Charging documents list dozens of witnesses, including staff at the Lawrence Humane Society and a veterinarian.

Davidson was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, when Hanley would have heard evidence supporting the allegations and determined whether there was probable cause for Davidson to stand trial. The state subpoenaed eight witnesses to testify, but the hearing was canceled when Davidson’s attorney, John Kerns, asked to withdraw.

Kerns said that Davidson had hired him but that he had failed to pay for his services.

“Mr. Davidson is now in the negative with me,” Kerns told the court, noting that “it’s going to be a very expensive case.”

Hanley allowed Kerns to withdraw, then admonished Davidson, noting that Davidson had managed to pay a bondsman and was paying for GPS electronic monitoring but not for his attorney.

“I was in between jobs,” Davidson told the court by way of explanation. Hanley told him to get another attorney hired quickly and to be ready for the case to proceed without further delay.

Davidson was first arrested on Jan. 26 on suspicion of domestic battery, criminal restraint, aggravated domestic battery and aggravated assault. However, he was actually charged in February with seven crimes, including rape and animal cruelty. The state then added an additional eight counts in May, including a sodomy charge.

Davidson had initially posted a $15,000 bond after his arrest, but when the court learned that he had moved from Lawrence to Tolar, Texas, his bond was revoked. Hanley then set a new bond of $75,000, which Davidson later posted. One of the conditions of the new bond was that Davidson be monitored by GPS through his bond company and that he pay that company any fees associated with the service, according to court records.

After allowing Kerns to withdraw, Hanley ordered Davidson to reappear on Sept. 25 for a status conference in the case.

— Kim Callahan contributed to this report.