photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center

An October rape trial for a Lawrence man will no longer occur after Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez asked the court to dismiss the case.

Malachi Trenton Starr, 23, was accused of raping a woman in a car on April 30, 2022, as the Journal-World reported. The woman testified at a preliminary hearing that she was too drunk to consent to the encounter and had told Starr no. Starr was then ordered to stand trial.

It’s not clear why Valdez dropped the case; her motion for dismissal, filed on Aug. 15, only cites “prosecutorial discretion” as the reason. Judge Amy Hanley on Monday ordered the dismissal without prejudice, meaning the case could be brought again.

Starr was put on diversion in a separate case in Douglas County in September 2022. He was charged in that case with four felony counts of distributing counterfeit currency for a series of incidents in November 2021, according to court records. As part of his diversion agreement, he stipulated to the fact that he exchanged fake $100 bills for smaller bills at four businesses on Massachusetts Street. The state has filed a motion to revoke his diversion in that case.

Starr also has a pending felony case for allegedly fleeing and eluding law enforcement on March 15.