photo by: Kim Callahan

Emergency crews respond after a car struck the Big Mill restaurant at Ninth and Mississippi streets on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022.

A Lawrence man accused of drunkenly crashing his vehicle into a central Lawrence restaurant two years ago and injuring several people will face trial early next year.

Douglas County Judge Sally Pokorny on Thursday scheduled Brandon Vess’ trial for Feb. 3, but first she warned him that she would jail him if he continued to miss court dates, as he had on Wednesday and throughout the case.

“You have discombobulated hearing and docket upon hearing and docket based on your inability to keep track of your life,” she told Vess Thursday during an appearance via Zoom. If it happens again, Pokorny said she would jail Vess, who has been out on bond, to ensure his appearance.

Vess, 31, is facing multiple felonies, including three counts of aggravated battery while driving under the influence, and misdemeanors including reckless driving and lacking proof of insurance. He’s accused of crashing into Big Mill restaurant, 900 Mississippi St., on Nov. 4, 2022, which heavily damaged the early 20th century building, shattering large glass windows and injuring three people. Police said that Vess had been driving 58 mph in a 30 mph zone on a rainy night with slick road conditions. His blood alcohol content was .16, twice the legal limit, according to his arrest affidavit.

Vess has two previous DUI convictions, one in March of 2017 and another in April of 2023, as the Journal-World reported.

On Sept. 9 of this year, just weeks before his scheduled October trial — the third time a trial had been set, then canceled — he was cited for driving without registration and without insurance while his license had been canceled or suspended, in addition to other alleged infractions.