Three trials underway at Douglas County District Court; DUI restaurant crash, battery on a corrections officer, and civil suit for fatal tow-truck incident

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World
The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured on Nov. 27, 2023.
Three trials are underway in Douglas County District Court Monday morning as more than 100 potential jurors were called to service to hear cases involving allegations of a DUI crash that damaged a Lawrence restaurant, an attack on a corrections officer, and a fatal tow-truck incident.
The alleged DUI crash damaged Big Mill, 900 Mississippi St., on Nov. 4, 2022. The defendant, Brandon Lee Vess, 31, of Lawrence, is alleged to have had a blood alcohol level of .16 — twice the legal limit for driving in Kansas — before crashing into the restaurant injuring three people, as the Journal-World reported.
He is charged with three felony counts of aggravated battery while driving under the influence, as well as misdemeanor counts of having no proof of insurance and reckless driving.

photo by: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
Brandon Vess
Vess has two previous DUI convictions, one in March of 2017 and another in April of 2023, according to court records. The trial is scheduled through Friday.
In another criminal trial, Cetewayo Mohzabreun Ragins, 43, of Lawrence, is charged with one felony count of battery on a corrections officer while in custody at the Douglas County jail. The incident is alleged to have occurred on June 12, 2024, according to charging documents.
Ragins was in custody at the time on suspicion of misdemeanor charges for interference with law enforcement and battery that allegedly occurred the day before, according to the jail booking log. He has two other pending cases in Douglas County District Court including felony charges for aggravated assault and battery on a law enforcement officer stemming from a Feb. 24, 2024, incident, and another felony charge for battery on a corrections officer stemming from an incident on June 23, 2024.

photo by: Kansas Department of Corrections
Cetewayo Mohzabreun Ragins
Ragins has previously been convicted in Douglas County for felony drug possession in 2020 and two felony counts of aggravated robbery in 2011, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. The trial is expected to resolve Tuesday morning.
The third trial starting Monday is a civil lawsuit filed against Lawrence-based Hillcrest Wrecking tow services, and an employee of the company, in connection with the death of Lindsay Raine, 29, of Lawrence, on Nov. 9, 2020, around 11:20 a.m. in the 3400 block of Augusta Dr.
Originally reported as an accident, Raine’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Hillcrest in 2021 citing negligence in hiring and training practices. The trial is scheduled through Friday.
According to a police report filed as evidence in the case, Raine had called Hilcrest to tow her vehicle to be taken for repairs. The tow truck driver told police that when she arrived, Raine’s vehicle, a maroon Chrysler, was on wooden blocks in the driveway. The tow truck driver said she was turning the tow-truck around when Raine began rocking the car off the wooden blocks while standing next to the car with the driver side door open. The tow truck driver said she called out to Raine to stop.
The tow truck driver said the car then started to roll down the driveway, then Raine attempted to jump in the car. Moments later, Raine was no longer visible. The two truck driver then moved the tow truck into the path of the Chrysler to stop it. The Chrysler crashed into the tow truck, the tow truck driver got out and put the Chrysler in park. She then saw Raine’s legs under the vehicle and called 911.
Medics arrived at the scene but life saving measures were unsuccessful, according to the report.