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Myrone Grady

A Lawrence police lieutenant has been charged in Shawnee County with one count of misdemeanor battery over an alleged incident at a basketball game.

Charging documents filed on Feb. 7 indicate that Lt. Myrone Grady, the Lawrence Police Department’s executive officer for diversity and community engagement, is accused of battery on another man on Jan. 27 in Shawnee County.

According to a motion to dismiss filed by Grady’s attorney, Shaye Downing, of Lawrence, Grady acted in self-defense and should be immune from prosecution. Downing’s motion says that Grady was attending his child’s basketball game at a local high school in Shawnee County when the alleged victim approached in “a threatening and volatile manner.”

Downing says Grady used minimal force in protecting himself from being physically attacked, and she requests that the court hold an evidentiary hearing on the matter of immunity.

Grady has been summoned to appear in the Shawnee County court’s misdemeanor division on April 30.

A spokesperson for LPD told the Journal-World that Grady told Chief Rich Lockhart about the incident immediately.

“Lt. Grady was off duty outside our jurisdiction,” Laura McCabe, the spokesperson, said. “In alignment with our policy, we will not conduct a full internal investigation until the conclusion of any court proceedings.”