photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

A Lawrence Police Department patrol vehicle is pictured June 28, 2022.

The Lawrence Police Department is continuing its investigation in the case of a City of Lawrence bus driver who was arrested last weekend for allegedly threatening to use a Taser on the bus.

As the Journal-World reported, the bus driver was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault after a caller and other bus riders indicated that the bus driver had threatened them with a Taser. The incident allegedly occurred near the Lawrence Community Shelter, 3655 E. 25th St., just before 1 p.m. Saturday.

Police provided few details about the incident but said at the time that they conducted a “thorough investigation” before making the arrest. However, the woman was released within a few hours with no charge having been filed.

The Journal-World has reached out multiple times to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office for more transparency regarding the matter, but the office has not responded. The newspaper has learned from police that a judge did review the case and determined the information contained in the police affidavit did not meet the elements for the charge of aggravated assault.

Investigators are preparing a revised affidavit, Sgt. Drew Fennelly with LPD said, “but currently it is unknown what charge, if any, will be recommended, as facts are still being established as the investigation progresses.”

Fennelly said that an aggravated assault recommendation with more complete information has not been ruled out.

“Investigators will work with the District Attorney’s Office to determine how to move forward,” Fennelly said in an email.

When the newspaper asked the City of Lawrence about the driver, including a question about her employment status, the only response of city spokeswoman Cori Wallace was that bus drivers are not employed by the city but instead by a city contractor, TransDev.

A spokesperson for TransDev, Mitun Seguin, told the Journal-World late Monday afternoon that the incident was under investigation, but she declined to provide other details, including the employment status of the driver.

“While we cannot comment on personnel details, we can reiterate that safety is our top priority. We train all our operators on safety and customer service protocols, including de-escalation techniques,” Seguin said in an email.