photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Garnel Moore Williams, left, is pictured with attorney Michael Clarke Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Douglas County District Court.

A man accused of aggravated kidnapping and robbery was ordered to stand trial Tuesday after he waived his preliminary hearing, but his attorney told the court that a plea deal with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office was imminent.

Details of the deal for defendant Garnel Moore Williams were not provided, but the court set a plea hearing for March 3.

Moore Williams, 31, is facing the two felony charges for a November 2025 incident in which Lawrence police said several people were held at gunpoint for hours and some were strip-searched after Moore Williams claimed money had been stolen from him at an apartment on Michigan Street. The DA’s office has dismissed a third felony charge of aggravated assault.

According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Moore Williams has served prison time and has been convicted of numerous felonies, including drug possession in 2017 in Douglas County, burglary in 2014 in Douglas County, and aggravated assault, robbery and criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling/vehicle in 2018 in Shawnee County.