The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office had not yet made any changes to visitation at the jail as of Wednesday afternoon, but one would-be inmate had been released to self-quarantine. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many public facilities around the country have closed to visitors — including ...
The city’s Bodywork Advisory Board on Wednesday voted 4-1 to uphold the city clerk’s decision to suspend the license of Shawn P. O’Brien, a Lawrence massage therapist who has been charged with a child sex crime. Though O’Brien has not been convicted, City Clerk Sherri Riedemann wrote ...
Story updated at 11:31 a.m. Wednesday A woman who pleaded guilty to first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of a Lawrence man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Now-20-year-old Ashlyn N. Hemmerling, of Baldwin City, was sentenced for her role as an accomplice in the ...
Most hearings in cases pending in Douglas County District Court, including jury trials, are postponed effective immediately, according to a Tuesday order from Chief Judge James McCabria. In addition, Judge Amy Hanley has entered a period of self-quarantine, in accordance with a Kansas Supreme ...
A judge has sided with the University of Kansas in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former tenure-track professor. Cathy Joritz, who became a professor in KU’s Department of Film and Media Studies in 2012, has been representing herself in cases she's filed against the university ...
A legal action filed Monday alleges that Douglas County commissioners are not allowing citizens to vote or petition against a plan to fund an expansion of the local jail, despite an obligation to do so under state law. The action is the latest in activists' yearslong efforts to stop the county ...
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office released more information Monday about a crash on North 1800 Road, the Farmer’s Turnpike, that left two people dead over the weekend. A Toyota Prius, driven by 30-year-old Bryon Virtue, of Wellsville, was in the eastbound lane and was hit head-on when a ...
Story updated at 3:05 p.m. Monday All nonessential dockets in Lawrence Municipal Court have been canceled for the next two weeks, beginning immediately, the city announced Monday afternoon. Judge Scott Miller of the court, which handles city ordinance violations including traffic and parking ...
The city clerk has suspended the license of a Lawrence massage therapist who has been charged with a child sex crime, and a citizen advisory board must soon provide guidance on whether to uphold that suspension. Shawn Paul O’Brien, 48, was charged in February in Douglas County District ...
Two people were killed Saturday morning in a two-car crash on Farmer’s Turnpike northwest of Lawrence, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said. In an email to the Journal-World, Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputy Charlie Cooper said the fatal accident occurred about 5:30 a.m. in the 700 ...
Inmates serving sentences in the Douglas County Jail could be released on 14-day furloughs without court hearings if they are at risk for, or actively suffering from, the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, according to a court order. The Douglas County District Court administrative order, issued ...
In likely the last packed Douglas County District Court hearing until further notice, Stacey Donovan was sworn in as a judge on Friday. Donovan, who was previously chief public defender in Shawnee County, was appointed to the judgeship vacated by now-retired Judge Peggy Carr Kittel. Despite ...
Douglas County District Court is staying open but restricting access to courtrooms effective immediately, according to orders issued Friday. Except for criminal jury trials, members of the public will not be permitted entry into the courtrooms or adjacent hallways unless they are a party to a ...
By close of business Monday, all Kansas district courts must have a plan to keep critical functions running, according to a Thursday order from the Kansas Supreme Court. If a Kansas district court is forced to close because of an infectious disease outbreak and that closure is approved by one ...
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical first responders are currently following the same protocol they normally do, Tom Fagan, division chief of administration, said Thursday. As concerns of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, spread, Fagan told the Journal-World that LDCFM’s responders ...
The Douglas County Jail is equipped to handle individuals who need medical quarantine, according to the sheriff’s office. As gatherings of people are being canceled across the country amid fears of COVID-19, the Journal-World inquired Tuesday about what protocol is in place for screening ...
A Shawnee man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of rape, according to the Douglas County Jail booking log. The 28-year-old was taken into custody at the downtown Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center early Wednesday on a probable cause warrant, according to the booking log. He ...
A Lawrence man waived his preliminary hearing, and his attorney is trying to negotiate a plea with prosecutors for a wreck that killed a 24-year-old mother of two. Eric Lee Spaeth, 43, has been charged in Douglas County District Court with second-degree murder in connection with the death of ...
Updated at 3:44 p.m. Tuesday: A Lawrence police officer reportedly used his credentials on multiple occasions to access driving records of a woman with whom he’s involved in custody litigation, court documents allege. He didn't think accessing the information was illegal, he reportedly ...
A few years have passed since Antonio Sanchez-Day was released from prison for the second time. But he can still smell the disinfectant and the smoke of the cellhouse; he can hear the squawk of the radios, the doors slamming shut and the murmurs of other inmates. In prison, he could go ...