A former deputy with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has lost his law enforcement certification for lying about the location of a crash in which he was driving a county vehicle.
Brandon Lewis was employed first as a corrections officer in October 2005 and certified as a deputy in September 2009. He worked for DGSO for more than 19 years, most recently as a master deputy.
Lewis was traveling back to Douglas County from Wichita in a county-owned transport vehicle on Nov. 4, 2024, according to the recent summary order from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training revoking Lewis’ certification.
Lewis was working in DGSO’s corrections division in the transports unit, Sheriff Jay Armbrister said in emailed responses to questions.
“That was what he was doing the day of this incident; however, he was alone in his vehicle at the time of the crash as he’d dropped an individual off and was returning to Douglas County,” Armbrister said.
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The roadway was wet, and Lewis hydroplaned, lost control and slid into the grass but was able to safely return to the roadway, according to KSCPOST. After Lewis arrived back in Douglas County and exited the vehicle, he noticed damage on the passenger side, according to the revocation order.
Lewis contacted his supervisor to report the incident and wrote in his report that the crash had occurred around 12:45 p.m. on Interstate 70 near milemarker 199. That’s approximately between the Lawrence interchanges at Kansas Highway 10 and McDonald Drive.
“After concerns arose regarding the true location of the crash,” the sheriff’s office opened an investigation, according to KSCPOST.
Asked what sparked those concerns, Armbrister said that “Fellow employees believed this needed to be looked into further.”
The investigation found that the crash had actually happened between 10:54 and 11:24 a.m. on Interstate 35 between Cassoday and Emporia, according to KSCPOST.
Armbrister said it was unknown why Lewis had falsely stated the location of the crash.
The map below indicates the approximate locations of where Lewis said the crash occurred and where it actually occurred, as well as Wichita and the Douglas County jail.
Lewis could not immediately be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
“I think it speaks for itself in that he falsified an official document as part of dishonesty and was relieved of his duties as a result,” Armbrister said.
Lewis was placed on leave on Nov. 15, and he was terminated Jan. 8. Armbrister said DGSO does not have concerns about Lewis fabricating details in his investigations but did not elaborate on why not.
According to the KSCPOST summary, Lewis told an investigator in April that he would not appear for an interview to determine whether he was still suited for law enforcement certification, and that “he was done with law enforcement.”
Prosecutors need to be aware of any dishonesty or bias in law enforcement officers’ criminal and professional histories, and they have a legal duty to turn that information over to defense attorneys. Lies from law enforcement can lead to guilty defendants walking free, innocent defendants getting convicted, and crime victims getting no justice or closure.
Douglas County District Attorney Dakota Loomis said the DA’s office has no active cases in which Lewis is a material witness. The crash and the investigation were resolved, and Lewis was terminated just before Loomis took office Jan. 13.
Loomis said his office has not conducted a systematic review of cases in which Lewis was a material witness. He said it appeared Lewis was working at the jail for “quite some time” prior to his departure.
“This may help explain why he has not been a material witness on any cases since I took office and the last case in which his testimony would have been material was filed and resolved way back in 2021,” Loomis said. “… If at any point former Dep. Lewis was involved in an active case as a witness, we would notify defense counsel immediately.”
The damage to the vehicle was not very severe, Armbrister said.
George Diepenbrock, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the total cost to repair the damage was $2,822, and DGSO pays a $2,500 deductible.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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