Members of the public may access public documents in Douglas County District Court criminal cases by visiting the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal.
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August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Fatal shooting at Hawk stemmed from argument with bar staff, Lawrence police allege
A confrontation at the Hawk, a popular bar near KU’s campus, escalated from a dispute with bar staff members to gunfire that killed an 18-year-old and left a 16-year-old critically injured, court records show.
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Brady/Giglio • Rontarus Washington Jr. • Albert Wilson • Justin Spiehs
MORe crime & courts
Lawrence police work with domestic violence center to prevent and identify human trafficking
In the years following a high-profile murder case, the Lawrence Police Department and The Willow Domestic Violence Center joined forces to help victims of human trafficking. The two organizations worked to fine-tune a longstanding relationship with the addition of a victims’ advocate in 2020.
KU Law students to offer free help with criminal record expungements
Students with the KU School of Law’s Legal Aid Clinic are preparing to help folks get their criminal records expunged, free for those who qualify.
She killed her rapist after months of abuse. Advocates say Kansas governor should set her free.
A jury convicted Sarah Gonzales-McLinn of first-degree murder in 2015 without knowing about the months of abuse that preceded her grisly crime. Now, her advocates hope to get her out of prison by convincing the governor to grant her clemency — a longshot attempt to correct what they view as injustice.
Scuffle over Kelly’s nominee to Court of Appeals foreshadows bigger fight over Supreme Court
The Kansas Senate unanimously confirmed Kansas Court of Appeals nominee Rachel Pickering despite alarms set off by Republicans about judicial criticism leveled against her decisions as appellate defense counsel in a 15-year-old criminal case.
Fundraiser seeks to help Lawrence woman wrongly convicted in infant’s death
A Lawrence woman who was wrongly convicted of killing a boy who had died from natural causes is hoping for community support to start putting her life back together.
Justice Matters to hold meeting on Vera Institute study of incarceration in Douglas County
Lawrence advocacy group Justice Matters invites community members to an educational meeting about a study that highlighted stark racial disparities in incarceration and found that most bookings into the Douglas County jail are for minor, nonviolent charges, among other conclusions.
Broad coalition urges Kansas lawmakers to amend law on driving license revocations
Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau says state law revoking driving privileges for failure to pay a traffic citation should be amended to give motorists the opportunity to apply for a restricted license so they could get to work and earn money to pay off any penalties.
Kansas group: Name priests in child sex abuse report and change the statute of limitations
The road to reporting persistent sexual abuse by her Lawrence gymnastics coach in 1998 was a long and difficult one for Kim Bergman, of Shawnee.
Kansas public defense struggles to meet constitutional standards with lack of workers
Kansas public defense is at a crisis point, officials say, with overworked attorneys struggling to provide adequate services in the midst of a worker shortage.
Kansas juvenile justice reform effort left major flaws in system, officials say
Stabbings, 16-year-olds with guns and violent attacks: Officials working with young offenders in Kansas say they need lawmakers to step up and fix flaws within the state’s juvenile justice system.





