People who are booked into jails statewide have long waited several months — even more than a year — for beds at state mental hospitals, so their competency to understand court proceedings can be restored. Douglas County is now working on a local solution to that problem.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
The prosecutor handling a complaint against Douglas County DA Suzanne Valdez asked a disciplinary panel Wednesday to consider whether they believe the testimony of Valdez and her deputy, or that of the other 13 witnesses who testified.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez became tearful as she repeatedly apologized and expressed how embarrassed she was to be sitting in her disciplinary hearing Tuesday afternoon.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
Derogatory public statements by the district attorney have altered Douglas County’s criminal legal system from March 2021 forward, according to testimony in the DA’s disciplinary hearing Monday.
Two of Douglas County’s top law enforcement officials have reached an agreement following a long dispute over access to information contained in deputies’ personnel files.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
A disciplinary hearing for Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez has been rescheduled for three days in December.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
A two-day hearing on a disciplinary case against the Douglas County district attorney has been postponed at her attorney’s request, which cited a “personal tragedy.”
Courtesy photo
A disciplinary hearing against DA Suzanne Valdez will be conducted in person next month, though attorneys Tuesday could not guarantee that testimony would be completed within the two days currently planned.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
The Douglas County DA has filed her answer to a disciplinary complaint, admitting some of the core allegations against her but adding context and placing some blame on ex-employees.
Mackenzie Clark/Lawrence Times
Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez on Tuesday filed her answer to a pending disciplinary complaint and released a statement saying, in part, that her comments about a judge were “deserving of heightened protections under the First Amendment.”
