Jaren B. Collins
One of two McLouth men facing charges in a Lawrence shooting case was convicted in Douglas County District Court on Wednesday after agreeing to a plea deal.
Jaren B. Collins, 19, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of aggravated assault, based upon the plea agreement, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office said on Thursday. Collins is scheduled for sentencing on June 18.
The other man in the case, Camdon J. Collins, 18, is scheduled for a plea hearing on Tuesday, according to court records.
The charges the men were facing stemmed from a reported gunfire exchange around 1 a.m. on Jan. 4 in the 2400 block of Louisiana Street.
photo by: Dylan Lysen/Lawrence Journal-World
Rontarus Washington Jr. appears in Douglas County District Court on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, with Tricia Bushnell, one of the three attorneys serving as his new counsel. Washington is also being represented by attorneys Melanie Morgan and Josh Dubin.
With new attorneys serving as defense counsel in Rontarus Washington Jr.’s long-running murder case, Judge James McCabria said Tuesday that he was not sure the current trial date for September would hold.
During a hearing in Douglas County District Court, McCabria approved Washington’s new counsel, which includes Kansas-based attorney Melanie Morgan and Josh Dubin and Tricia Bushnell of the Innocence Project. McCabria said he felt comfortable allowing Dubin and others to take over the defense in the case after hearing from Judge Sally Pokorny, who complimented Dubin’s handling of a case in her court.
photo by: Lauren Fox
Former University of Kansas basketball player Silvio De Sousa, left, is pictured with his attorney, Hatem Chahine, on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, in Douglas County District Court.
Story updated at 5:54 p.m. Tuesday:
A Douglas County District Court judge on Tuesday ordered former University of Kansas basketball player Silvio De Sousa to stand trial in an aggravated battery case that stems from a 2020 incident outside a bar in downtown Lawrence in which he is accused of hitting a man who later lost vision in his eye.
After Tuesday’s preliminary hearing, in which Judge Sally Pokorny determined there was probable cause to proceed to trial, De Sousa pleaded not guilty to the charge. His trial is scheduled for Aug. 2 and is expected to last around three days.
photo by: Elvyn Jones
The platform at Midland Railway in Baldwin City is shown on July 1, 2018. The railroad will offer Polar Express rides beginning this holiday season.
A once-popular tourist railroad in Baldwin City has settled an unpaid tax bill and a pair of lawsuits, but its future remains cloudy with no date for when train rides may resume.
The Baldwin City & Southern Railroad and its fellow nonprofit railway association also continue to face nearly $1 million in legal claims between the two entities, including a more than $300,000 dispute with the city of Baldwin City over a government-sponsored loan program the railway used. In addition, new cases continue to arise, with a ruling coming down last week against the railway related to back pay for employees.
photo by: Mackenzie Clark
The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, which houses Douglas County District Court and a number of other criminal justice services at 111 E. 11th St., is pictured April 8, 2020.
A Lawrence man accused of stabbing another man for insulting him will stand trial on felony charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated burglary.
After hearing testimony during a preliminary hearing Thursday in Douglas County District Court, Judge Kay Huff bound Brian Samuel Stubbs, 24, over for trial on four charges. Along with the felony charges, Stubbs is facing the misdemeanor charges of criminal use of a weapon and obstruction.