Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Shawn O’Brien, 50, of Lawrence was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years for each of three felony counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and 12 months in Douglas County Jail for each of five misdemeanor counts of sexual battery.
County News
Posted Friday, September 24, 2021 - 12:11pm
Posted Thursday, September 23, 2021 - 5:08pm
Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that a jury returned guilty verdicts of assault with a domestic violence designation and interference with law enforcement against Robert Brothers Jr., 19, of Lawrence.
Brothers was acquitted of two counts of aggravated kidnapping. Judge Amy Hanley entered a directed verdict of not guilty on one count of theft of a firearm.
Posted Friday, September 10, 2021 - 2:06pm
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health releases updated guidance for early childhood and K-12 school settings on the identification of positive cases, identification of close contacts, and quarantine in school settings.
Posted Friday, September 10, 2021 - 11:15am
An updated dashboard provides a snapshot of the current population of the Douglas County Correctional Facility, including demographic data, time served in custody, judicial status and the type of arresting offense.
Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2021 - 5:14pm
Douglas County Drug Court program team members and participants invite the community to join them in a Recovery Walk 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, in South Park, south of the County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. There will be luminarias and signs along the sidewalks that will promote the hope of recovery for those who struggle with substances.
“We want to light the path of recovery to provide hope and awareness,” Drug Court Officer Shannon Bruegge said.
Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2021 - 9:54am
The community is invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, to celebrate the completion of The Passerine Pavilion at Wells Overlook Park, about two miles south of Lawrence. The new accessible viewing platform is on the northern end of the park and provides a breathtaking view of Lawrence, the University of Kansas campus and the surrounding hills, valleys and farmlands.
Posted Thursday, September 2, 2021 - 2:42pm
Douglas County Government’s general and satellite offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 6, for Labor Day. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Dispatch Center and Criminal Justice Services will be operating. If you have an emergency, please call 911. If you have a non-emergency, call 785-843–0250. We wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day weekend.
Posted Monday, August 23, 2021 - 2:32pm
Couples who need a marriage license in September should apply for them now because a database courts use to process licenses will be offline for a week in September. Couples can expect some delays as a result.
Courts use a database managed by the Office of Vital Statistics to record marriage license application data. The database will be offline Sept. 8-13, so no data can be entered.
Posted Wednesday, August 18, 2021 - 9:00am
Notice of Sheriff's Sale of real estate situated in Douglas County, Kansas on August 18, 2021, at 9 a.m. in the County Commissioner Room, 1100 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, Kansas. Review document for property details.
Posted Monday, August 16, 2021 - 11:00am
The election canvass for the primary was held at 9 a.m. Aug. 16. The official election results are posted at http://dgcoks.org/primary2021. The top 6 vote-getters in the race for Lawrence City Commission and the race for USD 497 School Board will advance to the general election in November.
