Lawrence Man Convicted of Attempted Second-degree Murder, Aggravated Battery, and Aggravated Endangering of a Child

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced a jury returned guilty verdicts on two counts of attempted second-degree murder, one count of aggravated battery, one count of battery, and three counts of aggravated endangering of a child against Charles D. Thomas II, 37, of Lawrence.

Charges stemmed from a domestic disturbance incident that occurred on the night of July 8, 2020 in the 1900 block of E. 19th Street where Thomas fired multiple shots. No one was injured. However, children were present at the time of the incident.

“Senseless firearm violence poses an imminent threat to community safety,” Valdez said. “When you combine that with domestic violence and crimes against children, many lives are at risk. The jury’s decision not only strengthens our community, but also shows that our community takes domestic violence seriously.”

The State was represented by Senior Assistant District Attorney David Greenwald and Assistant District Attorney Brian Deiter. The case was investigated by the Lawrence Police Department and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Sentencing for Thomas was set by District Judge Stacey Donovan for 1:30 p.m. on September 6, 2022 at the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

Dependent upon Thomas’ criminal history score, Thomas faces between 55 and 247 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) for each of the two counts of attempted second-degree murder, between 11 and 34 months in the KDOC for one count of aggravated battery and between five and 17 months in the KDOC for each of the three counts of aggravated endangering a child. He also faces up to six months in county jail for one count of battery.