Lawrence man found guilty of felony aggravated burglary, felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor stalking

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that a jury returned guilty verdicts on one count of felony aggravated burglary, one count of felony aggravated assault and one misdemeanor count of stalking against Lee Andrew Mitchell Pennington, 34, of Lawrence.

Charges stemmed from an incident that occurred in the early morning hours on October 30, 2021, in which Mitchell Pennington followed the victim home and then, while wearing a surgical mask, entered the victim’s home in the 1400 block of Kentucky Street and assaulted the sleeping victim before fleeing.

Police utilized nearby security camera footage, DNA evidence and geo-fencing data to identify Mitchell Pennington, who was not known to the victim, as the suspect in the case.

“I thank the jurors for their service and for securing a just outcome for the victim.” District Attorney Valdez said. “The Lawrence Police and Deputy District Attorney Josh Seiden did an outstanding job throughout this case and our community is safer because of the verdict reached today.” 

The State was represented by Deputy District Attorney Seiden. The case was investigated by the Lawrence Police Department and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Sentencing was set by Judge Amy Hanley for 1:30 p.m. on November 21, 2022 at the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center.

Bond was revoked for Mitchell Pennington, who will remain in the Douglas County jail. Mitchell Pennington faces 38 to 172 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for his conviction of aggravated burglary, 11 to 34 months for aggravated assault, and up to 12 months in county jail for the stalking conviction.