Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against Brandon A. Seepersad, 26, of Lawrence.

Charges stemmed from an incident that occurred shortly before midnight on March 27, 2021 when Seepersad pointed a loaded gun at a tow truck driver who was authorized to tow unpermitted cars from an apartment complex located at 1000 Emery Road in Lawrence. At the time of the incident, the tow truck driver had been in the process of loading Seepersad’s vehicle for towing.

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Ernest F. Ingram II, 22, of Ottawa, was sentenced to 253 months in prison for raping a 13-year-old Lawrence girl in 2021 and six months for furnishing alcohol to the minor for illicit purposes.

Judge Amy Hanley sentenced Ingram, who accepted a plea agreement in December, to the Kansas Department of Corrections for both convictions that are to be served consecutively. Ingram will be subject to lifetime post-release supervision and must register as a lifetime sex offender.

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Adrian J. Martinez, 39, of Lawrence, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence and aggravated battery while under the influence for causing the 2022 New Year’s Day crash that killed a 20-year-old Lawrence man.

The University of Kansas School of Law’s Legal Aid Clinic will host a Clean Slate Criminal Record Expungement Clinic this spring in partnership with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office and the Lawrence Public Library. The clinic will take place in person from noon to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 6 in the Lawrence Public Library Auditorium, 707 Vermont St. 

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Eduardo Martinez Diaz, 16, of Lawrence, was sentenced for two counts of criminal discharge of a firearm in connection to a 2021 shooting in north Lawrence. 

Judge Merlin Wheeler sentenced Martinez Diaz, who was charged as an adult and who pleaded guilty in December, to 36 months probation with a 64-month underlying sentence in prison if Martinez Diaz violates the terms of his probation. Martinez Diaz also will be required to register as a violent offender for 15 years. 

A victim of a crime should never be afraid to come forward. Reporting a crime is the most effective way to make our community safer by holding offenders accountable. Yet far too often, many default to a position of disbelief or distrust when survivors of sexual assault share their experiences.

When a sexual assault is in any way made public, especially because of the involvement of the criminal justice system, people typically wonder:

Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez today announced that Bruce S. Springsteen, 65, of Lawrence, pleaded no contest Friday to attempted sexual exploitation of a child by conducting internet searches for child sexual abuse material, a violation of his probation terms set in a similar 2021 case.

Ollie Ortiz died tragically. Perhaps equally tragic is the fact that nothing in our criminal justice system can return Ollie to his loved ones.

Prior to taking office on January 11, 2021, I was generally aware of this case, but I had no access to the file or authority to act prior to being sworn in as Douglas County District Attorney. When I took office, Carrody Buchhorn had already been convicted of Murder in the Second Degree and her appeal was pending.

The following is a brief timeline of key events in the case, which tragically began more than six years ago: