You cannot force a county/district attorney to file charges. If charges are filed, the county/district attorney will contact you to get more information and discuss the possibility of your testifying at a court proceeding. 2. Leave your home
Your local domestic violence agency may also have advocates who can help you through the process. The Crime Victims Rights Division of the Kansas Attorney General may also be able to advise you. The telephone numbers are 1-800-828-9745 or 785-291-3690.
If you have been physically injured by anyone, you can call the police if you live in a city or the sheriff if you live outside the city limits. Kansas is a "mandatory arrest" state which means that a law enforcement officer must arrest a person in a domestic violence situation if the officer believes that a crime has been committed.
If you do not know a lawyer, you can call the Lawyer Referral Service. If you do not have the resources to hire an attorney, there are Kansas Legal Services offices that can help you. Check your yellow pages for the office nearest you or call the Lawyer Referral Service for the nearest location.
For most misdemeanors, including possession of marijuana, shoplifting, simple battery, and theft under $300, the State has two years in which to prosecute. For misdemeanors where there is only the punishment of a fine or forfeiture, the State has only six months.
Prosecution for any sex offense may be commenced beyond the time limitations if the identity of the offender is established through the use of a DNA profile after expiration of the time limitation. This happens frequently now that a DNA database has been established.
Address and Phone Number for Douglas County District Attorney, a District Attorney Office, at East 11th Street, Lawrence KS.
View map of Douglas County District Attorney, and get driving directions from your location .
Find 6 District Attorney Offices within 33.2 miles of Douglas County District Attorney.
The Douglas County District Attorney, located in Lawrence, KS, is an agency that prosecutes criminal cases on behalf of the Lawrence government. The District Attorney heads the Lawrence Prosecutor's Office, directing the attorneys who work for the office.
The Crime Victims Rights Division of the Kansas Attorney General may also be able to advise you. The telephone numbers are 1-800-828-9745 or 785-291-3690.
Lawyer Referral Service of the Kansas Bar Association. (800) 928-3111. If you do not know a lawyer, you can call the Lawyer Referral Service. If you do not have the resources to hire an attorney, there are Kansas Legal Services offices that can help you.
Depending upon the crime, the abuser may "bond out" (be released) after a few hours. If the abuser has violated a PFA or a restraining order in a divorce action, the abuser will not be able to bond out until the abuser's first appearance before the judge as long as that appearance occurs within 48 hours.
If the abuser contacts you in person or by phone, fax, or e-mail, call law enforcement and make a complaint. In some jurisdictions, law enforcement is reluctant to arrest a person who has violated a restraining order unless the abuser is caught in the act.
Kansas is a "mandatory arrest" state which means that a law enforcement officer must arrest a person in a domestic violence situation if the officer believes that a crime has been committed. Physically injuring or threatening to injure a person is a crime. If the injury is committed by a family member, someone you live with or used to live with or a person with whom you share a child in common, it may be a crime of domestic battery. If your abuser has violated a protective order prohibiting the abuser from having contact with you, that, too, is a crime. Show law enforcement officers any evidence of physical violence and any protective order which prohibits the abuser from contacting you.
If the abuser appears and contests the order, the judge may set the matter for hearing at a future date. If there's already a temporary order, the judge will most likely continue that order until the hearing date. On the day of the hearing, the judge will decide whether to issue a permanent PFA.
Domestic violence may be physical, sexual or emotional: slapping, punching, shoving, beating, kicking, threats of harm, deprivation of sleep or affection, sexual assault, harassment, insults, other verbal abuse or any pattern of behavior that causes emotional harm. Violent behavior toward others is wrong; it is against the law no matter who does it: a stranger, a neighbor, someone you live with or a family member. Most acts of violence are committed within the family circle. Many acts of abuse are unreported and the victims cover up the injuries they receive.
These are called "off-grid" crimes and the punishments for those crimes are determined by other laws.
Felony DUI is an example of a "non-grid" crime. (Misdemeanor offenses also are punished by jail sentences and by fines.) At the intersection of each severity level and each criminal history category is a grid box which contains three numbers.
There are limits on how far a judge can depart by increasing a prison sentence but not on decreasing a sentence. Departure sentences can be appealed to a higher court but sentences that fall within the presumptive range cannot be appealed. To the right of the grid boxes are two columns.