Charges filed in Lawrence hit-and-run death
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Charges have been filed against Joshua C. Mattocks, Fair Grove, Mo, in the hit -and run death of John Lowe. Lowe was hit and his body was dragged for 200 feet April 29. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mattocks, 22, has been charged in Douglas County District Court with a felony count of involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.
A preliminary hearing for Mattocks is set for August 31. The arrest follows an investigation by the Lawrence Police Department in which officers went door to door looking for witnesses and the suspect vehicle.
Dave Cade, director of the P?lath? Center in Lawrence, commended police on the investigation, but is questioning why the charges for the dragging death are so minimal. Cade, who had not heard from the Douglas County District Attorney's office, was concerned about the case ending up as a plea bargain in which charges against Mattocks may be lowered even more.
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"The charges aren't consistent with what happened in that ally," Cade remarked.
Cade has fielded numerous phone calls over the past few weeks from Native Americans in the Lawrence area concerned about seeking justice for the death of John Lowe.
"They want someone to step forward and talk to the district attorney's office about the case," Cade said. "After all this time, I thought they would throw the book at him." Cade was referring to the three months that have elapsed since the accident.
