Lawrence ex-cop accused of rape on duty

LAWRENCE (KSNT) - A former officer with the Lawrence Police Department has been arrested Friday and accused of sex crimes on duty, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Agents with the KBI and Kansas Highway Patrol took Jonathan M. Gardner, 41, into custody around 8:15 a.m. at a Tonganoxie road intersection with Highway 40. He was arrested on charges including:

• Rape
• 12 counts of unlawful acts concerning computers
• 12 counts of official misconduct

The KBI said it launched an investigation after LPD asked for help. The police department received a report from a woman that Gardner had sexually assaulted her while he was on duty on Jan. 1, 2017.

After KBI finished its investigation, LPD terminated Gardner's job with the department. KBI added that the computer and misconduct charges stemmed from also finding that the former officer had performed illegal and unauthorized searches of the Kansas Criminal Justice Information System, as well as internal LPD public safety systems from 2017 and 2020.

Authorities booked Gardner into the Leavenworth County Jail on a $50,000 bond. The KBI said it expects the Douglas County Attorney to prosecute the case.