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Prosecutors want ex-KCKPD detective Roger Golubski back in jail after fast food run

Roger Golubski, left, the former Kansas City, Kansas, Police Detective accused of sexual assault and other crimes, walks into the federal courthouse in Topeka with his attorney, Chris Joseph, in June 2023.
Peggy Lowe
/
KCUR 89.3
Roger Golubski, left, the former Kansas City, Kansas, Police Detective accused of sexual assault and other crimes, walks into the federal courthouse in Topeka with his attorney, Chris Joseph, in June 2023.

A citizen saw Golubski and a woman in a Culver’s on Jan. 23, videotaped him, and sent the tape to prosecutors. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Kansas said the former detective “flaunted” a judge’s conditions for home detention, and his behavior is in keeping with his conduct over decades in which he has flouted the rules.”

Former Kansas City, Kansas, Police Detective Roger Golubski’s home detention should be revoked after he went to a fast-food place without permission and then lied about it, federal prosecutors say.

In a motion filed Monday, federal prosecutors say Golubski went to a Culver’s on Jan. 23 without pre-approval from his probation officer. A “concerned citizen” took photographs and video, and civil attorneys brought the photos and video to the attention of the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Golubski was arrested in September 2022 and charged with violating the civil rights of several women by serially sexually assaulting them and using the power of his badge to force them into silence.

A federal magistrate allowed Golubski to be released to home detention just days after his arrest, citing his poor health, including diabetes and heart problems. Besides the initial charges, he was later charged with helping protect a notorious Kansas City, Kansas, drug dealer who was running a sex-trafficking operation of underage girls.

“The defendant’s actions here — both in wandering off to a restaurant simply because he wanted to, despite this Court’s order, and in apparently lying afterward to cover up his violation — are in keeping with his conduct over decades in which he has flouted the rules while remaining confident that he can do as he pleases and not be held accountable,” prosecutors wrote.

Chris Joseph, an attorney for Golubski, declined comment and said he would respond in writing in a motion.

Golubski was restricted to his home at all times, except for employment, education, religious services, medical appointments, attorney visits, court visits and anything approved in advance by his probation officer. He has been in his Edwardsville home under electronic monitoring since he was released and he was placed under the care of Lorene Stewart, who lives at his residence.

Stewart is supposed to notify the court if Golubski violated the conditions of his release. But she was seen with Golubski at the Culver’s, prosecutors say, and the couple left soon after they saw the citizen videotaping them.

After prosecutors contacted Golubski’s probation officer, they were told that Golubski claimed he had gone to a doctor’s appointment, then stopped at Culver’s because his blood sugar was low. But prosecutors contend that Golubski's home was 10 minutes from his doctor's appointment, while the Culver's was 25 minutes away. Prosecutors said Golubski “compounded his offense by offering a false explanation to his probation officer.”

Golubski has violated the court’s trust in him and his release should be revoked, said the motion, signed by U.S. Attorney Kate Brubacher and others from the U.S. Department of Justice.

“A lunch-stop that might for a different defendant constitute a minor violation, is for this defendant – who is charged with prolonged, extensive, and extremely violent crimes resulting from his repeated abuse of his own authority and his disdain for anyone else’s – a reflection of the defendant’s flagrant disregard of an order that this Court entered with strict conditions, and with strict warnings of the consequences of any such breach,” prosecutors wrote.

I’m a veteran investigative reporter who came up through newspapers and moved to public media. I want to give people a better understanding of the criminal justice system by focusing on its deeper issues, like institutional racism, the poverty-to-prison pipeline and police accountability. Today this beat is much different from how reporters worked it in the past. I’m telling stories about people who are building significant civil rights movements and redefining public safety. Email me at lowep@kcur.org.