DOUGLAS COUNTY— A Kansas county inmate has been convicted of attempting to traffic a makeshift weapon.
On Feb. 23, Isaiah J. Duckworth, 36, of Lawrence, pleaded no contest to attempting to traffic contraband while incarcerated at the Douglas County Correctional Facility, according to Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.
“In light of our many alternatives to incarceration and responsible criminal justice reform, the population of those lodged at the jail is very different than prior to 2021,” District Attorney Valdez said. “This matter serves as an example of the hazards our corrections officers face on a regular basis.”
Charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on July 18, 2023, when corrections officers found, among Duckworth’s clothing, an eating utensil that had been sharpened into a makeshift weapon. Duckworth had been in custody at the time while he awaited sentencing on two counts of aggravated sexual battery.
Duckworth is scheduled for sentencing on March 15.
Douglas County District Attorney’s Office noted Duckworth faces 7-23 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC). He was sentenced to 79 months in the KDOC on July 21, 2023 for his convictions in the aggravated sexual battery of a Lawrence teen.