Former Lawrence police officer accused of rape found not guilty on all charges by jury

A former Lawrence police officer has been found not guilty of rape and about 34 other charges by a Douglas County District Court jury, according to court records.

Jonathan Gardner, 41, of Tonganoxie, was accused of raping a woman while on duty with the Lawrence Police Department in January 2017. A jury found him not guilty Friday of charges relating to rape, unlawful acts concerning computers and official misconduct, court records said.

Lawrence Police contacted the Kansas Bureau of Investigation on Nov. 1, 2022 after a woman alleged Gardner had sexually assaulted her in 2017.

The 41-year-old was placed on administrative leave before his next shift, the Lawrence Police Department told The Star in a prior report.

As the KBI and Lawrence police investigated, they found Gardner had committed policy violations and misconduct. His employment with the department ended shortly after.

Gardner was accused of running unauthorized searches in the Kansas Criminal Justice Information System and internal police department public safety systems between 2017 and 2020.

Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart said he was “appalled by the alleged conduct of Gardner,” in a March 2022 statement.

“Those alleged actions are not consistent with the values of the department and, if true, Gardner violated the trust of the community he was sworn to serve,” he said.

Agents with KBI arrested Gardner on March 4, 2022. He was booked into the Leavenworth County Jail and released that same day after posting a $50,000 bond, according to jail records.

His jury trial went on for five days, starting on May 22, 2023. He was found not guilty on one count of rape, 17 counts of official misconduct and 17 counts of computer unlawful acts, court records said.