Public commenters at Douglas County meeting allege unlawful arrests, dispute media access; commission moves forward on Blackjack vote

At the Sept. 24 Douglas County Board of Commissioners meeting, several members of the public used the public comment periods to make accusations about local law enforcement and to raise concerns about media access and the county's process on a preservation matter.

Dr. Justin Spies addressed the commission and said he filed a lawsuit in January 2024 alleging unlawful arrests by Sheriff Jay Armbrister and deputies (including a deputy named Kretzel) at prior meetings. Spies said a recent deposition showed false statements in police reports and that officers had lost qualified immunity in at least one arrest; he described the arrests as retaliatory and tied them to his exercise of First Amendment rights. Spies said, "there were multiple lies on the police report that were made up about me" and described the arrests as "malicious." His remarks were part of general public comment and did not prompt immediate action from the commission.

Earlier in the meeting an online/unidentified participant (Speaker 5) complained about what they called unequal media treatment and named county staff (referencing Patrick Kelly and Sarah Plinske) and a local editor, saying the county was limiting access and that a proposal to define who qualifies as media was "laughable." That speaker used profanity and accused staff of preferential treatment; the meeting facilitator reiterated the public-comment rules and closed general public comment.

During the Blackjack Battlefield discussion, Kerry Altonburn, vice president of the Blackjack Battlefield Trust, said the trust had not been included in negotiations over the property's future and described a long history of private fundraising and bridge loans the trust used to preserve the site. "We have never been brought into this," Altonburn said, and asked for more time to present the trust's full account. Marta Jardin of the Santa Fe Trail Historical Society told the commission she had attended the Baldwin City council meeting and said there was no city action that barred trust members from committee service and urged county support for preservation.

The commission did not take formal action on the allegations about law enforcement or media access during the meeting; commissioners emphasized the need to follow public-comment procedures and noted the county can pursue follow-up outside the meeting. The board then voted 5-0 to approve a financing agreement to help Baldwin City acquire Blackjack Battlefield, conditioning county funds on clear title and closing.

Sources: public comments by Dr. Justin Spies, an unidentified online commenter, Kerry Altonburn and Marta Jardin; commission procedural statements. No formal investigation or findings were announced during this meeting.