Current:Home > FinanceCarl Maughan, Kansas lawmaker arrested in March, has law license suspended over conflicts of interest in murder case -GrowthInsight
Carl Maughan, Kansas lawmaker arrested in March, has law license suspended over conflicts of interest in murder case
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:21:52
A Republican Kansas lawmaker who already dropped his re-election campaign last month after he was arrested in a traffic stop has now been barred from practicing law for at least a year for mishandling conflicts of interest in a murder case.
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that state Rep. Carl Maughan of Colwich violated professional standards while representing 57-year-old Bret Blevins in a 2016 crash that killed two men, according to the Kansas City Star. The court ruled that Maughan's actions placed "an undue burden on resources of the criminal justice system," the newspaper reported.
Maughan did not respond immediately to an email from The Associated Press on Sunday nor did he answer a phone call from the newspaper Friday. He had previously defended the way he handled the Blevins case although Blevins is now suing Maughan over it.
The conflicts of interest in the case came up because Maughan had previously represented Blevins' girlfriend, Tammy Akers, in DUI cases and he accepted $30,000 from Akers and her husband to defend Blevins.
Akers and Blevins were the only occupants of the vehicle that struck and killed the two men in a van. Akers served as a key witness at the trial where Maughan blamed Akers for the crash and suggested she was the driver.
The Supreme Court ruled that conflict-of-interest waivers Maughan had Blevins and Akers sign didn't adequately address the situation or fully inform them of the consequences.
Ultimately, Blevins was sentenced to more than 60 years in prison in 2017 after he was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder. Blevins had already been under probation for allegedly stealing a 6-foot-tall bronze eagle statue from a Boy Scouts of America council building in Wichita, CBS affiliate WIBW reported.
But the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled four years later that he deserved a new trial because of Maughan's conflicts of interest. He then pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison.
Maughan announced last month that he would drop out of the race for his House seat, but his name will still be on the primary ballot alongside three other Republicans because he missed the deadline to withdraw it.
He is facing two misdemeanors and two traffic violations after a traffic stop in Topeka in March. He was charged with possession of a firearm while under the influence, DUI, failure to signal a lane change and failure to maintain safe passage from a single lane.
Maughan stepped down from his role as vice chair of House Judiciary after he was arrested, WIBW reported.
His attorney in the Topeka case didn't immediately respond to an email Sunday.
- In:
- DUI
- Kansas
veryGood! (56228)
Related
- Immigration issues sorted, Guatemala runner Luis Grijalva can now focus solely on sports
- Meet 'Dr. Tatiana,' the professor getting people on TikTok excited about physics
- When does daylight saving time start? What is it? Here's when to 'spring forward' in 2024
- Why Taylor Swift Fans Think Tortured Poets Department Is a Nod to Ex Joe Alwyn
- Euphoria's Hunter Schafer Says Ex Dominic Fike Cheated on Her Before Breakup
- Why Miley Cyrus Called Out Audience at 2024 Grammy Awards
- Over 100,000 Bissell vacuums recalled over potential fire hazard from a hot battery
- Second atmospheric river in days churns through California, knocking out power and flooding roads
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Who will run the US House in 2025? Once again, control could tip on California swing districts
Ranking
- Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
- Taylor Swift announces brand-new album at Grammys: 'Tortured Poets Department'
- Jay-Z calls out Grammys over Beyoncé snubs: 'We want y'all to get it right'
- South Carolina Democratic primary turnout for 2024 and how it compares to previous years
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Andy Cohen Breaks Silence on Kandi Burruss' Shocking Real Housewives of Atlanta Departure
- Grammys 2024: Gracie Abrams Reveals the Gorgeous Advice She Received From Taylor Swift
- Michigan mayor calls for increased security in response to Wall Street Journal op-ed
Recommendation
What to watch: O Jolie night
Dakota Johnson Channels Madame Web in Must-See Naked Spider Gown
These Grammy 2024 After-Party Photos Are Pitch Perfect
Here’s how 2 sentences in the Constitution rose from obscurity to ensnare Donald Trump
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
Jacob Elordi Under Police Investigation After Alleged Assault Incident With Radio Producer
Killer Mike escorted out of Grammys in handcuffs after winning 3 awards
Indiana man started crying when he found out he won $250,000 from scratch-off