Live updates: Court appearance for ex-KCK cop Golubski; former chief reacts to arrest

Former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski, who has long been accused of corruption and raping vulnerable Black women, was arrested Thursday by the FBI.

Golubski, 69, was indicted on six federal counts of deprivation of civil rights for allegedly sexually assaulting two women multiple times from 1998 to 2002. Photographs taken by a neighbor show Golubski’s arrest by FBI agents Thursday morning at his home in Edwardsville.

The FBI confirmed Golubski’s arrest, but said “no additional information” could be released.

Golubski retired in 2010 from the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department as a captain after 35 years on the force. After leaving KCK, and collecting his pension, he went to the Edwardsville Police Department, where he worked as a detective until 2016. Egregious accusations against Golubski came to light in the exoneration of Lamonte McIntyre, who was freed in 2017 after serving 23 years for a double homicide he did not commit.

A lawsuit he filed accused Golubski of not only using his position to sexually abuse Black women, but of framing innocent people for crimes committed by others, including drug dealers who paid him.

Melinda Henneberger, a former columnist and later vice president and opinion editor at The Star, won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for commentary for a series of columns about that dug into the allegations against Golubski and told the stories of survivors.

Former police chief Terry Zeigler: ‘Hard to believe’

Updated 4:22 p.m. Golubski’s former partner, who later served as the police chief in Kansas City, Kansas, said he could not believe that the former detective was arrested by FBI agents Thursday morning.

“It’s hard to believe and it leaves me with more questions than answers,” Terry Zeigler said in a text message to The Star.

Zeigler served with the police department for 29 years and was appointed police chief from 2014 before retiring in 2019.

The former police chief told CNN in October that he worked homicide cases with Golubski from 1999 to 2002. He said he had no knowledge of the accusations against Golubski.

Zeigler did not respond to a phone call or follow-up text messages.

Golubski appears in federal court

Updated 3:13 p.m. At his first court appearance at a federal courthouse in Topeka Thursday afternoon, Golubski pleaded not guilty to six federal charges that accuse him of sexually abusing two women and depriving them of their civil rights.

Golubski at times shook his head “no” as U.S. Magistrate Judge Rachel Schwartz read the indictment against him. He was brought into the courtroom with his hands and feet restrained in cuffs.

A detention hearing has been set for Monday afternoon. It means Golubski will remain over the weekend in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Golubski’s court-appointed attorney, Tom Lemon, said Golubski suffers from serious health problems, including renal failure that requires dialysis every other day.

Lemon described Golubski’s health issues as “fairly life threatening” and said he did not know what pre-trial detention would look like because of them.

If convicted, Golubski faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Mayor Tyrone Garner welcomes outside investigations

Updated 2:05 p.m. Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Tyrone Garner in a statement Thursday after Golubski’s arrest welcomed independent outside investigations of misconduct in the county.

“Today’s arrest may bring comfort in the short-term but this is not the end,” Garner said in a written statement. “I stand by my commitment to support and welcome any independent outside investigations into any allegations of criminal misconduct by anyone within the Unified Government. While we never comment on ongoing investigations to protect the integrity of these efforts, I maintain my commitment to bring greater transparency and accountability to all aspects of local government, including public safety.

“As a former police officer and resident, I will continue to champion improvements in police-community relations to restore trust, particularly among our most vulnerable,” he said.

Column: It’s thanks to Golubski’s victims that he’s finally wearing cuffs

Updated 1:49 p.m. Henneberger, now a columnist at the Sacramento Bee, contributed a column to The Star Thursday after Golubski’s arrest. The following is an excerpt:

This is the day that some of those who’ve accused former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski of kidnapping, rape, stalking and threats never thought would come.

One woman cried in my car when she told me that the authorities were never going to believe a bunch of terrorized Black women with no connections or money accusing a cop with so many powerful friends. I just didn’t understand, she said, that in KCK, no amount of evidence would ever be enough.

Roger Golubski is wearing cuffs today for three reasons: One, because of the brave women — and men, too, some of them cops — who pushed their fears of retribution aside and came forward anyway.

Two, because defense attorney Cheryl Pilate never gave up on justice for wrongfully convicted Lamonte McIntyre. Without his case, no one outside Roger Golubski’s world would ever have heard his name.

And three, because FBI agents did their job despite all of the worst-case naysaying, some of it from me.

‘Justice delayed is justice denied’

Updated 1:46 p.m. The Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office issued a statement Thursday saying officials there hope Golubski’s arrest is the start of a healing process for affected families “who may feel justice delayed is justice denied.”

“While it is important to note this is a federal case, the impact of Golubski’s alleged acts are local,” the statement read in part. “Since 2017, this office has worked continuously with multiple agencies, including the FBI in an ongoing effort to bring about justice in this matter.”

KCK police chief defers questions to the FBI

Updated 1:07 p.m. Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Karl Oakman in a written statement Thursday directed all questions about the Golubski indictment to the FBI.

“I was notified this morning that former KCKPD officer Roger Golubski was indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested by the FBI. This indictment is an example that no individual is above the law, Oakman said.

“The department will continue to cooperate and offer any assistance needed by the FBI as this case moves forward. The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department is committed to building community ties through transparency, integrity, engagement and safety. All inquiries involving the indictment of Roger Golubski should be directed to the FBI, Kansas City Office.”

‘This arrest is just a beginning’

Updated 12:51 p.m. The Midwest Innocence Project, which works on behalf of those wrongly convicted in Kansas and surrounding states, made a statement on Golubski’s arrest Thursday.

“This arrest is just a beginning, and we know that true justice demands more,” the statement read in part. “A full investigation into the abuses in Wyandotte County and systemic reforms are needed to ensure that no other police officers and public officials can continue to abuse their power.”

Activists, alleged victims react to arrest

Updated 11:38 a.m. Golubski’s arrest was met with joy Thursday by activists and alleged victims who have long called for him to be indicted. The former detective’s arrest marked what activists called “a beginning of justice” in Kansas City, Kansas.

Ophelia Williams has accused Golubski of raping her in 1999. Her accusations are believed to have led to three of the charges against Golubski. She told The Star that she cried when an FBI agent called her Thursday morning to say Golubski had been arrested.

“Maybe Black people will get justice now,” she said.

The Rev. Rick Behrens, a board member of the Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, which for years has called for Golubski to be charged, said his arrest was a “huge step toward justice” for his alleged victims.

But he said the community is still faced with “the need for truth and reconciliation in light of all the pain, injustice and evil we have allowed.”

Indictment details charges against Golubski

Updated 11:25 a.m. Golubski was indicted Wednesday on six federal counts of deprivation of civil rights for allegedly sexually assaulting two women multiple times from 1998 to 2002.

The indictment accuses Golubski of “willfully” depriving the women of their rights. His conduct included aggravated sexual abuse, sexual assault and kidnapping, according to court documents. Some of the alleged crimes, which include Golubski forcing a woman to perform oral sex on him, occurred in his vehicle.

If convicted, Golubski faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Golubski is scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Neighbor witnesses arrest

Updated 11:16 am. The Thursday morning arrest of Roger Golubski woke up a neighbor, who then witnessed FBI agents descend on the former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective’s Edwardsville home.

The neighbor, who declined to give her name, had lived near Golubski for about six years. She did not know the 69 year old had long been accused of corruption and raping vulnerable Black women.

It was just before 7 a.m. when she was startled awake by a sound so loud she thought there had been a wreck. She looked out her window and saw several FBI agents outside Golubski’s home.

“The occupants of 706 come out with your hands up,” she heard an FBI agent yell.

She saw Golubski come out from the house and was put into a law enforcement vehicle without a struggle.

The Star’s past reporting on Roger Golubski

Updated 10:54 a.m. News of Golubski’s arrest comes after years of reporting by The Star on accusations against him. That has included numerous columns by Henneberger. Separately, the newspaper engaged in a partnership of reporting with KCUR detailing the former detective’s connection to several slain Black women in Kansas City, Kansas.

Here is some of The Star’s previous reporting on Golubski.

• Accused of coercing women into sex and lies to solve cases, ex-KCK cop takes the Fifth

• He’s ‘definitely a sexual predator’: Former KCK cop says colleague assaulted her, too

• Is FBI inaction on Nassar allegations what’s going on now with KCK’s Roger Golubski?

• Roger Golubski wasn’t the only alleged rapist in KCKPD, but DA ‘declined to prosecute’

• Innocent men imprisoned for the murder of corrupt KCK cop Roger Golubski’s nephew

• Why haven’t Kansas City, Kan., Police done more about long list of slain Black women?

• Murdered KCK prostitutes all connected to one man: police detective Roger Golubski

The Star’s Luke Nozicka, Aarón Torres and Glenn E. Rice contributed to this report.

This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 10:44 AM.