Ex-Kansas cop Roger Golubski was on house arrest with gun ban before apparent suicide
Before his sudden death Monday, ex-Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski spent more than two years under a federal home confinement order that limited his ability to be in the community, contact parties to his cases or possess a firearm.
For the duration of his home detention, area activists and alleged victims called for Golubski to be jailed, fearing his freedom might end with him never facing criminal trial. He was found dead of a gunshot wound at his home in Edwardsville on Monday morning, as jury selection was set to begin in Topeka. Authorities found no immediate signs of foul play.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is leading the death investigation. Typically such investigations are conducted in unattended deaths, evaluating autopsy reports, evidence discovered at the scene and the weapon used.
A spokesperson for the agency did not immediately reply to The Star’s request for further information about the investigation.
In a statement Tuesday, local social justice group Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, or MORE2, said many remain “shocked at what transpired and never will.” The group has long called for a more detailed investigation of Kansas City, Kansas, police, pointing to Golubski as “a symbol of a system that has failed and harmed the community for decades.”
“We have spoken to several survivors of KCKPD violence, nonfeasance, and cover ups,” the group said in the statement. “Some are in disbelief that he died by suicide, which is why we have called for an outside investigation of his death.”
Five days in county
Golubski was first arrested in September 2022, accused of raping and kidnapping two women, including one as young as 13 years old at the time, between the 1990s and early 2000s. He was receiving extensive medical treatment for diabetes and heart conditions at the time. He spent five days in the Shawnee County Jail, under the custody of U.S. Marshals, before appearing in court to discuss detention.
Prosecutors sought to keep Golubski jailed from the outset, highlighting serious criminal allegations to include rape, kidnapping and the infliction of terror, through threats and physical force, primarily against Black women.
Meanwhile, his initial court-appointed attorney, Thomas Lemon, argued the medical services the jail provided were inadequate and his risk of flight nonexistent.
“The Shawnee County jail was the best option available and clearly in a five-day time period they were not set up for this,” Lemon said in court during the first of Golubski’s detention hearings. “It’s an impossibility.”
At the time, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services also offered a low community risk assessment for Golubski, a condition heavily considered by judges when deciding whether a criminal defendant should be held in jail until trial.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Rachel Schwartz first determined on Sept. 19, 2022, that home detention was appropriate for Golubski as the former detective faced six felony charges.
Among the considerations the court weighed was the length of time between the alleged criminal offenses and the present, a continuing criminal investigation, the lack of a previous conviction and Golubski’s longtime ties to the community.
The conditions of Golubski’s release on pretrial home detention required release to the custody of Lorene Stewart, a longtime partner who shared residence with the former detective in the Edwardsville home he kept for 40 years. He was prohibited from obtaining a passport, traveling outside Kansas without permission, contacting co-defendants or possessing any weapon.
Permitted types of leave for Golubski, a retiree, included employment, education, attendance of religious services, medical appointments, meetings with attorneys and court appearances or obligations.
The house arrest order required continued electronic monitoring. Golubski also was required to maintain contact with his supervising officer assigned through court pretrial services.
In November 2022, Golubski was named alongside three alleged co-conspirators — including long-feared drug kingpin Cecil Brooks — as part of an underaged sex trafficking ring run out of an apartment complex at 26th Street and Delevan Avenue.
A substantially identical order was issued for Golubski to remain on home detention.
Lighter restrictions pursued
In January 2023, after Golubski hired new legal representation from Topeka-based criminal defense attorney Chris Joseph, the former officer sought a relaxation of the court’s supervision.
Joseph said in court that the FBI had surveilled Golubski between 2019 and 2022, including a camera fixed to a utility pole near Golubski’s home. He said the surveillance showed Golubski led a quiet life as a retiree, evidence he did not pose a community risk.
During that hearing, Probation Officer Diana Kearns supported an eased type of court supervision. Of Golubski, she said the former officer always went directly to appointments and returned home, maintaining no instance of violation.
“He’s always, you know, really good about giving me his schedule ahead of time. We would recommend that he be released — or reduced to home — or from home detention to curfew. With curfew I can still monitor him.”
“That would give him more opportunity to go to the gym if he needs to go to the gym, go and grab dinner if he would like to go grab dinner, also go to his appointments as he needs to,” she added.
Prosecutors argued for keeping the home detention order intact, a position Judge Schwartz agreed with in denying modifications to Golubski’s supervised release.
Fast food stop
Nine months ago, in February, prosecutors again sought to revoke Golubski’s house arrest after a citizen filmed the former detective visiting a Culver’s fast food restaurant near the Legends Outlets shopping mall in Kansas City, Kansas.
Prosecutors said the incident amounted to a clear violation of the court’s order and should result in Golubski being held until the trial.
Golubski’s defense lawyer acknowledged the violation but said Golubski had a reason: He needed to manage low blood sugar.
Schwartz tweaked the house arrest order after Culver’s incident. The judge issued a ruling specifying that “discretionary leave” outside permitted exceptions “shall not be approved by the pretrial services office or supervising officer.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 1:28 PM.
