Douglas County sex-crime case moves toward possible mediation
David Zimbrick pleaded not guilty and asked Douglas County court to explore mediation in a 25-year-old child sex-crime case tied to DNA evidence.
David Zimbrick’s not-guilty plea and request to explore mediation pushed a 25-year-old Douglas County child sex-crime case into a procedural path Monday. One of the alleged victims was listening remotely as the case was discussed in court.
Zimbrick, who is now in his late 50s, is charged with one count of rape, one count of aggravated criminal sodomy and one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Defense attorney Carl Cornwell said a preliminary hearing would not add much because the defense and the state intended to ask Chief Judge Mark Simpson whether he would be willing to serve as mediator. Prosecutor Megan Ahsens said the state was prepared for the hearing.
Mediation is a confidential process in which a neutral third person helps the parties discuss and try to resolve a dispute. The Kansas Supreme Court’s dispute-resolution rules allow a district court to appoint a licensed Kansas attorney as a mediator, and the process remains voluntary because the parties are not required to reach agreement.
Lawrence police entered DNA taken from a cigarette butt into CODIS, the FBI’s DNA database, in 2001 but did not produce a hit at the time. The same man approached two 10-year-old boys riding bikes in Naismith Valley Park on May 23, 2003, asking for help to find something and offering them $20. After the Kansas Bureau of Investigation confirmed a DNA match, U.S. Marshals arrested Zimbrick in Raytown, Missouri, in December 2025.
Zimbrick is out of custody on a $100,000 bond and has privately hired Cornwell. The state also asked that he waive his speedy-trial right, and Judge Stacey Donovan moved the case to a Sept. 1 docket after Zimbrick waived the July 8 preliminary hearing.
Simpson, whom the Kansas Supreme Court appointed as chief judge of the 7th Judicial District effective Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2027, oversees the district that includes Douglas County. The district court is based in Lawrence at the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St.
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