Lawrence man jailed again after explosive device incident, faces arson charges

Steven Carl Drake was arrested Monday afternoon and held on a $1 million bond after police tied him to an explosive-device blast in a Lawrence yard near 10th Street and Kasold Drive. He was charged Tuesday with arson, attempted aggravated arson and criminal use of explosives after investigators said the Saturday blast left a large divot in the lawn but injured no one.

The new arrest came only weeks after Drake, 51, was sentenced in May on attempted aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, felony fleeing and eluding and misdemeanor criminal damage. That case had been resolved through a plea deal that cut the exposure from a 13-count complaint, but Senior Judge Nancy Parrish still suspended Drake’s prison term and placed him on probation despite a criminal history that included seven person felonies, numerous nonperson felonies and the worst possible criminal-history score under Kansas sentencing guidelines.

Parrish said she could not remember ever granting a similar departure before. She said substantial and compelling reasons supported the sentence and accepted defense attorney assurances that Drake was on a better path. His lawyer had described him as a “new man.” Prosecutors had sought nearly five years in prison.

The sentencing decision drew attention in part because of Parrish’s long judicial record. She retired from the 3rd Judicial District in Shawnee County in 2022 after 27 years on the bench and received the Kansas District Judges Association’s Award for Judicial Excellence in 2018. Her probation ruling in the Drake case stood out as an unusually lenient call in a case involving a defendant with a deep record of violent and property offenses.

The latest allegations have now put that decision under immediate scrutiny. Investigators said the explosive device was thrown into a yard in a targeted incident, a detail that has sharpened concern about public safety in the neighborhood around 10th Street and Kasold Drive. The case also underscores how quickly a sentence built on probation and supervision can unravel when a defendant is accused of a new violent or destructive offense. Kansas court records are publicly searchable through CaseSearch and courthouse terminals, although some files may be sealed or otherwise unavailable.