KBI arrests Columbus police lieutenant for child sex crimes

CHEROKEE COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) arrested a Kansas police lieutenant for child sex crimes.

On Wednesday, April 17, at approximately 7:15 a.m., KBI agents arrested David Justice, 55, of Baxter Springs, near his residence.

Justice was arrested for aggravated indecent liberties with a child, indecent solicitation of a child, and promoting obscenity to a minor. The Kansas Highway Patrol assisted with the arrest.

The Columbus Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office asked the KBI to investigate the allegations in February 2023. Justice served as a Lieutenant with the Columbus Police Department, but has been on unpaid administrative leave since February 2023, when the allegations were reported.

KBI agents executed several search warrants to obtain evidence in the case. Following the arrest, Justice was booked into the Cherokee County Jail on a $25,000 bond. All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Anonymous tips can be submitted online at https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.

The investigation is ongoing. The case will be prosecuted by the Cherokee County Attorney’s Office.