Former Kansas cop found dead on federal trial date

Authorities found former Kansas City, Kansas, policeman Roger Golubski dead on Monday after he failed to appear for his federal trial in Topeka, according to court records. The 71-year-old was found at his home Monday morning with a fatal gunshot wound, according to a Kansas Bureau of Investigation release. Authorities have launched an investigation into the death, but there are currently no indications Golubski was murdered, the release said.

The former policeman faced six federal charges for alleged civil rights violations during his decades-long career in the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department. Golubski stood accused of sexually assaulting and attempting to kidnap two people in the late 1990s into the early 2000s, according to court filings. Presiding U.S. District Judge Toby Crouse dismissed all charges against Golubski on Monday after federal prosecutors learned of the defendant's death, according to court records.

Has the government commented on Golubski’s apparent suicide? Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division and Kansas-based U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher released a joint statement on Monday about the case’s dismissal. It’s hard when a case with such serious charges can’t have a fair, public trial or a jury decision, the statement read. The pair asked for respect and privacy for those struggling with the case's dismissal.