This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
A federal judge issued a warrant Monday for the arrest of former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski when he failed to appear for the first day of his trial.
His lawyer, Chris Joseph, said Golubski was “despondent” about media coverage.
The courtroom proceedings kicked off 15 minutes after its scheduled 9 a.m. start. The judge conferred with court staff, who told him Golubski’s electronic monitoring showed Golubski at his own home in Edwardsville, Kansas, as of 8:57 a.m.
The judge postponed the start of the trial until 1 p.m.
Golubski is accused of using the power of his badge to violate the civil rights of two women by rape, kidnapping and sexual assault. He’s charged under a federal statute making it a crime for government officials, including law enforcement officers, to deprive a person of federally-protected civil rights. Golubski has pleaded not guilty.
Golubski is the central subject of KCUR's Overlooked podcast, which investigated decades of corruption in the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department.
The 71-year-old is in poor health, has heart problems and diabetes, and is undergoing dialysis treatment.
His trial was scheduled to last through mid-January.
