A former Kansas City, Kansas Police Department detective is being investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and a civil lawsuit for misconduct allegations has been filed against him, but activist groups in Kansas City are demanding more. They’re asking the U.S. Department of Justice to step in and investigate allegations against Roger Golubski, who is accused of raping and exploiting numerous Black women in Wyandotte County during his 35 years at KCKPD.
During what some call his reign of terror in Wyandotte County, Golubski was one of the detectives that investigated the double-homicide that led to the wrongful conviction of Lamonte McIntyre, who spent 23 years in prison before his 2017 exoneration. Golubski retired in 2010.
“The legacy Roger Golubski left at the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department is not one of honor and respect, but is a legacy which perpetuated a culture of abuse of power that still exists within the department today,” said Trina Crawford during a rally organized by Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity (MORE2).
They’re demanding Wyandotte County leaders hold Golubski accountable.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation opened a probe into Golubski’s sexual assault and misconduct allegations. Although the investigation is still ongoing, so far KBI says they have not uncovered any violations dated recently enough to fall within the Kansas statute of limitations.
Golubski is also facing a civil lawsuit filed by McIntyre and his mother, Rose McIntyre, that accuses Golubski of coercing her into having sex. They also accuse Golubski of using his badge to exploit Black women as a way to secure their testimony and close cases.
During testimony in McIntyre’s civil case, an anonymous KCK woman also accused Golubski of repeatedly raping her more than two decades ago, after telling her he would get her children, who were under investigation at the time, out of legal trouble.
As a way to keep the pressure on Wyandotte County and the KBI, Justice for Wyandotte, a KCK activist group, is asking for the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a federal investigation into allegations against Golubski.
At a rally led by Justice for Wyandotte on April 1, Nikki Richardson, one of the lead organizers, read off a list of more than ten victims whom they believe are connected to Golubski’s misconduct.
One of those names was Stacy Quinn, who was murdered in Wyandotte County in 2000. Stacy was a witness to the 1994 killing of Donald Ewing and Doniel Quinn, the murders McIntyre was wrongly convicted of.
Golubski, who was a detective on the case, never interviewed Stacy and she never testified at the trial. Golubski instead interviewed another witness who was farther away from the shooting, Stacy’s sister, Niko Quinn. She said Golubski pressured her to identify McIntyre as the shooter.
In a statement two years after the trial, Stacy said McIntyre was not the shooter.
In McIntyre’s civil case against Golubski, his lawyers revealed through witness interviews that Golubski had been paying Stacy for sex since she was a teenager, a likely reason he never interviewed her.
Golubski and former police chief Terry Zeigler, who was Golusbki’s detective partner at the time, investigated Stacy’s death. Marcus Washington Jr. was later convicted of her murder.
Richardson created a project called the 7th Street Podcast to give voices to the families of victims of police misconduct like Stacy and Niko Quinn.
“It became painfully obvious to me as I started to learn more about the series of women who’ve been victims of the misconduct and the corruption of KCKPD and Golubski, that their pain was still very much real to this day,” Richardson said.
Niko Quinn who spoke at the rally told her story about being coerced into giving false testimony.
“For the 23 years Lamonte spent in jail, I spent them in there with him and I’m still spending it in there with him,” she said.
“Having to hear these stories, it brings tears to my eyes,” Richardson said. “I can’t walk the street the same. I can’t drive down the familiar streets that were known as my home the same. I look at everything differently now. The sad part is that this just happened for me this year, but for these families — it’s been like this for decades and that is unacceptable.”
Justice for Wyandotte created a community hotline for victims of Golubski and KCKPD to come forward.
The hotline number is (816) 883- 9364.
In addition, individuals with information can contact “Reach the District Attorney” – Mark Dupree’s Community Integrity Unit hotline at (913) 573-8100.
Listen to Richardson’s podcast at https://the7thstreet.com.
Jazzlyn Johnson is a Report for America corps member based at The Community Voice covering Kansas City’s African-American community.