by Jo Ellen Nott

Kansas City, Kansas, (“KCK”) retired detective Roger Golubski used his position of authority and power to sexually abuse at least 70 women of color and with limited resources during his long career as a law enforcement officer in this midwestern city.   

Legally, there is no remedy for these women because the statute of limitations on sexual assault in Kansas prevents victims from making a claim 10 years after the fact. Sadly, it has not been until recent years that the women had a forum to tell their stories about Golubski. That forum was the wrongful conviction case of Lamonte McIntyre in 2017.  

The gentleman who championed McIntyre’s innocence for over 20 years testified during the proceedings that Golubski “was the dirtiest cop I’ve ever encountered.” James McCloskey conducted 100 interviews with residents of the north end of Kansas City and testified the detective planted drugs on suspects, confiscated drugs, and then used the drugs he confiscated to procure sex.

In 2021, federal prosecutors launched an ongoing criminal grand jury investigation into Golubski’s record. The KCK Police Department admitted that since 2019 it has been responding to subpoenas about the former detective from the FBI, yet Golubski has not faced any charges.  Golubski invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent 555 times when asked about the allegations of his misconduct exposed during the McIntyre proceedings.

A resulting Kansas City Star investigative piece in August 2022 featured the stories of Ophelia Williams and S.K. Williams met the detective when her twin 14-year-old sons were arrested in 1999 at her home. She testified that Golubski returned to her home days after the arrest promising to help her sons, who were being held for double homicide. During that meeting, the sexual assaults that Williams would endure for a year started. When a lawyer questioned Williams if she ever called the police, she replied: “He was the police.”

S.K. was just 13 years old when Golubski called her in 1997 to inform her she was a witness in a criminal trial. While questioning her in a Walmart parking lot, Golubski learned that S.K.’s grandmother was the most cherished person in her life. With this information, Golubski began sexually abusing the girl for the next five years using the threat she would never see her grandmother again if she spoke out. One of the rapes resulted in a miscarried pregnancy.  Golubski at one point put a dog collar on S.K. and directed her to crawl at his side. The detective would threaten death if S.K. did not submit to the abuse. 

Jezebel reported that studies show a law enforcement officer is accused of sexual misconduct—one of the most common complaints against police—at least once every five days in the United States.

Sources:  Injustice Watch, Jezebel, The Kansas City Star

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