WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The family of an unarmed man who was fatally shot by police while responding to a bogus emergency call is seeking $25 million in damages in a lawsuit.

Recent documents filed in the lawsuit brought by Andrew Finch’s family outline the damages they are seeking for his death and their pain and suffering. The 28-year-old Finch was fatally shot by police in December 2017.

Officials have said that officers feared Finch was reaching for a firearm when he was shot, not knowing that a hoaxer had reported a fake homicide and hostage situation at Finch’s home.

The lawsuit filed by Finch’s family is pending. The city has already spent nearly $250,000 to defend against the lawsuit.

KANSAS CITY– Two Kansas City men were sentenced in federal court Friday for their roles in a series of armed robberies, according to the United States Attorney’s office.

Clyde H. Jackson, Jr., 30, and Thomas E. Davis, 43, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough. Jackson was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison without parole. Davis was sentenced to 26 years in federal prison without parole.

Jackson pleaded guilty on July 9, 2019, to seven counts of robbery, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Davis pleaded guilty on July 1, 2019, to five counts of robbery and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Co-defendants Brion L. McDonald, 30, and Bianca C Seaton, 26, both of Kansas City, Missouri, have also pleaded guilty and await sentencing. McDonald will be sentenced on Nov. 25, 2019, and Seaton will be sentenced on Dec. 19, 2019.

The defendants were part of a group of individuals committing armed robberies in the Kansas City metropolitan area from October 2017 through March 2018. According to court documents, Jackson and Davis brandished knives and firearms during the robberies.

During one robbery, Davis cocked a firearm, pointed it at the neck of one of the victims, and said, “Hurry up and give us the money, or I’ll kill this [expletive] white lady.” During another robbery, Davis discharged a firearm because the clerk was not moving fast enough.

Jackson cocked a gun during one robbery, walked toward a customer, grabbed the customer, placed the gun to the back of the customer’s head, and pulled the customer around the counters to the checkout counter. During another robbery, Jackson pointed a firearm at a victim and ordered the victim to retrieve the money faster, stating, “Come on, do you want to die?” During each of the three knife-related robberies in which Jackson participated, he put a knife to the victim’s neck and made various demands related to obtaining money. According to court documents, Jackson has previously been associated with the 5-1 Gangster gang, a subset of the Crips street gang, and has tattoo of a “51” inscribed on his right arm.

Jackson and Davis admitted they were involved in the armed robberies of Family Dollar, 5242 Blue Ridge Blvd. in Kansas City, on Jan. 12, 2018; Dollar General Store, 8716 Blue Ridge Blvd. in Kansas City, on Jan. 20, 2018; Family Dollar, 9120 E. 35th Street South in Independence, Missouri, on Jan. 22, 2018; and Family Dollar, 3017 Prospect Ave. in Kansas City, on Jan. 26, 2018 (Davis discharged a firearm during this robbery).

Jackson, McDonald, and Seaton each admitted to being involved in the armed robbery of Pizza Hut, 7624 Wornall Road in Kansas City, on March 19, 2018.

Davis was also involved in the armed robbery of Dollar General Store, 9101 E. 63rd St. in Raytown, Missouri, on Oct. 25, 2017. Davis brandished a knife during that robbery.

Jackson admitted he also was involved in an attempted robbery of the Pizza Hut at 7624 Wornall Road on March 20, 2018, and of Dollar General, 5008 N.E. Parvin Road in Kansas City, on March 20, 2018. Jackson also admitted that he was in possession of a Glock .45-caliber pistol and various rounds of ammunition on March 23, 2018. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Jackson has prior felony convictions for larceny and robbery.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A second driver has been charged in a crash near Wichita that killed a 24-year-old Kansas man last year.

Hunter Nelson Black was arrested Wednesday and charged with involuntary manslaughter. Investigators say he ran a stop sign on Dec. 20, causing his car to be hit in the passenger side by another car. The crash killed Black’s passenger, Logan Kirk Owens.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office says in a crash report that Black told officers he had been drinking.

The driver of the other car, Garrett Creigh Neff, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery in the crash. His case is pending.

LAWRENCE —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting in Lawrence.

Just after 2.am., police responded to multiple 911 calls in reference to a shooting at Playerz Sports Bar, 1910 Haskell Avenue in Lawrence, according to Police Department spokesman Patrick Compton.

Officers learned that a shooting had occurred in the parking lot of the bar resulting in serious, but non-life-threatening injuries to both a man and a woman.

Police located the suspect vehicle shortly after and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The suspect tried to evade police, but eventually stopped in the vicinity of E. 23^rd St. and O’Connell Road.

The suspect was discovered by police in his vehicle with serious, life-threatening injuries from what appeared to be a gunshot wound and was transported to an area hospital.

Police temporarily closed 23rd Street from Harper to East Hills Drive to traffic as a result of this investigation. They reopened 23rd Street just after 8:30a.m. Sunday.
Police have not released names of the victims or additional details.

By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN

Kansans reported more sexual assaults, domestic violence and stalking to the police in 2018, according to a report from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Compared to the previous year, it’s a 6% increase in domestic violence incidents, a 9% increase in rapes and a 27% increase in stalking incidents.

But the numbers don’t necessarily reflect an increase in those crimes being committed, KBI spokeswoman Melissa Underwood said.

“The statistics ONLY encompass crimes that are reported to law enforcement,” Underwood said in an email. “Crimes of domestic violence and sexual assault are underreported.”

There are many reasons people who experience sexual and domestic violence may not go to the police, said Valerie Guile, a therapist and advocate at Safehome, a domestic violence organization in Johnson County. Survivors may not trust law enforcement or may be scared their abuser will retaliate.

“They may fear not being believed,” Guile said, “or that if they reach out for help, nothing will happen to the abuser and they will punish the survivor.”

The 2018 statistics might also show more survivors are willing to come forward due to the “Me Too” movement, said Michelle McCormick, director of the Center for Safety and Empowerment at the YWCA in Topeka. In the same year, her organization saw more people take advantage of its sexual and domestic violence services.

“In many ways that’s a good thing that people are reaching out,” McCormick said. “I think that more people are finding their way to support services.”

Gun violence

The KBI compiled the statistics from hundreds of state, county, city and tribal law enforcement agencies.

There were 37 domestic violence homicides in Kansas in 2018, according to the report. Twenty-six of those deaths — about 70% — involved guns.

Nationwide, pro-gun control activists have argued that there is a link between guns and domestic violence. Over half of women killed by intimate partners are fatally shot, according to research conducted by anti-gun group Everytown for Gun Safety.

Even if a gun isn’t being used to hurt or kill someone, it can be used to threaten or intimidate.

And just having a gun in the home is a risk factor for an abuser potentially killing a partner or family member, Guile said. If a victim attempts to leave, the situation can turn violent.

“We know that that is one of the most dangerous times,” Guile said. “When an abuser begins to feel they’re losing that control, that risk for homicide heightens.”

Kansas has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the country. But in 2017, the state passed a law that bans people from owning firearms if they were convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors in the past five years or if they have a court order barring them from stalking or harassing a partner or child.

The legislation was intended to bring state statutes in line with federal domestic violence laws.

But enforcing the law can be difficult, McCormick said, and the burden is often on the victim to tell the police that their partner has a gun.

“There’s that challenge of actually getting folks to relinquish their access to the firearms,” she said. We’re putting too much pressure, once again, on the person who’s most vulnerable in this situation.”

Nomin Ujiyediin reports on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas News Service.  Follow her on Twitter @NominUJ or email nomin (at) kcur (dot) org. 

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kanas felon and a passenger in his vehicle on charges after a traffic stop.

On Friday, a deputy from the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop for a registration violation near SW 37th and S.Topeka Boulevard, according to St. Todd Stallbaumer.

During the investigation, the driver, identified as Edgar B. Branch IV, 47, of Oskaloosa, was arrested booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Possession of methamphetamine and other misdemeanor traffic violations.

He has previous convictions for theft, burglary, aggravated robbery and flee and elude, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

A passenger in the vehicle, identified as Staci A. Stahlheber, 38, of Topeka, was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for an outstanding Shawnee County warrant as well as requested charges Criminal use of a weapon, Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Stallbaumer.

RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting in Hutchinson and have made an arrest.

Just before 5:30p.m. Saturday,  police were dispatched to 17th and Ring Road in Hutchinson reference to a shooting, according to a media release.

Officers contacted Darin Rodriguez, 54,  Hutchinson who had a gunshot wound to his groin. The detectives’ investigation revealed that an argument took place between Rodriguez and the occupants of another car while they were both stopped in traffic on Ring Road just south of 17th Avenue.

Rodriguez exited the passenger side on a vehicle he was riding in. He left his door open as he confronted the occupants of the other vehicle. A rear seat passenger in the other vehicle identified as Deante Jones, 20,  Kansas City, discharged a firearm one time striking Rodriguez in the groin.

The bullet went through the open door of the vehicle Rodriguez got out of, ricocheted off the interior and struck the driver Paula Thomas, 74 of Hutchinson on her upper right leg.

Thomas received a graze from the bullet. Rodriguez and Thomas were both transported to the Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where they were treated and released.  Police arrested Deante Jones on requested charges of Aggravated Battery and he is being held on a $20,000 bond.

 

CHEYENNE COUNTY — Crews were busy fighting grass fires Saturday in Cheyenne County that prompted Governor Laura Kelley to issue a verbal disaster declaration.

The first grass fires were reported just after 11:30 a.m., according to Ryan Murry, Cheyenne County Emergency Management Director.

They ultimately had to battle several grass fires across the county. Just after 5 p.m., Murray said the fires were contained. Crews continued to monitor hot spots and the Kansas Forrest Service continued to drop water on those hot spots.

Burn scar from a long-lived fire between St. Francis and Wheeler in Cheyenne county, KS on Saturday November 09, 2019. Burn scar is ~4 miles long and ~2 miles wide. #KSwx #NEwx #COwx pic.twitter.com/5OqRQ2VaDF

— NWS Goodland (@NWSGoodland) November 9, 2019

There is no word on the number of acres burned. The fires may have started by a semi driving by on the highway with a mechanical issue, according to Murry. The cause of the fires is still under investigation.

@GovLauraKelly issued a verbal disaster declaration for Cheyenne County due to grass fires which were sparked along US-36 by the City of Saint Francis. Local officials have evacuated several homes and residents have been alerted for the potential of evacuation if the need arises. pic.twitter.com/TMeKM04L3p

— KDEM (@KansasEmergency) November 10, 2019

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A former Lawrence police officer convicted of threatening another driver with a gun on a suburban Kansas City highway in a case of road rage has lost his peace officer’s license.

The license for 53-year-old Jeffrey Brian Holtzman was revoked last month.

Holtzman was sentenced in August to 12 months’ probation for the October 2018 incident. He pleaded guilty in June to a reduced charge of criminal threat.

The victim told police that he was driving on Interstate 435 near Interstate 35 when he honked at Holtzman for suddenly slowing down. The victim says Holtzman then pulled alongside him and pointed a handgun at him and his passenger.

Holtzman resigned from the Lawrence Police Department the following month.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before midnight Friday in Sedgwick County.

A Buick LeSabre driven by a 59-year-old man was eastbound on East Mt. Vernon at Bluff, according to office Kevin Wheeler. The vehicle left the road and struck a utility pole.

The  driver was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated by the Wichita Fire Department. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other occupants in the vehicle, and no other vehicles were involved in the collision, according to Wheeler. The accident remains under investigation. Wheeler did not release the driver’s name.