Kansas.com: Crime andamp; Courts

Woman charged in sex case at Mo. rehab center

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:38 CST

A woman who briefly supervised teens at a southwest Missouri drug and alcohol treatment center is charged with statutory rape for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old boy at the center.

Police say they're investigating similar allegations concerning Jana Carter, 45, and three other teens who lived at the male-only dormitory at Scott Greening Dependency Center in Joplin. Two of the boys are 16 and the third is 14. No charges had been filed in those allegations as of Friday.

A probable cause statement filed in Jasper County Circuit Court alleges that Carter had consensual sexual contact with the 16-year-old at least twice last month at the center. Their alleged encounters occurred while Carter, a residential supervisor at the time, was working her shift.

Joplin police spokesman Cpl. Chuck Niess told the Associated Press on Friday that Carter is now in custody. Niess said she turned herself in Thursday in McDonald County.

Larry Black, director of the Scott Greening Dependency Center, was out of the office Friday and could not be reached by the AP. But he told the Joplin Globe that Carter was hired about a month before the alleged incidents happened. According to court records, she had sexual contact with the 16-year-old from Oct. 10 to Oct. 19.

Journey to take judge's seat on bench early

JEANNINE KORANDA — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:38 CST

Sen. Phil Journey plans to don his judge's robes a little early.

The Haysville Republican won his race for Sedgwick County District Court judge on Nov. 4. Under normal circumstances, he would take the bench in January, but the death of Judge Karl Friedel in late September means the position is vacant.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, appointed Journey to the seat to let him get started early, Nicole Corcoran, spokeswoman for the governor, said Friday.

"It was the best thing to do for Sedgwick County, and she saw that," Journey said.

Dec. 18 is the earliest Journey would take over the spot, handling traffic court, he said. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Wichita police test video cameras

STAN FINGER — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:17 CST

The white Pontiac rolled through the intersection of Gilbert and Rutan in south Wichita as if there were no stop sign.

Spotting the traffic infraction, Officer Greta Semsroth punched the accelerator and flipped on the lights and sirens of her patrol car. That turned on a small camera in her car, too.

The Pontiac pulled over two blocks later, and the camera rolled as Semsroth went up and talked to the driver, then returned to run the driver's identity through a computer database and fill out a citation for running a stop sign.

"She said, 'Did I even stop?' " Semsroth said later.

The video footage from Semsroth's patrol car will provide the visual confirmation.

Thieves swipe Salvation Army kettles

STAN FINGER — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:11 CST

Someone is stealing Salvation Army holiday kettles in east Wichita in an act one police official called "despicable" Friday.

"My first reaction was anger," Salvation Army spokesman Tim Brown said. "Boy, if you're to the point that you're so low that you have to steal a kettle, you must be in pretty dire straits."

The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Christmas Campaign raises money for food, toys and clothing during the holidays and beyond. The charity hopes to raise $1.3 million this year.

One kettle and its stand were stolen from in front of the Dillons at Central and Rock Road on Thursday afternoon. Another was stolen Friday from next to the Sears at Towne East Square, police said.

"Those are both high-traffic areas," Brown said. "We're trying to access security camera footage to see if we can see anything."

Murder case dismissed against southwest Kansas pair

RON SYLVESTER — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:18 CST

Next week, Chad and Shannon Floyd will be able to relax in western Kansas free of the murder charges that dogged them for the past three years.

The husband and wife are set to meet with a judge in Johnson City, about five hours west of Wichita in southwest Kansas, on Monday to sign a final order of dismissal in a murder case against them that's dragged through two trials that ended without a verdict.

"Chad and Shannon Floyd and their families have had to endure three years of accusations, innuendo and rumor that have been absolutely false," said Wichita attorney Dan Monnat, who represented Chad Floyd.

The body of Michael Golub, 27, has never been found.

Golub was a former boyfriend of Shannon Floyd, now 30. The two were involved in a custody dispute over their son.

Man gets life in 'Precious Doe' murder

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:39 CST

The man convicted of killing and beheading a 3-year-old girl, known only as "Precious Doe" for years, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole.

Before being sentenced, Harrell Johnson decried the justice system and continued to proclaim his innocence in the 2001 slaying of Erica Green, the daughter of his then-girlfriend.

"Never once have I harmed a hair on her head or did anything to hurt her," Johnson said. "God knows my little angel -- Erica -- knows the truth. And I ain't gonna stop fighting until I prove my innocence and the truth is brought to the light."

Johnson, 29, was convicted last month of first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child and abuse of a child. Jurors believed the account that prosecutors and Erica's mother gave: that Johnson kicked the girl in the head and left her to die on the bedroom floor of a Kansas City house where they were staying.

Johnson then decapitated the child's body and dumped it in woods in an attempt to hide the crime, according to testimony and prosecutors' arguments.

Police say shooting 'not a random act'

STAN FINGER — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:39 CST

A Wichita man who was shot to death late Wednesday outside a west Wichita hotel appears to have been targeted, police said.

Police said Edward B. "Brian" Leeper, 33, was in a second-story hotel room at the Stratford House Inn, 5505 W. Kellogg, when he came out onto the balcony and then walked down to the parking lot at about 11:30 p.m., Capt. Brent Allred said.

A witness reported hearing five or six shots, and Leeper was found on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest.

He was taken to Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, where he was pronounced dead at 12:02 a.m.

The shooter apparently was standing at least 10 feet away, Allred said.

Kline deputy: No allegation prompted Tiller inquiry

ROXANA HEGEMAN — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:39 CST

George Tiller's pretrial hearing regarding alleged prosecutorial misconduct was continued Thursday until next year, winding up four days of testimony without much, if any, word from the major players.

The hearing is scheduled to resume Jan. 6 in Sedgwick County District Court, with former Attorney General Phill Kline expected to return to the stand.

Kline, who launched the investigation of Tiller, the Wichita abortion provider, testified for three hours Monday before a scheduling conflict cut off questioning.

Still left to take the stand is former Attorney General Paul Morrison, who filed 19 misdemeanor charges against Tiller before resigning amid a sex scandal.

Defense attorneys also hope to find Morrison's former mistress, Linda Carter, who worked at one time for both Morrison and Kline. The defense claims she pressured Morrison to file charges against Tiller.

Robber of east-side bank still at large

STAN FINGER — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:39 CST

Authorities are still looking for a man who robbed the Bank of America branch at Central and Woodlawn on Tuesday afternoon.

The man came into the bank just before 2:30 p.m., waited for a customer or two to leave and handed a note to a teller. He left with an undisclosed amount of money, authorities said.

The man indicated he had a gun, but one wasn't seen, Wichita Police Capt. Darrell Haynes said.

The man was described as white, between 30 and 40 years old, about 6 feet tall, 220 pounds, with a reddish-brown goatee. He was wearing a blue jacket and a baseball cap.

One of the images from a bank security camera suggests he has a shaved head, Haynes said.

Boy's killer sentenced to 19 years

TIM POTTER — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:39 CST

In court Wednesday, Athena Haga started to read from a piece of paper where she put down her thoughts for the sentencing of Heidi Dieball. It was Dieball who fatally beat Haga's 19-month-old son, Andrew Haga, while baby-sitting him last January.

But as Haga started to speak, she crumpled the paper. Between sobs, she said, "I just want to know, 'Why?' "

Dieball, 25, who had been Haga's roommate, had admitted to beating the boy on three separate occasions to punish him that January night, the prosecutor said.

Haga, 25, told how when she came home from work tired and demoralized, her 19-month-old son would make her smile. He comforted her.

Now, she said, "I kiss his urn goodnight.

10-year-old's abortion is center of Tiller hearing

RON SYLVESTER — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:39 CST

A 10-year-old girl who received an abortion became the center of a Kansas attorney general's argument to obtain patient records from a Wichita clinic.

Here was a possible child-rape victim, officers for then-Attorney General Phill Kline told a Topeka judge in 2006 -- and a crime that abortion provider George Tiller didn't report, as required by law.

They wanted to find out whether Tiller hadn't reported other crimes, and they needed his records to do that.

But their claims about Tiller weren't true, his attorneys argued Wednesday in Wichita.

Tiller's lawyers are in Sedgwick County District Court this week arguing that 19 misdemeanor charges he faces should be dismissed. They contend the charges are based on evidence obtained by Kline and his officers through false pretenses and abuses of power.

13-year-old's hug of teacher investigated

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:15 CST

Police and prosecutors are investigating allegations that a 13-year-old student inappropriately hugged a faculty member at a suburban Kansas City school.

Police on Tuesday did not discuss why the hug might have been a criminal act, but Olathe police spokesman John Roland said the boy's embrace of the female faculty member was far from innocent.

Authorities said the faculty member reported the incident on Nov. 11 at Chisholm Trail Junior High School. The boy was released to his parents.

Police forwarded their report on the incident to the Johnson County District Attorney's Office to review for possible charges.

Police seek help in identifying bank robber

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:55 CST

Wichita police are asking for the public's help identifying a man who robbed the Bank of America branch at Central and Woodlawn at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The man indicated he had a gun and left with an undisclosed amount of money, authorities said.

He was described as white, between 30 and 40 years old, about 6 feet tall, 220 pounds, with a reddish-brown goatee and wearing a blue jacket and a baseball cap. He may have a shaved head, police said.

A second man seen running from the area was described as white, about 5-foot-6, with a slender build and wearing a blue T-shirt and tan pants.

Police said a maroon 1995 Chevrolet Lumina with license tag 697 AUU may have been involved in the robbery.

Three arrested after car rammed, shot at

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:36 CST

Three men were arrested Monday on suspicion of ramming another car with their vehicle and shooting at its occupants, police said.

A man and a woman told police they stopped to pick up a 13-year-old girl from Hadley Middle School at about 4:45 p.m. and were driving in the 4900 block of West 11th Street when the men shot at them and rammed their car from behind. They were not injured.

The men were seen parking in front of a house in the 700 block of North Bebe, where they went inside. Police arrested the three -- ages 44, 20 and 21 -- and then obtained a search warrant for the house. They confiscated firearms during the ensuing search.

Tiller's lawyers link Kline's teen-sex opinion to his abortion clinic investigations

RON SYLVESTER — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:08 CST

TILLER CHALLENGES CHARGES

Phill Kline's broad interpretation of a law governing how health care providers report teen sexual activity fueled his investigation of Wichita abortion provider George Tiller, the doctor's lawyers said Tuesday in Sedgwick County District Court.

Tiller's defense team is trying to persuade a judge to throw out 19 misdemeanor charges against the doctor because they say the case is based on evidence that Kline collected through abuse of his authority as the state's top law enforcement officer.

Kline was sued in federal court over his legal opinion on teen sex, and a judge ruled the opinion invalid.

The charges against Tiller stem from how he performed abortions on fetuses that were potentially viable outside the womb. They were filed by attorney general Paul Morrison, who succeeded Kline, and are being pursued by current attorney general Steve Six. But Tiller's lawyers argue the charges rely on evidence collected by Kline.

Tips are sought in hit, run

STAN FINGER — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:40 CST

Police are asking for the public's help in finding a compact red car that a witness said struck and seriously injured a man on 47th Street South on Sunday night and then left the scene.

The collision occurred just east of Broadway about 7:15 p.m. Sunday, police said. The 54-year-old man was walking across 47th Street South on his way to a Taco Tico when he was hit by a car going west on 47th, Lt. Gavin Seiler said.

The man was taken to Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus with a head injury and multiple fractures. He remained in critical condition Monday.

Seiler said police are looking for a red Toyota Corolla with a dented right front panel and a cracked or smashed windshield.

"This was a well-lit area," Seiler said.

Few clues about why driver fled before fatal crash

TIM POTTER — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:58 CST

Why Jennifer Shaun Stilley fled from a pursuing state trooper remained a mystery Monday.

More than a day after the car she was driving crashed into another car on East 21st Street -- killing her and two women in the other car -- there were no clues as to why Stilley didn't stop.

The 24-year-old Wichita woman had a valid driver's license and had no accidents or traffic-related convictions, according to a document obtained from the Kansas Department of Revenue.

The Kansas Highway Patrol, which is investigating the crash, had no indication why she didn't pull over, Trooper Gary Warner said Monday during a media briefing.

"Quite frankly, we may never know," said Warner, the agency's local spokesman.

Reports of rape fall about 1%

STAN FINGER — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:40 CST

The number of rapes reported in Wichita has declined slightly from a year ago, but officials say whether that's good news or bad news depends on one's perspective.

The 234 rapes reported through the end of October represent a 1 percent decrease compared to the same period a year ago, police said.

The relatively flat numbers follow presentations on "risk reduction" to more than 12,000 students at Wichita high schools and universities this year.

But Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center officials say it's difficult to quantify rapes that may have been averted because people were more aware and cautious.

"Reporting numbers always vary," said Mary Stolz, coordinator of program services for the center. "I would go with my gut feeling -- I would say the numbers (of rapes) are down, or at least they aren't increasing."

Tiller's lawyers, Kline spar at hearing

ROXANA HEGEMAN AND JOHN HANNA — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:58 CST

Attorneys for abortion provider George Tiller tried to show in court Monday that former Attorney General Phill Kline was planning to prosecute Tiller even before he took office.

Tiller made a rare court appearance as he watched as one of his attorneys sparred with Kline, who launched an investigation of Tiller more than five years ago.

Tiller, one of the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortions, is accused of violating Kansas' restrictions on those procedures. He faces 19 misdemeanors in Sedgwick County District Court, filed by Paul Morrison, Kline's successor as attorney general. But the case rests partly on evidence Kline gathered.

Tiller's attorneys have asked District Judge Clark Owens to suppress the evidence linked to Kline or to dismiss the charges. They accuse Kline of outrageous conduct in his pursuit of Tiller.

Kline says Tiller is simply trying to avoid prosecution.

Beat 11

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:40 CST

Criminal complaints from police beats in Wichita. Missing dates indicate days where no reports were filed.

Beat 11

Aggravated assault

1500 block of N. Gow, Nov. 8.

Vandalism