Arrest warrant issued for Kansas barber for opening against governor’s orders

An arrest warrant was issued this week for a Kansas barber who has been operating his shop during the pandemic, according to the barber and a Kansas politician.

Barbershops are prohibited during Gov. Laura Kelly’s phase one of reopening. Phase one runs until at least May 18.

Luke Aichele, a barber at Luke’s Barber Shop in McPherson, wrote Friday on Facebook that he received an arrest warrant that day. U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle (R-Wichita), both of whom are competing for a U.S. Senate seat, tweeted in support of Aichele after speaking with him Saturday.

“The chairs in his shop are six feet apart and barbers and hair stylists comply with strict safety regulations. It’s immoral to prevent those who want to work safely, with social distancing, from doing so. Open up KS now! #KansasCantWait,” Wagle tweeted.

Wagle wrote that an arrest warrant was issued for Aichele; Marshall wrote the barber was threatened with one. Police could not be immediately reached for comment on the discrepancy.

Marshall added that Aichele can’t collect unemployment.

“It’s worth adding that because Luke is self-employed — & the sole earner in his family — he’s not able to access unemployment benefits due to the delay & failures of the administration in Topeka, even though the federal government made those funds available a long time ago,” Marshall wrote.

In a request for an interview, Aichele wrote: “Not at this time.” He did confirm he is the owner and a barber at the business.

In a Facebook post about the arrest warrant, Aichele said he was following “my constitutional rights.” He’s also posted about a Michigan barber opening up against orders and a situation in Texas where a salon owner defied orders by opening and was briefly jailed.

“Not a PEEP from Dems about the Texas salon owner being SEPERATED FROM HER CHILDREN and locked in a CAGE for opening her salon,” Aichele wrote.

That Texas salon operator has since been freed from jail after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “weakened his enforcement of coronavirus safeguards and a court ordered her released,” the Associated Press reported.

This story was originally published May 9, 2020 at 3:22 PM.