Wichita cop accused of helping wanted woman avoid capture pleads guilty ahead of trial
A Wichita police officer charged with helping a wanted women avoid capture in 2019 has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of official misconduct ahead of his jury trial.
A Sedgwick County judge on Monday immediately sentenced Matt Powell to a year in jail after accepting his guilty plea, then suspended the term and placed him on probation for a year, according to court records. Powell agreed to give up his law enforcement certification as a condition of the probation, the records show.
He also has to obey all laws, stay in Kansas unless he gets permission to leave, avoid alcohol and drug use, and maintain a full-time job.
Prosecutors agreed to dismiss two other misdemeanor charges — a second count of official misconduct and one count of obstruction of justice — in exchange for the guilty plea, court records show.
Powell was charged after authorities learned he allegedly used police resources in 2019 to help the woman avoid arrest for an outstanding misdemeanor warrant issued by Wichita Municipal Court. An arrest affidavit released in the case says the woman told investigators that Powell had befriended her over Facebook and helped her evade authorities “for several months,” including on May 3, 2019, when he reportedly picked her up in his patrol car after telling her to hide from the cops.
Powell’s lawyer declined to comment on the resolution of the case. But he previously told The Eagle that Powell was merely being “kind and courteous” to the woman because she was an informant. He also has said the charges stemmed from a “failure to communicate.”
Powell had been working for the Wichita Police Department for about seven years at the time of his arrest. His employment ended on Feb. 25, 2020, agency spokesman Officer Charley Davidson said Tuesday.
Powell’s jury trial had been scheduled to start Monday.
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 5:19 PM.
