Wichita police veteran charged with two misdemeanors, accused of misconduct

A Wichita Police Department community officer has been charged with two misdemeanors, accused of releasing information and official misconduct tied to an incident involving a gun last month in north Wichita, police spokesperson Chad Ditch said Tuesday.

Anthony Villegas, who has been with the department more than 14 years, was charged Tuesday in Sedgwick County District Court on suspicion of dissemination of criminal history record information and official misconduct. He has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

The official misconduct charge alleges Villegas used his job for the “private benefit or gain of the officer or employee or another or to intentionally cause harm to another.”

The charges stem from a Nov. 21 call in the 2400 block of North Rosenthal. Two people had been charged in that case, both on suspicion of kidnapping, attempted aggravated robbery with a weapon and criminal damage to property.

Villegas is a community police officer in the police department’s south bureau. He helped direct and played the guitar in a lip sync battle the department did in 2018 after being challenged by the Salina Police Department and community organizations. Police lip sync battles were popular on the internet at the time.