Kansas Klips
All six teens in custody charged with murder in Olathe park shooting
OLATHE — Prosecutors have charged a total of six teenagers with first-degree murder in a deadly shooting at Black Bob Park in Olathe on Saturday, May 14. All six teenagers in custody face first-degree murder charges in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Marco Cardino of Smithville, Missouri. Prosecutors have filed motions for four 14-year-olds to be tried as adults. The two remaining teens are 13, and Kansas state law does not allow for them to be tried as adults. Olathe police were called to Black Bob Park at about 4 a.m. that Saturday morning and found Cardino inside a vehicle suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Cardino was pronounced dead at the scene. The Johnson County DA’s Office said the incident stemmed from a drug deal that led to a robbery, which then led to the fatal shooting. (Fox 4 News KC)
12-year-old arrested in Kansas Wesleyan water cooler case
SALINA — The Associated Press reported a 12-year-old has been arrested in connection to a water cooler tampering case at Kansas Wesleyan University in April. The McPherson County attorney is charging the minor with endangerment and criminal property damage. The arrest stems from a baseball game between Kansas Wesleyan and Bethany College April 24th. KWU reported seeing a foreign substance in its water cooler during the game at Bethany. The substance was later identified as paint used to line the fields. (HaysPost.com)
Man sentenced for crime spree with AR-15 style rifle
WICHITA — A Wichita man has been sentenced for a shooting and for robbing a business in south Wichita. District Judge Bruce Brown sentenced Jacob Caddell, 21, of Wichita, to 17 years in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office. Caddell stole a car and shot the owner in the face; robbed a Kwik Shop on S. Oliver in Wichita; drove 80 mph on W. Kellogg in the stollen car and crashed into another car, then ran away, carrying an AR-15 style rifle. With the help of a police service dog, officers found Jacob Caddell hiding in a garage. He was treated at a hospital for dog bites. Police recovered the AR-15 rifle and a semi-automatic pistol, plus other items that had been stolen from the Kwik Trip. On April 14, Caddell pled guilty to two counts of aggravated battery and one count of aggravated robbery. One of the aggravated battery charges was for an injured person in a car that was struck by Caddell at Central and Hillside during the high-speed chase. Charges are pending against at least one other suspect in the armed robbery. (HaysPost.com)
Man with flashlight also had meth, marijuana
GREAT BEND — Just before 11 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, police were dispatched to a residence in Great Bend after report of an unknown man with a flashlight, according to a media release. At the home, police made contact with 42-year-old Eduardo Torres. During the encounter, Torres removed his hands from his pockets dropping items to the floor. Officers located and secured a small bag containing a white powdery substance, a small bag containing a green leafy vegetation, and a broken glass pipe. Officers field-tested both substances, and each bag tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana. Torres was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the Barton County Jail where he was booked and held on a $10,000 bond. (GreatBendPost.com)
Soldier indicted in romance fraud scheme
TOPEKA — A federal grand jury in Topeka indicted a U.S. Army service member for allegedly participating in a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $149,476 from at least 25 individuals, according to the United State’s Attorney. According to court documents, Innocent N. Ugwu, 24, of Fort Riley, is charged with five counts of wire fraud, five counts of laundering monetary instruments, and one count of procurement of citizenship or naturalization unlawfully. From an unknown date until January 2021, Ugwu is accused of conspiring with others to defraud money from individuals in the United States using false pretenses and promises, and the omission of material facts to carry out romance, advance fee and other fraudulent schemes. The U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the case. (JCPost.com)
Library to keep ‘Fred Gets Dressed’ despite mother’s complaint
OAKLEY — The Oakley Public Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously last week to keep a children’s book over objections from a woman who asked for its removal. Janna Leitner tried to ban “Fred Gets Dressed,” by Peter Brown, from the public library after her two children, ages 9 and 11, discovered the book and brought it to their mother’s attention. Library staff told Kansas Reflector that Leitner was troubled by what she viewed as LGBTQ content. The book is about a boy who loves to “romp through the house naked and wild and free” and tries on his mother’s clothes. Brown, a bestselling author of children’s books, is a straight, cisgender man who wrote the book about an experience he had as a little boy. During the May meeting of the board, library director Victoria Halbleib asked to provide a statement for the record. “To ban a book is fundamentally wrong,” Halbleib said, adding that this was not about defending or condoning the content of the book or other material in the library. “This is a censorship issue;” Halbleib said, “it is about the right of every patron who comes through the door to have the freedom to decide for themselves what they will read.” The board voted 6-0 not to remove the book, according to the minutes. (Kansas Reflector)
