Kansas Klips

Prison for Kansas man who stole Jackie Robinson statue from park

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man who admitted stealing and destroying a Jackie Robinson statue from a Wichita Park was sentenced on Friday, August 2nd, after pleading guilty to the theft of the statue from League 42, according to the district attorney’s office in May. Judge Tyler Roush sentenced 45-year-old Ricky Alderete of Wichita to 15 years in prison according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office. The judge imposed a sentence of 162 months on one count of Aggravated Burglary and 18 months on one count of Aggravated Criminal Damage to property in connection with the destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue for a total of 180 months or 15 years in prison. On January 26th, police learned the statue was cut at the ankles to be removed. All that remained of the statue were Robinson’s feet. Alderete, who was in custody for an arrest on February 1st, for a probation violation, burglary, kidnapping and criminal damage to property unrelated to the theft of the statue, according to online jail records, was charged with the crime. Wichita Police detectives conducted over 100 interviews both within and outside Sedgwick County to resolve the case. On January 18th, officers from the Wichita Police Department Field Community Response Team located a suspect vehicle used in the theft, unoccupied, at an apartment complex in Wichita. On January 30th, the Wichita Fire Department discovered parts of the statue in a trash can at Garvey Park while responding to a fire call. The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicated that this was a hate-motivated crime, instead, police believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping metal, according to Moses. Alderete has been the only suspect apprehended in the statue’s destruction. (Hays Post)

Driver traveling 71 mph over speed limit in Kansas

HAMILTON COUNTY—Law enforcement across Kansas continue to see more drivers traveling well above the posted speed limit despite a statewide campaign to crack down on excessive speeding. During the last week of July, Hamilton County Kansas Sheriff’s Office reported a traffic stop on Kansas 27 Highway where the driver was traveling 136 mph in a 65 mph zone. As of July 22nd, KHP troopers have issued 1,501 citations for speeds greater than 100 mph, according to a social media report. Over the past four years, the Kansas Highway Patrol issued over 12,000 tickets for drivers going over 100 miles per hour. The Hamilton County Sheriff asks drivers to “Please slow down even if you’re late to work.” (Hays Post)

Kansas man kills victim and steals his bicycle

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man is going to prison for killing a man and stealing the victim's bicycle in a Wichita park in 2021. This past week, Judge David Dahl sentenced 23-year-old Derek Zamzow to life in prison for the shooting death and bike theft of 32-year-old Jason Huber, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office. In May, a jury convicted Zamzow of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. The crime occurred in September of 2021 in the 800 block of West Murdock. Police found Huber with a gunshot wound. Zamzow shot Huber before stealing his bicycle and riding away. EMS transported Huber to a local hospital where he died. (Hutch Post)

Prosecutors to charge former Kansas police chief over his conduct following newspaper raid

TOPEKA—Two special prosecutors said Monday that they plan to file a criminal obstruction of justice charge against a former central Kansas police chief over his conduct following a raid last year on his town's newspaper. In a lengthy report summarizing the findings of their investigation, the special prosecutors, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett and Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson, note that the staff of the newspaper that was raided, the Marion County Record, committed no crimes. It wasn't clear whether they planned to charge former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody with a felony or a misdemeanor, and either is possible. The prosecutors also hadn't filed their criminal case as of Monday. It could be days before they file it because they were working with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, which stepped in at the request of its Kansas counterpart. There was no immediate response to a voicemail left at a possible cellphone number for Cody, and it wasn't clear who might be representing him in the potential criminal case. Attorneys defending Cody in federal lawsuits that were filed over the raid did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment. The prosecutors detailed events before, during and after the August 11th, 2023, raid on the Record and the home of its publisher, Eric Meyer. The report suggested that Marion police, who were led at the time by Cody, conducted a poor investigation that led them to “reach erroneous conclusions” that Meyer and reporter Phyllis Zorn had committed identity theft or other computer crimes. But the prosecutors concluded that they have probable cause to believe that Cody obstructed an official judicial process. They said two pages of a written statement made by a business owner following the raid were not submitted to investigators with the rest of the statement in September 2023, about six weeks after the raid. Cody had accused Meyer and Zorn of identity theft and other computer crimes related to the business owner's driving record to get warrants for the raid. The report also makes a passing reference to text messages between Cody and the business owner after the raid. The business owner has said that Cody asked her to delete text messages between them, fearing people could get wrong ideas about their relationship, which she said was professional and platonic. “The findings will be incorporated into charges which will be sought in Marion County District Court,” the special prosecutors wrote in their report. Bennett and Wilkerson concluded that neither Meyer nor Zorn committed any crimes in verifying information in the business owner’s driving record through a database available online from the state. Their report suggested Marion police conducted a poor investigation to “reach erroneous conclusions.” The raid sparked a national debate about press freedoms focused on Marion, a town of about of about 1,900 people set among the rolling prairie hills about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri. Cody resigned as chief in early October, weeks after officers were forced to return materials seized in the raid. Meyer's 98-year-old mother Joan Meyer, who co-owned the paper and lived with him, died the day after the raid from a heart attack. Meyer attributed her death to the stress of the raid. A felony obstruction charge could be punished by up to nine months in prison for a first-time offender, though the typical sentence would be 18 months or less on probation. A misdemeanor charge could result in up to a year in jail. (Hays Post)