KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Federal authorities say a member of a Kansas City criminal organization was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Thirty-six-year-old Demond Robins was sentenced Wednesday for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He pleaded guilty in March to providing cocaine to a co-conspirator, who distributed the drugs and brought the money to Robins. Robins’ girlfriend helped launder the drug proceeds.
His co-conspirator and his girlfriend have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The Kansas City Star reports Robins and his cousins, James Willis and Dale Willis, and some associates, were the focus of a joint investigation by Kansas City police and federal agents, which led to the charges against Robins. His cousins were convicted of killing a man outside an Overland Park, Kansas, bar in 2016.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that injured two people and have a suspect in custody.
Just after 3p.m. Wednesday, police following up on a citizen tip related to a shooting investigation and responded to a residence in the 700 block of SW Buchanan, in Topeka, according to a media release.
The shooting suspect identified as Donald Cornelius Dugan, 43, was located and taken into custody without incident.
He was transported to the Law enforcement center, interviewed by detectives and later booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for the criminal charge of aggravated battery
Dugan has extensive criminal history with multiple prior felony convictions.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a murder and asking for help to identify the victim.
On Thursday Deputies and Investigators were dispatched to the Card Creek camping area in Montgomery County to meet with hunters who had discovered what they thought was a deceased female floating in the water approximately a quarter of a mile south of the boat ramp, according to a media release.
Deputies from MGSO and Paramedics from Independence Fire and EMS boarded the hunter’s boat and were taken to the location where the woman was last seen. Paramedics loaded the woman into the boat and transported her to Labbette Health Hospital in Independence where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Bureau of Investigations are currently investigating the incident as a homicide. The victim has not been identified.
Anyone who has can recognize any of the tattoos on the victim or has information about the incident is asked to call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Olathe businessman Greg Orman on Wednesday joined the race to be Kansas governor as an independent candidate. In 2014 he challenged U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, losing by a 10-point margin.
Olathe businessman Greg Orman launched an independent campaign for governor Wednesday, ending months of speculation about his political plans.
Orman’s entry sets up a three-way contest that some say neither he nor the Democratic nominee can win.
“I think he will guarantee the Republican — likely Kris Kobach — wins,” said University of Kansas political scientist Patrick Miller, referring to Kansas’ high-profile but controversial secretary of state who is one of 13 candidates seeking the GOP nomination for governor.
Several of the six Democrats running could get enough support from independents and moderate Republicans to defeat Kobach in a head-to-head race, Miller said. But the advantage would go to Kobach, or whoever wins the GOP nomination, if the vote is split three ways, he said.
Former state Sen. Tim Owens disagrees with that assessment. He signed on as Orman’s campaign treasurer because he believes deepening partisan divisions in the country have made candidates who reject party labels more viable.
“It’s something that historically has been a tough thing, but if there was ever a right time it’s now,” Owens said.
Owens, a moderate Republican from Overland Park who lost his Kansas Senate seat in the conservative wave of 2012, said if Kobach wins the primary, GOP voters opposed to him would welcome an opportunity to support someone other than the Democrat.
“This gives them an opportunity to vote for somebody else without switching parties,” he said.
Running as an independent and without Democratic opposition in 2014, Orman threw a scare into Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts. But a late surge powered by millions of dollars that flowed to his campaign from out-of-state donors propelled Roberts to a 10-point win.
After the loss, Orman wrote a book, “A Declaration of Independents,” in which he argues that the corruption of both major parties by powerful special interests has disenfranchised average Americans.
As an independent, Orman won’t have to worry about getting through a primary but will have to collect 5,000 signatures on a petition to be assured of a spot on the Kansas general election ballot alongside the Republican and Democratic nominees.
Orman has varied business interests. In 1996, he profited from the sale of a company he founded — Environmental Lighting Concepts — to Kansas City Power & Light. He now holds interests in a private equity firm and a partnership that owns a Lenexa-based boxing equipment manufacturer.
Boil water advisory issued for area south of St. Joseph. Image courtesy Missouri American Water.
(UPDATE 1:58 p.m. Friday) Missouri American Water has announced that the boil water advisory has been lifted.
The precautionary boil water advisory, issued Thursday afternoon, was due to a malfunctioning valve in a water storage tank caused water pressure to drop below a certain level.
The approximate impacted area was south of St. Joseph to the Buchanan and Platte County line.
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A precautionary boil water advisory has been issued after a malfunctioning valve in a water storage tank caused water pressure to drop below a certain level.
According to Missouri American Water, this is strictly a precautionary measure and there is no evidence of contamination.
Residents in the affected area will be under a precautionary boil water advisory until further notice.
The boil water advisory impacts the following area:
Starting at the NW boundary of impacted area – State Highway 59 forms the western boundary North to the intersection of W. Parker Rd.
The area south of W. Parker Rd. going east to King Hill Ave. Rd. North (also known as State Rt. V).
The area south of Hwy 752 (also known as Alabama, East Hyde, and Mason Rd.) going east to I-229.
The area south of I-229 to I-29
The area west of I-29 as it runs south from I-229 to county rd. O
The area south of county rd. O as it runs east to 50th Rd. SE
The area west of west off 50th Rd. SE as it runs south from county rd. O, including Pigeon Hill Rd. going south
South on FF to South on H (all areas south of this)
South on H to MM to DD (all areas south of this)
Including the village of Faucett
Customers in the precautionary boil water advisory area listed above should bring their water to a rolling boil for 3 minutes before using for drinking or cooking. Tap water is safe for bathing and washing clothes. The precautionary advisory will be in effect until water quality samples confirm that the water is safe for consumption. Customers who have provided contact information to Missouri American Water will be notified via the company’s emergency notification system. Customers can also check the Missouri American Water Facebook Page for updates.
HALLTOWN, Mo. (AP) – A man once charged with first-degree murder in a drug trafficker’s ambush killing in southwest Missouri has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that 18-year-old Joshua Applegate, of Fordland, was sentenced to probation after admitting Thursday to unlawful use of a weapon. The charge stemmed from his role in the April 2016 killing of 24-year-old Mexican national Oscar Martinez-Gaxiola outside of a house in a rural area of Webster County.
Prosecutors say Martinez-Gaxiola was trying to collect a drug debt owed by another suspect when he was slain.
Five others pleaded guilty in federal court. Applegate’s case wasn’t transferred to federal court because he was only 17 at the time of the killing. Applegate’s attorney argued that her client wasn’t in on the ambush plan.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Next week will bring a ramp closure and lane closures at the intersection of westbound U.S. Route 36 and Interstate 229.
Work on signs at that location was postponed due to weather, but next Monday and Tuesday, local crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation plan to complete the delayed work.
Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, the ramp from westbound U.S. Route 36 to northbound I-229 and the driving lane on westbound U.S. Route 36 at the same location will be closed. Motorists wishing to travel from westbound U.S. Route 36 to northbound I-229 will need to seek an alternate route. Motorists traveling westbound through the intersection should expect delays.
Between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12, both the driving and passing lanes of westbound U.S. Route 36 at the Interstate 229 interchange will be closed. Crews will direct motorists through the intersection via the turn lane. Motorists will experience delays and may want to seek an alternate route.
MoDOT encourages all motorists to slow down, buckle up, eliminate distractions and drive safely to ensure everyone is able to Arrive Alive.
For more information about this and other MoDOT projects, call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest and view the online Traveler Information Map. In addition, MoDOT provides updated information on Twitter @MoDOTNorthwest and Facebook.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Authorities are searching for a man accused of attempting to abduct a girl in Jefferson City.
Police said in a news release that the girl was able to escape the abduction attempt Tuesday morning and get to school safely. The release says the man fled in a four-door pickup truck that had step rails and a chrome brush grille. The truck is believed to be a Ford with a license plate number that included an 8.
The man was described as white, with brown hair and crooked teeth.
Anyone with information is urged to call police or a tips hotline.
St. Joseph Police were involved in a chase overnight that ended in Andrew County.
According to the police department, officers responded to a call for a well-being check around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. Sgt. Kevin Cummings said a man in his 30s was threatening suicide and when police spotted his vehicle in the St. Joseph Avenue area, they attempted to stop the vehicle. Sgt. Cummings said the man continued driving at a normal speed, but would not stop. Spike strips were used but the man continued driving north into Andrew County before he stopped. Officers negotiated with the man who was eventually taken into custody around 2:30 a.m.
He was then taken to Mosaic Life Care for a well-being check up.
In June, dozens of officers were used in an FBI raid at the Jackson Co. detention Center-photo courtesy KCTV
KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to his role in a conspiracy to smuggle contraband cell phones and other items to inmates at the Jackson County Detention Center, according to Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Marion Lorenzo Byers, also known as “Cuddy,” 36, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to the charge contained in a July 18, 2017, federal indictment.
Byers admitted that he conspired with others – including a corrections officer and an inmate at the Jackson County Detention Center – to smuggle contraband to inmates between May 2 and June 26, 2017. Byers also admitted that he delivered contraband to a co-conspirator, who in turn delivered the contraband to a corrections officer at the detention center, who was to deliver the contraband to an inmate.
By pleading guilty, Byers acknowledged that this federal conviction provides a sufficient basis to revoke his current probation in an unrelated state case. The government will seek to have whatever sentence is imposed in this case run consecutive to whatever revocation sentence may be imposed in state court.
Under federal statutes, Byers is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
The Travel Act
The Travel Act makes it a crime to use a facility of interstate commerce (such as telephone calls) with the intent to further unlawful activity. The Travel Act’s definition of “unlawful activity” includes bribery in violation of the laws of a state. Missouri state law makes it a crime for a public servant to solicit or accept a bribe in return for violating a known legal duty. This crime is known under Missouri state law as acceding to corruption, and it is a companion or sister statute to the Missouri state statute that makes it a crime for someone to bribe a public servant. These two Missouri state statutes criminalize bribery conduct involving a public servant, both for the person paying the bribe and for the public servant taking the bribe.
Byers admitted today that he conspired to violate the Travel Act by using a facility of interstate commerce (a telephone) to facilitate the promotion of an unlawful activity, that is, acceding to corruption.
