Larned, KS – A one-day jury trial was conducted Wednesday in the Pawnee County District Court regarding a felony criminal complaint of Interference of Law Enforcement against Christina Warren, 59 of Larned, Kansas. The State’s case was presented by Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.

The charge stems from a missing teenager report from Garden City in December of 2017.

Warren’s grandson, Anthony Riojas, 22 of Garden City, had been reported by the teenager’s family as a suspect in the girl’s disappearance. As a follow-up to that report Larned Police Chief Charles Orth went to Warren’s Larned residence during the noon hour of January 22, 2018 to look for the missing teenager.

According to testimony presented at trial, Warren advised Chief Orth that Riojas and the teenage girl were not there and that she had not seen them in a month and a half. After some discussion, Larned Police Officers were allowed to search the residence except for a room that contained two large dogs. Detectives from the Garden City Police Department came back to the Warren residence later in the day and located Riojas and the teenage girl hiding in Warren’s residence.

Once in custody, the girl informed detectives she had been brought to Larned against her will and had been staying at the Warren residence. She also confirmed she was in the room with the dogs when Chief Orth tried to
locate her.

The jury made up of 9 women and 3 men deliberated for approximately 12 minutes before returning a guilty verdict for interference of law enforcement for knowingly providing false information. Following the verdict, Judge Bruce Gatterman advised Warren she has fourteen days to file a motion for new trial. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Warren remains on supervised bond release.

In March, Riojas entered a no contest plea in the Pawnee County District Court to kidnapping, a severity level 3 person felony, and battery, a class B person misdemeanor. He was originally charged with a single count of aggravated kidnapping. He was sentenced to 24 months with the Department of Corrections. Riojas remains in the custody of the Finney County Sheriff on local charges.

Also charged in conjunction with the investigation was Jayden Warren, age 20 of Larned. He later entered into a felony criminal diversion for felony interference of law enforcement.