SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – The trial of a middle-school football coach and substitute teacher charged with kidnapping, raping and killing a 10-year-old girl is getting underway in Springfield, Missouri.
Craig Wood is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, child kidnapping, rape and sodomy. Prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty. Opening statements are set for Monday.
Police say he snatched fourth-grader Hailey Owens from a neighborhood street in February 2014, less than two blocks from her home as she walked back from her best friend’s house. Several neighbors unsuccessfully attempted to rescue the child, chasing the suspect on foot and by car. The abduction prompted an Amber Alert in Kansas.
Her body was found inside two garbage bags inside a plastic storage tote in Wood’s basement. Besides coaching, Wood also was a substitute teacher and teacher’s aide.
TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court has affirmed Willie Scuderi’s convictions of two counts of failing to register as a drug offender, as required by the Kansas Offender Registration Act.
Scuderi wanted the conviction overturned, saying it resulted in punishment for his 2002 conviction of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell since the registration requirement did not exist at the time of original conviction on the underlying drug offense.
He also claimed his sentence was improperly calculated using his criminal history score and that one of his offender registration convictions was based on a complaint that failed to allege he resided in Reno County.
The court rejected each of these claims based on existing case-law, so the sentence was upheld.
He was sentenced to 4 years and 5 months for the violations.
The original drug case goes back to January 3, 2010. He was stopped on a routine traffic matter in the 100 block of North Chemical in Reno County. Officers discovered the drugs and Scuderi was convicted on charges associated with that case.
Racist graffiti found at Kansas City church-photo KCTV
KANSAS CITY (AP) – Authorities are investigating after someone defaced a Missouri church with racist graffiti and set a small fire inside the building.
The Kansas City Star reports an ethnic slur and the letters “KKK” were painted on the windows of the predominantly black Concord Fortress of Hope Church in Kansas City. The vandalism and break-in happened early Sunday.
Officials say someone lit a chair on fire inside the church’s financial office, but it was quickly extinguished by sprinklers. A vending machine also was broken into.
The incident is being investigated by Kansas City authorities and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Worship services continued as scheduled Sunday.
Kansas City Councilman Quinton Lucas attends the church. He says the incident is heartbreaking but it won’t define the church.
RENO COUNTY —After two hours of deliberation Friday, a jury found a Kansas man guilty of two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy.
Richard Dean McHenry, 57, was accused of inappropriate sexual encounters with a 32-year-old victim. He was convicted of similar charges in 2000 in Jefferson County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
On Friday, She testified that at one time she loved McHenry, but also mentioned that he changed over time. She wanted to get away from him. She told him that she was coming to the home they once shared to get some of her belongings.
It was during that encounter where she was kicked and was forced to engage in a sexual act with him. She also claims it happened on another occasion. Both encounters were forced.
McHenry faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, according to District Attorney Keith Schroeder. After the conviction, his is bond was increased to $500,000 by District Judge Trish Rose. She set sentencing for Dec. 1.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and asking the public for help with information.
Just after 1.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting call in the 1900 block of west MacArthur in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Upon arrival there were a large gathering of individuals at a party. A 23-year-old victim was located with a gunshot wound to his upper body.
The victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition, according to Davidson. Police did not release suspect information early Sunday.
Anyone with any information is asked to please call Crime Stoppers at 267-2111 or Wichita Police.
A female former legislative staff member is charging that sexual harassment is widespread at the Kansas Statehouse.
Abbie Hodgson, who served as chief of staff to former House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs from 2014 to July of 2016, was one of several women quoted in an article about sexual harassment in Statehouses across the country published Wednesday by The Hill, a Washington, D.C., publication that covers government and politics.
In an interview Wednesday with the Kansas News Service, Hodgson said sexual harassment was “rampant” during her time in the minority leader’s office. It ranged from inappropriate comments and touching to explicit demands for sex, she said.
“It rose to a level which I found shocking both in terms of the number of individuals who were perpetrators and how often it occurred,” Hodgson said.
Hodgson, who now works for a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, said she also was “shocked” to learn that some lawmakers routinely had interns, many of them underage and female, chauffer them to after-hours social events.
“I can’t tell you how incensed I was when I found out that legislators were doing that,” she said. “This is supposed to be an educational opportunity for these young women and young men, and the fact that legislators were taking advantage of them and asking them to do that alarmed me, particularly given the predatory nature of the legislators who did it.”
Burroughs told The Hill that as soon as he learned of the practice he stopped it.
“Allegations were brought to our attention over the years, yes,” Burroughs said. “Although there’s no formal procedures when allegations of that type come forward, these are issues I take very seriously.”
But Hodgson said Burroughs didn’t do enough.
“I didn’t find his responses to be satisfactory at the time and I don’t find them to be satisfactory now,” she said. “He was in a position of leadership. And I think he had an obligation to the staff, to the interns and other legislators to do more than to simply tell someone to ‘knock it off.’”
Burdett Loomis, the emeritus professor of political science who runs the University of Kansas’ legislative intern program, said no one alerted him that students were being pressed into service as designated drivers.
“I’m not saying nothing happened, but nothing was reported to me,” Loomis said.
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and have identified the victim.
Just after 12:30p.m. Saturday, police responded to a report of a body found in rural Southern Riley County, according to a media release.
When officers arrived on scene, they located a deceased middle-aged white female identified as Carrie Alicia Jones, 48, of Junction City.
Initial investigation revealed Jones was the victim of an apparent homicide.
Police did not release a cause of death or additional details early Sunday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Riley County Police Department at (785) 537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777. Using the Crime Stoppers Service allows you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.00
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RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide.
Just after 12:30p.m. Saturday, police responded to a report of a body in rural Riley County, according to a media release.
When officers arrived on scene, they located a deceased middle-aged white female. Initial investigation revealed the subject was the victim of an apparent homicide.
Police released no information on the location of their investigation or further details late Saturday.
CLOUD COUNTY — An earthquake shook north-central Kansas on Saturday. The quake just before 6p.m. measured a magnitude 2.5 and was centered approximately 24 miles northwest of Concordia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A 2.7 quake shook southwest of Mankato in the north central Kansas on Friday October 13.
Saturday’s quake is the first in Kansas since a 2.7 magnitude quake shook Sumner County on October 19. There are no damage or injuries reported from Saturday evening’s quake.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who pleaded guilty in the death of his 7-year-old son whose body was fed to pigs wants a new trial.
The Kansas City Star reports court records show 46-year-old Michael Jones will appear in court Friday seeking to withdraw his guilty plea in the 2015 death of Adrian Jones.
Jones was sentenced in May to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years after a trial that detailed horrific abuse Adrian suffered from his father and stepmother before he died. Jones pleaded guilty in March to first-degree murder.
Heather Jones-photo KDOC
His stepmother, Heather Jones, also is serving life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
The boy’s maternal grandmother, Judy Conway, says he was buried last week at a Lawrence cemetery.
BELLEVUE, Iowa (AP) — Police officers from around the country are reaching out to support a fallen Iowa officer’s son.
Anamosa police Officer Mitch Kelchen died in a car crash over Labor Day weekend while off duty. After his death, Kelchen’s oldest son, Shane, collected business cards from other officers. But someone at his school destroyed the cards.
Since then, police departments have sent Shane more than 10,000 cards.
Des Moines television station KCCI reports that officers from Kansas City, Kansas, got involved and presented a special gift to the family Friday in Bellevue, Iowa. They gave him two frames full of more than 150 business cards, including one of Mitch Kelchen’s cards.
Shane’s mom, Tina Kelchen, says the support her family has received since her husband’s death has been more than she expected.
Her body was found inside two garbage bags inside a plastic storage tote in Wood’s basement. Besides coaching, Wood also was a substitute teacher and teacher’s aide.
