KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The owner of a Kansas City restaurant was sentenced in federal court Thursday for filing a false tax return as part of a scheme to avoid paying more than $566,000 in corporate taxes, according to Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Roger Geisler, 68, of Lenexa, Kan., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Geisler to pay $566,128 in restitution to the IRS.

Geisler has owned and operated two restaurants in Kansas City, Mo. – Domo Sushi bar and Grill in the Brookside area and Matsu Japanese Restaurant (from 1980 to 2010) in the Westport area.

On April 7, 2016, Geisler pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return. Geisler admitted that, for tax years 2007, 2008 and 2009, he signed and submitted corporate returns for his company, Lee’s Pacific Foods, that underreported his restaurants’ gross receipts. The total unreported income for those tax years totaled $2,297,013. As a result of Geisler’s omissions, the amount of tax due and owing totaled $402,860.

In addition to the 2007 to 2009 income taxes, Geisler admitted that he failed to report and pay over employment taxes from 2007 to 2010. A conservative calculation of employment tax due totals $163,268, bringing the total loss from the overall scheme to $566,128.

Geisler also admitted that he did not file individual tax returns for 2007 through 2010.

After Geisler was contacted by the IRS, his accountant asked him how he thought he would get away with not reporting business income and payroll taxes. Geisler responded “I thought I would be dead before they caught on.”

Geisler spent at least $156,988 in business funds on personal expenses, including a home in Lenexa and a 2004 Lexus SUV. Geisler admitted he has a large gambling problem and gambled extensively at area casinos. For example, he gambled $159,706 in 2007 (at Argosy and Isle of Capri.) In 2010, Geisler gambled $290,175 at the 7th Street Casino.

HUTCHINSON– A Kansas man is in jail after an accident on Saturday in Reno County.

Just after 7p.m. a pickup driven by Gerald Young, 59, Hutchinson, crashed into the Kwik Shop at 27th & Main Street, according to Hutchinson police.

There were several people in the store, according to police including a 13-year-old.

The child was standing near where the impact happened but was not injured, according to police.

The pickup driver was wearing flip-flops and stepped on some glass when he exited his truck.

He was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center to be tested for possibly being under the influence of prescription drugs and then arrested and taken to the Reno County Correctional Facility for allegedly being under the influence and having no driver’s license.

Hutchinson Fireman responded to the scene to assess the structural integrity of the building after the crash.

This is the second time in recent weeks that someone has crashed into this same store.

By Meg Wingerter

If someone you loved had a psychiatric emergency, would you know what to do?

Because many people wouldn’t, Kansas mental health advocates are pushing for the state to recognize psychiatric advance directives to guide care for patients in crisis who are unable to communicate.

Patients most often use advance directives to specify the treatments they want at the end of life, but people with mental illnesses could use a similar document to outline psychiatric crisis treatments, said Mike Burgess, a member of the Kansas Mental Health Coalition. The issue is new in Kansas, although some other states have laws on advance directives for mental health care.

A psychiatric advance directive could clarify medications that have worked or caused serious side effects in the past and specify the mental health providers or family members who can make decisions for the patient, Burgess said.

“If your family is a huge trigger (for symptoms), you can say ‘Whatever you do, don’t call my mom,’” he said. “It helps (patients) get the right care a lot more quickly.”

Patients could use the existing legal framework for medical advance directives to cover psychiatric care, Burgess said, but having a template specifically for mental health would raise awareness and ease the process.

In the legislative session that starts Jan. 9, the coalition will push Kansas lawmakers to adopt a framework for psychiatric advance directives similar to one in Virginia, Burgess said. People with mental illnesses wouldn’t be required to complete an advance directive, but he said some might find it helpful to sit down and think through their options when they aren’t in a stressful situation.

Download The Document: Virginia Advance Directive For Health Care

Virginia combined psychiatric and medical care in its 2009 law on advance directives so patients could easily lay out their preferences for multiple situations, said Heather Zelle, an assistant professor with the University of Virginia’s Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy.

That includes a designated guardian who can make decisions about care if a patient is in crisis, she said, although that provision only kicks in if two physicians determine a patient isn’t competent.

“It’s not just sort of a carte blanche to ignore a person’s ‘no,’” she said.

Under Virginia law, health care providers can be held liable if they know a patient has an advance directive and choose not to follow it, though they can make changes if a patient’s condition requires it, Zelle said. Virginia doesn’t require a lawyer or notary to sign a patient’s plan, but two adult witnesses must attest that the patient wasn’t coerced, she said.

The number of Virginians who have filled out advance directives is unclear, and some patients and providers still are confused about the process, Zelle said. Some people reported that completing an advance directive helped them strengthen their supports and avoid a crisis, but the state hasn’t collected data on patients’ experiences, she said.

If Kansas decides to implement psychiatric advance directives, it should put some resources into training case managers and peer support specialists to help their clients navigate the process, Zelle said.

“A lot of health care providers don’t have a lot of time, sometimes hours and hours, to go through a form with someone,” she said.

Meg Wingerter is a reporter for KCUR’s Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas. You can reach her on Twitter @MegWingerter.

DOUGLAS COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Douglas County are investigating an accident involving a suspected drunk driver that injured two police officers.

Just after 2 a.m. on Saturday, two Lawrence Police Officers partnered in one vehicle assisted on a traffic stop in the 1500 block of West 23rd Street, according to a media release.

One of the officers remained inside the patrol vehicle. During the traffic stop, a maroon Dodge pickup truck struck the rear of the patrol vehicle while the officer was inside causing significant damage to the rear of the patrol vehicle. The pickup truck fled the scene and a vehicle pursuit ensued.

The pickup truck drove westbound on West 23rd Street then turned southbound on 59 Highway traveling at high rates of speed. The pursuit ended in Franklin County when the driver of the pickup truck lost control near I-35 and 59 Highway.

The driver, who continued to resist arrest, was then taken into custody. A second Lawrence Police Officer received minor injuries while the process of attempting to arrest the suspect.

The officer who was inside the vehicle when the collision occurred received medical treatment for non-life threatening injuries at an area hospital and since has been released. The second officer declined treatment for his injuries.

The 50 year old suspect, identified as Nelson L. Higgins, has been taken into custody on multiple charges.