BARTON COUNTY ‑Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir has entered a not guilty plea on charges of mistreatment of a confined person which is a level A person misdemeanor.

Bellendir was scheduled to be in court Friday. He made the plea via journal entry and a hearing in the case is scheduled for a later date.

On November 1, Bellendir was issued a summons to appear in court following an investigation by the KBI.

According court records, Bellendir is accused of “ill-treating a man in handcuffs by speaking to him in a vulgar, insulting, rude or angry manner” while serving an arrest warrant on August 10th in Great Bend.

Bellendir is also accused of striking the confined man on the side of his head. That man has been identified as Nathan Manley of Ellinwood.

In Kansas, a Class-A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in jail with a fine of up to $2,500.A conviction could mean problems for the Sheriff with the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training. C-Post as it is called, could take action regarding Bellendir’s certification.
Barton County Attorney Amy Mellor has requested that Chase County Attorney William Halvorsen serve as special prosecutor for the case.

Manley has previous convictions for drugs and burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.