SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a frequently jailed Kansas man on new allegations after an encounter in Salina.
Just before 8:30a.m. Thursday, police were called to 1007 W. North Street in Salina at 8:25 a.m. after a man assigned to spray weeds at the CityGo bus stop there reported that his life was threatened, according to Police Captain Paul Forrester.
The 31-year-old victim told police that he as he was spraying weeds around the bus stop, 50-year-old Michael Sampson came out of the building and told him that he didn’t want him on the property.
The victim told police that he moved closer to the bus stop and continued with his work and then Sampson threatened to kill him and went back into the building.
Dickinson called police, fearing that Sampson was going inside the building to get a weapon, according to Forrester. When police arrived, Sampson refused to exit the building, so police pried the door open and to make contact Sampson.
While in the building, officers observed drug paraphernalia, so they obtained a search warrant to search the premises and found a variety of drug paraphernalia and some personal use marijuana, according to Forrester.
While police were working this case, they were notified by an employee of Acoustic Sounds, Inc., 921 W. North Street in Salina that when he arrived at the business at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Sampson was in the front yard area of the business with blocks of wood next to him. As the employee entered the business, he noticed that a 40-inch by 30-inch window valued at $300 had been shattered, according to Forrester.
Another witness came forward and told police that Sampson had been seen on Monday using some sort of hand tool to cut lines on a utility pole in front of 1007 W. North Street. Police verified that a Cox cable valued at $300 and an AT&T cable valued at $500 had been cut.
Police arrested Sampson on requested charges of criminal threat, obstruction, criminal damage to property, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Sampson is well known to Salina Police. They have arrested him for telephone harassment probation violation, driving while suspended and drug allegations dating back to 2012, according to Salina arrest records.