BAXTER COUNTY, Ark. — Law enforcement authorities in Arkansas are investigating a Kansas man on sex allegations.

Early Saturday, following a complaint and surveillance, deputies arrested a Junction City man after receiving a complaint that he was driving to Mountain Home, Arkansas, to pick up a 16-year-old girl he had been communicating with on social media, according to Sheriff John Montgomery.

The girl had been sending sexually explicit photos and videos to him at his request, according to the sheriff.

The parents were concerned for the safety of the child. The man had arranged to meet her at a business parking lot on Highway 5 South of Mountain Home near the girl’s house.

A sheriff’s deputy set up surveillance at the location. At approximately 12:47 a.m., he observed a vehicle drive past the area twice, then pull in and park.

After parking, the man sent a text message to the girl stating he was close by. The man then walked from his car along Highway 5 South past the girl’s house, then to the meeting location.

The man went behind the building. The deputy then approached and made contact with the man, who was identified as 31-year-old Andrew Mitchell O’Brien of Junction City. After a brief exchange, deputies arrested and took  him into custody.

During a search of his vehicle, deputies found handcuffs, vodka, condoms as well as two cellphones believed to have been used in commission of the crimes. All of these were seized and taken into evidence.

Deputies transported O’Brien to the Baxter County Detention Center. He is being held in lieu of a $50,000 bond on requested charges of Engaging Children In Sexually Explicit Conduct for Use in Visual or Print Medium – Felony
Contributing to the Delinquency of Juvenile – Felony

He will appear in Circuit Court to answer on Dec. 20, according Montgomery.

Investigators also determined O’Brien is on active military duty stationed at Fort Riley. The military base was contacted regarding the incident, and the military police have also placed a detainer on him.

 

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas security company says it may go out of business because of licensing problems that began when two of its employees were charged with fatally shooting a man outside a Missouri bar.

The latest blow to Overland Park, Kansas-based Force One Security is the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners voting Monday to deny its appeal of a license revocation. It mostly does business in Missouri.

After the two guards were charged in July with leaving their post to investigate a wreck and killing a motorist, the company was placed on probation for five years and fined $5,000. The board then revoked the company’s license to operate in Kansas City in September because two of its employees failed their firearm qualification test.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty Monday to federal sex trafficking charges, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Johnell Carter, 22, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to two counts of sex trafficking. In his plea, he admitted he used physical force including punching and biting to make an 18-year-old woman perform commercial sex acts. He advertised her services online.

In the second count, Carter admitted recruiting a 15-year-old to perform commercial sex acts. He advertised her services online.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Police say an infant is recovering after a man walked into a northwest Missouri police station and said he had drowned his 6-month-old child.

The man identified as Stephen Zicarelli, 28, Greenwood, made the report at the Greenwood police station Monday morning.

Greenwood Police Cpl. Thomas Calhoun was able to determine where the child was and he and Police Chief Greg Hallgrimson rushed to the pond.

They found the child floating in the pond. Calhoun performed CPR and was able to revive the child.

Police say the child is reported to be in good health Monday afternoon.

Zicarelli was booked into jail and remains in custody Tuesday, according to the Jackson County Detention Facility.

Greenwood, with a population of about 5,220 people, is about 25 miles southeast of Kansas City.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita Police Department has confirmed the identity of the human bones found near 55th Street South and Clifton in Wichita. They are of a man with an extensive criminal history, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Just after 8:30 a.m. on Friday November 30, officers responded to a call for police in the area of 55^th Street South and Clifton, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Upon arrival, police contacted a hunter who was in a wooded area and observed skeletal remains.

Investigators examined the area and collected evidence.  The skeletal remains were sent to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center who confirmed the identity to be 56-year-old Donald Cook of Wichita.

On May 15, 2017 a 74-year-old contacted police and reported Cook missing.

Investigators have not released the cause of Cook’s death.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Missouri woman who told police she intentionally drove into the Kansas River while trying to kill herself and her two young children pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.

Scharron Dingledine, 26, of Columbia, Missouri, entered the plea Monday in Douglas County Court in Lawrence, Kansas. As part of the plea, she won’t be eligible for parole for 25 years, The Lawrence Journal-World reported .

Prosecutors say Dingledine drove a car into the Kansas Rivernear downtown Lawrence in August. Rescuers pulled Dingledine and her 1-year-old son, Elijah Lake, from the water but were not able to save her 5-year-old daughter, Amiyah Bradley. Her body was recovered from the river the next day. Elijah was critically injured.

A probable cause affidavit released in the case says Dingledine told police that she had a fight with her boyfriend, she was voluntarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital for several hours on Aug. 2, one day before she drove her car into the river in downtown Lawrence, about 160 miles west of her hometown of Columbia, Missouri.

After she was released from the hospital, her boyfriend agreed to take her to a shelter. But when he stopped at a store, Dingledine drove off in his car, with the children inside, she told detectives. She later stole another vehicle near Columbia and drove to the Kansas City area, where she spent the night in the vehicle. She drove to Lawrence Aug. 3 and was “feeling depressed and worried about the consequences of her actions” on the previous day, according to the affidavit.

The document said she drove to the Kansas River, parked and let the children walk around and put their feet in the water. She said she decided the river was a good way to kill herself and she decided to kill the children “because she didn’t want anyone else to have them.”

She told detectives she accelerated into the river while the children were unrestrained in the front seat. She said she knew neither child could swim and “would likely die,” according to the affidavit.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A staff member at a facility for children with developmental disabilities pleaded guilty Monday to federal child pornography charges, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

William Bresee, 31, Fontana, pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. At sentencing, the prosecutor told the court Bresee admitted that federal agents downloaded child pornography from his computer using an online file sharing program. Bresee was a staff member at Lakemary Center in Paola, working an overnight shift when investigators tracked child pornography to an IP address at the center.

Sentencing is set for March 4. He faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the distribution charges, and not more than 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the possession count.

Lakemary offered a statement on the case in a press release Tuesday morning:

“Lakemary Center was informed that William Bresee pled guilty to certain criminal charges in Federal Court today. Mr. Bresee has not been employed at Lakemary since July of 2015 and Mr. Bresee never worked with the children served at Lakemary Center. When Lakemary was originally informed of his potential criminal activity in 2015, Lakemary fully cooperated with police and Federal authorities. Mr. Bresee was immediately terminated. At no time was any individual in the care of Lakemary Center affected by any actions by Mr. Bresee.”

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a suspect has been killed after wounding an officer in Kansas City, Kansas.

Police Chief Terry Zeigler says the shooting happened Sunday night when officers responded to an indecent exposure call.

Police said in a news release Monday that a man at the house, 46-year-old Richard Johnson, died after being shot by an officer.

Two officers responded to the call and Johnson was able to get a gun from one of the officers. Police say during the ensuing struggle, Johnson fired a shot and a second officer returned fire.

The officer who was shot suffered non-life threatening injuries.

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KANSAS CITY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating after a fatal officer-involved shooting.

Late Sunday, police responded to an indecent exposure call in the 400 block of North 18^th Street, according Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Terry Ziegler.

When officers arrived and began their investigation, the individual took one officer’s gun and fired a shot striking one of the officers.

Officers returned fire and killed the suspect, according to Ziegler.

Both officers were transported to the University of Kansas Hospital and are expected to make a full recovery.

Police have released no additional details.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A poacher has been ordered to repeatedly watch the movie “Bambi” as part of his sentence for illegally killing hundreds of deer.

David Berry Jr. is to watch the Walt Disney movie the first time before Sunday and at least once each month during his one-year jail sentence in southwest Missouri’s Lawrence County. He was convicted there of taking wildlife illegally.

David Berry Sr. of Springfield and two of his adult sons, David Berry Jr. of Brookline and Kyle Berry of Everton, were arrested in August after an 8½- month investigation by state, federal and international agencies that also involved cases in Kansas, Nebraska and Canada.

Berry also was sentenced last week to 120 days in jail in nearby Barton County for a firearms probation violation.

Lawrence County Prosecuting Attorney Don Trotter says the deer were killed for their heads, with their bodies left to rot. Three relatives and another man also were caught in what conservation agents are calling one of the state’s largest deer poaching cases.

 

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a chase through a residential area that sent two women to the hospital.

On November 14, police were called to the 600 block of North 12th  Street in Salina after report of suspicious activity, according to Captain Paul Forrester.

While there, officers observed a 2008  Nissan Altima that had a tag belonging to a vehicle out of Finney County and a registration sticker from Sedgwick County. At that time, police were unable to locate a person associated with the vehicle, according to Forrester.

Just before 11a.m. Sunday, an officer spotted the same vehicle driving on North College Street in Salina. When the officer stopped the vehicle at College and Park, the driver gave a name the officer believed to be false. While the officer was waiting for backup before proceeding, the driver started the car and sped away.

Forrester said that with the police officer in pursuit, the Nissan, traveling at speeds up to 60 mph through 13 streets.

Near the intersection of Broadway and Crawford, the driver attempted to cut through the parking lot of Kansasland Tire and Service to avoid the stoplight. While cutting through the parking lot, the car hit a landscaping boulder, went airborne, and struck a cement pole.

The driver identified as Joanna Deniston, 28, of Salina and a passenger in the vehicle, Sophia Lamas, 33, of Salina, were injured and transported to Salina Regional Health Center, Forrester said. Deniston was then transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

Police believed the Nissan belongs to Lamas. Narcotics were found in the vehicle.

Requested charges against Deniston could include felony flee and elude and interference with a law enforcement officer, according to Forrester . Deniston has previous convictions for theft, forgery and criminal use of a financial card.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man convicted of abusing and killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son before encasing the boy’s body in concrete in their rental home’s garage was sentenced Monday to more than 100 years in prison.

Judge Steve Ternes sentenced Stephen Bodine to 109 years and six months after telling him during the hearing in Sedgwick County district court: “Your acts were disgusting and cowardly and monstrous.”

Bodine, 41, did not address the court.

Bodine was convicted in October of first-degree murder, child abuse and other charges in the torture and killing of Evan Brewer. Prosecutors say Bodine and Evan’s mother, Miranda Miller, chained the boy in the basement and forced him to stand in a corner for hours in the months before his May 2017 death at their rental home in Wichita.

Evan’s body was found that September by the landlord, after Miller and Bodine moved out.

Miller, 37, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and other charges last month and is due to be sentenced in January. Her plea deal required her to testify against Bodine.

During Bodine’s trial, prosecutors presented a cache of 16,000 photos and video files collected by the couple’s home surveillance system that detailed the boy’s abuse.

Miller testified that Bodine made Evan stand against a wall for hours for not eating on May 19, 2017. When the boy collapsed, Bodine took the screaming boy into the bathroom and later came out with his wet and lifeless body. Miller said Bodine mixed bags of concrete and buried the boy’s body in it.

When Evan’s body was found, it was so badly decomposed that an autopsy couldn’t determine how he had died. He had Benadryl in his system, and Miller said she thinks Bodine sickened him in the days leading up to his death by force-feeding him large amounts of salt.

Evan’s father, Carlo Brewer, said he began seeking custody of his son after noticing signs that he had been abused, and authorities were alerted at least six times that Evan was being abused.

After the sentencing, Carlo Brewer said he was pleased with the sentence.

“We don’t have to worry about him getting out and hurting other people or children. It’s turned into a pretty good day,” he said.

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 41-year-old Kansas man has been sentenced to 109 years and six months in prison for abusing and killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son, whose body was found encased in concrete in the garage of a Wichita rental home they had lived in.

Stephen Bodine was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges in the 2017 killing of Evan Brewer. He was sentenced Monday.

Prosecutors say the Bodine and Evan’s mother, 37-year-old Miranda Miller, tortured the boy for months before his death, including chaining him naked in a basement and forcing him to stand in a corner for hours.

Miller pleaded guilty in November to second-degree murder and other charges. Her plea deal required her to testify against Bodine. She is due to be sentenced in January.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ Medicaid director is reversing a billing change that resulted in pay cuts to pediatricians.

KanCare Director Jon Hamdorf announced Monday that Kansas is fixing the change that went into effect Nov. 1, which split a bundle of services for child checkups into 12 separate codes. Hamdorf says he realized the billing change led to a reduction in reimbursed services after reviewing data submitted by doctors last week.

Pediatricians had reported that checkup rates for children of certain ages had dropped dramatically, including from $70 to $26 for 1-month-olds. Some doctors had said they’d have to cut back on serving KanCare patients.

Hamdorf says $70 will be the lowest rate for future visits, with additional fees for each of the formerly bundled

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary at a Kansas car dealership.

Just after 4a.. Monday,  police were called to Marshall Motors, 3500 S. Ninth in Salina after an alarm was triggered, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

An employee, who was responding to the alarm, discovered that the glass in one of the dealership’s doors had been shattered. Surveillance video showed two people walking around inside the dealership, Forrester said.

According to Forrester, the burglars removed a key belonging to a red 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk valued at $90,000. The vehicle can be seen on surveillance video traveling north from Marshall’s, according to Forrester. Police are reviewing all surveillance video.