Fort Scott Tribune: News : Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement

FSPD, FSCC ... who will get the armory? (02/16/10)
The Fort Scott City Commission has a tough decision to make as two local agencies express their interest in the former Kansas National Guard Armory building. Fort Scott Community College President Clayton Tatro and Fort Scott Police Chief Ron Puterbaugh each made their case in front of the commission Tuesday evening as to why they would be the best fit for the armory, which is now vacant and will be under the city's ownership by the end of the month...

Crawford County deputies arrest 3 for violations at Twisters (02/16/10)
FRANKLIN -- Crawford County Sheriff's Deputies and an agent with the Kansas Alcohol Beverage Control conducted a bar check and sting operation at Twisters Night Club located at 136 S. U.S. Highway in rural Crawford County, on Friday which resulted in one bartender and the club manager being arrested for selling alcohol to minors. A second bartender was arrested for outstanding warrants out of Sedgwick County...

Female inmates sent out of county (02/12/10)
After nearly a year, the female inmates at the Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center are being sent back to another correctional facility. According to SEKRCC Director of Security Jimmy Nichols, a growing male population led to Bourbon County Sheriff Ron Gray's decision to send the 15 female inmates back to Cherokee County...

Miller turns himself in (02/05/10)
According to the Neosho County Sheriff's Office, Daniel Miller turned himself in about 2 p.m. Thursday. Miller, 22, of Fort Scott, was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and one count of the use of a communication facility to facilitate the manufacture of a controlled substance. Bond was set at $50,000...

AG Six announces meth charges (02/04/10)
20 accused; 17 arrests made in 7 area towns

Friday storm plays role in 16 traffic accidents (02/01/10)
A blanketing of snow on Friday in Bourbon County led to an increase in traffic accidents. With about four inches of snow falling throughout Friday, both the Fort Scott Police Department and the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office responded to a total of 16 traffic accidents...

Body found near Mulberry Id'd (01/20/10)
The Crawford County Sheriff's Office released a statement Tuesday identifying the body found just outside Mulberry Sunday evening as that of Richard Davis. The body was discovered Sunday after the CCSO received information leading officers to a strip pit northwest of Mulberry...

Body found northwest of Mulberry (01/19/10)
nformation was received by the Crawford County Sheriff's Office leading to a body found in a grave one mile north and 1/4 mile west of Mulberry. The body was discovered buried in a strip pit area used as a dump site. Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton said the body has not been identified at this time, however, on Oct. ...

Top 10 stories of 2009 (01/08/10)
Throughout 2009, the Fort Scott Tribune covered a wide range of events. From the passing of local icons to the community coming together for a common cause, The Tribune was there to tell the story. The staff of The Tribune has put together these summaries of the top 10 stories of 2009 in Fort Scott and Bourbon County....

FSPD receives two grants (12/17/09)
With the finishing of some final paperwork, the Fort Scott Police Department will receive nearly $75,000 in grant money. During Tuesday evening's Fort Scott City Commission meeting, commissioners accepted a grant from the Kansas Wireless Enhanced 911 Advisory Board in the amount of $50,709. According to FSPD Chief Ron Puterbaugh, the money will be used to upgrade the department's current computers and telephone equipment that are used to help determine the origin of emergency calls...

FSPD releases info about Saturday murder (12/15/09)
The Fort Scott Police Department released information Monday morning in regards to the murder of a rural Fort Scott resident Saturday night. Shortly before 9:30 p.m. Saturday, the FSPD responded to the 300 block of North Ford Street in reference to a call of a disturbance in which it was reported that gun shots were fired. ...

FSPD releases info about Saturday murder (12/14/09)
The Fort Scott Police Department released information Monday morning in regards to the murder of a rural Fort Scott resident Saturday night. Shortly before 9:30 p.m. Saturday, the FSPD responded to the 300 block of North Ford Street in reference to a call of a disturbance in which it was reported that gun shots were fired. ...

Arrest made in case of missing Cherokee man (12/11/09)
The Crawford County Sheriff's Office arrested a man Wednesday for the murder of a missing man from Cherokee. According to Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton, Duane E. Wahl, of Mulberry, was arrested at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and charged with murder in the first degree of Cherokee resident Richard Davis...

One dead, several injured in accidents (12/09/09)
Emergency personnel had a busy night Monday as two significant accidents left one man dead and several injured. Emergency crews responded to a fatal accident shortly before 6 p.m. Monday on Kansas Highway 7 near the Linn County line. Billy Joe Miller, 33, of Pleasanton, died after being involved in a head-on collission on K-7 about 1.5 miles north of Kansas Highway 31...

Winter driving tips from BBSO (12/09/09)
As the thought a beautiful snow covered lawns, it is important that winter weather require special caution when taking to the streets. Bourbon County Undersheriff Bill Martin said motorist should use common sense and slow down when the roads are snow covered or icy...

Thornton receives sentences totaling 208 months (11/30/09)
About two months after being convicted, Fred Thornton received his sentence Monday afternoon. Thornton will serve two consecutive sentences of 165 months in prison for attempted murder in the first degree and 43 months in prison for aggravated assault. He will also serve two concurrent sentences of 12 months for violation of a court order and six months for criminal trespass. Thornton's total sentence will be 208 months within the Kansas Department of Corrections...

Blanket raffle to benefit Taylor scholarship (11/05/09)
The Veterans from Foreign Wars Post No. 1165 is hosting a raffle to support a scholarship created in the memory of John Taylor. Two fleece blankets will be raffled off on Veteran's Day to raise money for a scholarship at Fort Scott Community College which was set up by Kelly Garrison in honor of Taylor who served as a mentor to many people in the community...

Crawford County Sheriff warns about minivan following children (11/03/09)
The Crawford County Sheriff's Office is alerting Southeast Kansas parents, guardians and children of a suspicious vehicle that has been seen in the area of at least two Crawford County cities and schools. Callers have indicated that a silver Dodge minivan with California license plates has been following students walking near the areas of Haderlein Elementary in Girard and McCune Elementary in McCune, according to a statement from the Crawford County Sheriff's Office. ...

Mulberry man arrested for false crime report (11/03/09)
A Mulberry man was arrested after falsely reporting a crime in early October. Duane Wahl, 33, of 410 W. Perry, Mulberry, reported to the Mulberry Police Department and the Crawford County Sheriff's Office he was the victim of a drive-by shooting on Oct. 5. Wahl said he was shot at by a white male, driving a newer model silver Toyota extended-cab truck. He reported several shots were fired at his residence form the vehicle before heading southbound...

Fort Scott residents part of fight at Crawford Co. bar (10/13/09)
Two Fort Scott residents were arrested Sunday following a fight at a night club north of Pittsburg. Zachary Crumby, 26, and Stephanie Weddle, 25, were arrested by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office after leaving the Twisters Night Club, on U.S. Highway 69 north of Pittsburg, where they were allegedly involved in a fight which left three individuals injured...

FSPD receives grant (10/07/09)
Good news came to the Fort Scott Police Department Tuesday when the Fort Scott City Commission voted to accept a grant for the purchase of new equipment. FSPD was awarded money under the FY 09 Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program Local Solicitation in the amount of $27,495. ...

Thornton found guilty (10/06/09)
"We, the jury ... find the defendant guilty of the crime of attempted murder in the first degree." That was the sentence Fred Thornton heard after the jury returned to the courtroom Friday afternoon. Thornton has been on trial since Sept. 29, with the verdict coming shortly before 2 p.m. ...

Thornton trial underway (09/29/09)
The jury trial for Bronson resident Fred Thornton began Tuesday at the Bourbon County Courthouse. Thornton was arrested for his alleged involvement in an incident on Sept. 15, 2008, in which Carol Keele was nearly beaten to death in her home with an axe. Thornton was charged with attempted murder in the first degree or in the alternative attempted murder in the second degree, aggravated assault, violation of a court order, and criminal trespass...

Arcadia man found dead after domestic dispute (09/29/09)
ARCADIA -- Sunday at approximately 3:09 a.m., Crawford County 911 received a call of a domestic dispute in which shots were fired at a vehicle. Deputies responded to 500 E. Williams St. here after the call came in. Deputies made contact with Amber Schmitz, 31, of Arcadia, who reported that she and her husband, Justin Schmitz, 29, of Arcadia, had been arguing at their home. ...

Rape case ends in mistrial (09/22/09)
After nearly five hours of deliberation, a mistrial was declared in a local child molestation trial. Derek Holt, who was accused of raping a 3-year-old girl in 2006, had to wait through five long days of a jury trial to learn if he would be convicted or not. The jury returned to the courtroom about 10 p.m. Monday night to deliver their verdict of a mistrial on the count of rape, however, they found Holt guilty on the second count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child...

Thornton trial postponed (09/22/09)
The attempted murder jury trial for Fred Thornton in the Bourbon County District Court has been postponed. The trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday but was rescheduled to begin Sept. 29. The change was made by Judge Mark Ward because he was worried that the Derek Holt trial might run into Tuesday. The Holt trial concluded about 10 p.m. Monday night (See story to left)...

Reward offered for info about vandals (09/21/09)
Fort Scott Police Chief Ron Puterbaugh announced Monday morning that the Fort Scott Police Department in cooperation with several concerned citizens are offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in the recent window shootings...

Verdict in rape trial may not come until Monday (09/16/09)
The trial by jury for a local man accused of rape began Tuesday in the Bourbon County District Court three years after being arrested. According to Bourbon County Court records, Fort Scott resident Derek Holt, 28, was arrested in January 2007 on a Bourbon County warrant for rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child -- charges which Holt later plead not guilty...

No holiday from vandalism: Window shootings resume (09/09/09)
After two months of silence, two more window shootings causing nearly $1,000 in damages to local businesses were reported Tuesday morning. The old Boot Jack building, 2 S. State St., now owned by Danny Ellis, was damaged over the weekend as the smallest window on the north end of the building was shot. ...

Arsonists set multiple fires in Crawford, Neosho counties (09/09/09)
A rash of arsons was reported over the Labor Day weekend in Crawford and Neosho counties. At 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Crawford County 911 received a call of a structure fire at 497 S. 40th St., McCune. Upon arrival, a mobile home was found to be fully engulfed. ...

Gray: There was no bomb (09/03/09)
Device found in Fulton building thought at first to be pipe bomb

FSPD investigating weekend stabbing (09/03/09)
Fort Scott Police Department officers responded to Rusty's Sports Bar & Grill early Saturday morning after receiving a call that a person had been stabbed. Officers arrested Kevin Simons, a 44-year-old truck driver from West Moreland, Tenn., for the stabbing of Timothy Bassett shortly after 1:30 a.m. Saturday. FSPD Lt. Shaun West said officers took Simons into custody for aggravated battery...

Wear a belt, get a buck (09/01/09)
Area drivers and passengers who remember to buckle up in the coming days will be rewarded for their awareness. The Safe Kids Kansas organization, State Farm Insurance and the Kansas Department of Transportation have joined forces to create a safety awareness campaign to encourage families to buckle up and drive safely to protect themselves...

Bikers donate over $1,800 to toy drive (09/01/09)
The first annual Trike Motor Poker Run raised funds for a local toy drive. The Bourbon County Sheriff's Department Corrections Division annual Christmas toy drive was given $1,877.50 to go toward buying gifts for children in the Southeast Kansas area...

Charges to be brought Monday (08/28/09)
Local resident William R. Dell'Antonia is scheduled to make his first appearance in the Bourbon County Court Monday for felony theft charges. Dell'Antonia is scheduled to make his first appearance in court at 9 a.m., Monday. He was being investigated by Lee Davidson, Kansas Assistant Attorney General for stealing an undisclosed amount of money from Fort Scott resident Mildred Lager. ...

Area officers respond to multiple prowler calls over weekend (08/24/09)
As individuals continue to go missing across the country, Fort Scott residents are taking no chances. Officers responded to a total of five prowler calls over the weekend. Between the hours of 11 p.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday, four calls were made to the Fort Scott Police Department about a prowler in the city, a fifth call was made approximately 10 p.m. Sunday night...