KCMB Kansas City News

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Domestic Terrorist Christopher Dorner Believed To Be Dead

Former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Dorner, who had gone on a killing rampage over the past couple of weeks before being surrounded by police in a cabin, is believed to be dead. The cabin in California Dorner was surrounded in erupted into a violent fire, and charred human remains have been found. Forensic tests are underway to confirm these remains are Dorner.

The LAPD has said it his highly likely Dorner is deceased, as authorities heard a single gunshot before the cabin was engulfed in flames. SWAT teams on the scene had fired tear gas inside the cabin and had begun tearing down the building’s walls. It is unclear if the SWAT team or Dorner started the fire.

Dorner was charged with killing Riverside police officer Michael Crain and is the main suspect in the killings of Monica Quan and Keith Lawrence. Quan is the daughter of a former L.A. cop that Dorner blamed for his firing after he reported abuse by another officer. The ensuing manhunt for Dorner became a huge national story, as he was labeled a domestic terrorist and a $1 million reward was placed on his head.

According to Police, Dorner had been hiding in cabins in the California wilderness until he was discovered by two cleaning women. Dorner tied the women up with plastic zip ties, stole their car, crashed it, and then stole a truck. The driver of the truck said Dorner used a gun in the robbery, but allowed him to take his dog out of the truck and didn’t cause him any harm.

Officers quickly closed in on Dorner, and gunshots erupted between the two parties. Dorner killed one sheriff’s deputy and wounded another before fleeing through the woods and breaking into a cabin. After a SWAT team surrounded the cabin, a single gunshot was heard – which could potentially have been a suicide shot by Dorner – before the cabin erupted into a violent fire.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Roeland Park Man Pleads Guilty To Role In International Child Pornography Case

Michael D. Arnett, a 38-year-old former emergency medical technician who resides in Roeland Park, has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges. Arnett also had pictures of a one to two-year-old child lying inside an oven, and had discussed killing and eating children in online chats.

Arnett

Arnett has admitted that he took photos of minors engaged in sexually explicit acts between 2000 and 2008. He was charged in May with three child pornography counts, and has been linked to an international conspiracy to distribute illegal images of children. The United States Homeland Security was able to identify Arnett last year by noticing a water bottle in a photograph that contained the logo of a Johnson County pool. Later, investigators were able to find two teens that cited abuse from Arnett when they were younger.

This international investigation into a child pornography ring, also known as Operation Holitna, has produced 34 arrests outside of the United States and 16 in the USA. According to Homeland Security, around 160 child victims have been identified and rescued. Operation Holitna began in 2010, when pornographic images were discovered that did not originate in the USA. The images were later traced to a daycare center in the Netherlands, and the operator of the center was charged.

In August, a friend of Arnett’s, Robert Poe III of Kansas City, was arrested and charged with sexually abusing two boys and transporting a minor for the purpose of engaging in a sexual act.

According to Arnett’s plea agreement, he will not ask for a sentence less than 20 years, and prosecutors will not ask for a sentence of more than 30 years.

What is even more unsettling about Arnett’s case is that discussions involving him killing and eating children have been found online. A Florida man who chatted with Arnett about these actions has been charged, but has claimed that these were merely fantasies that he would never act upon.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Kansas Looks To Snap Losing Streak Tonight Against Kansas State

The Kansas Jayhawks have lost three straight games for the first time in eight years, and things do not get any easier tonight. KU will host Kansas State, who currently has a one game lead over the Jayhawks in the Big 12 standings. The game will begin at 8:00 p.m.

K-State currently controls its own destiny in the Big 12, but it will likely take a rare win over Kansas to take the league crown. The Wildcats have lost 45 of 48 against Kansas, and have been routinely blown out in Allen Fieldhouse. The two teams met earlier this season, and KU prevailed 59-55 in Manhattan.

The key to beating KState will be outside shooting, as the Wildcats have hit 41 percent of their threes during its current win streak. KSU struggled from three against KU in the first meeting between the two schools, with Rodney McGruder and Angel Rodriguez shooting a combined 8 of 22. Despite Kansas’ struggles, KState will have to shoot better than the 35 percent clip it had the last time it faced the Jayhawks.

Most of Kansas’ problems start at point guard, where senior ElijahJohnson has struggled mightily during the Jayhawks losing streak. In the past three games, Johnson is shooting 9 of 37 from the floor, including 5 of 21 from three. Even worse, he has had several costly turnovers late in games when KU still had a chance to pull out a win. If Johnson can take care of the basketball and hit some shots, the Jayhawks’ struggling offense will begin to look a whole lot better.

Kansas has struggled recently, but the Jayhawks began to look better against Oklahoma on Saturday. KU is due for a good game, and it may come at home where Allen Fieldhouse will be rocking. This could be the point where the Jayhawks turn it around – or its streak of conference titles will be on life support.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Overland Park Police Will Conduct Saturation Patrols Tonight

The Overland Park Police Department will be conducting a saturation patrol tonight, looking for people who are driving impaired. This enforcement effort will take place in the Overland Park area from 10 p.m. through 2 a.m.

Overland Park Traffic Safety officers will be patrolling the city looking for drivers who appear to be impaired. Those suspicious drivers that are pulled over by the patrol will be required to perform a series of field sobriety tests. The police officers also plan on keeping an eye out for those under the influence of illegal drugs, or prescription drugs that should not be taken by anyone operating a vehicle.

A saturation patrol is a common police tactic in which a large number of police officers focus on a relatively small geographic area. Multiple agencies often combine and concentrate their resources on one area during these patrols to maximize efficiency. Many police forces have used this tactic following sports events or other occurrences when there is potential for a large number of impaired drivers to be on the road.

Saturation patrols have been an effective tool for reducing drunk-driving incidents in many other communities. Kansas City has had several traffic incidents caused by alcohol over the past several months, so it is no surprise that police have begun cracking down. Many Overland Park residents choose to visit downtown bars and restaurants on the weekends, making the suburb a likely target for police.

The Overland Park police department asks that anyone who sees a driver that appears to be impaired report them by calling dispatch at 913-895-6300.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

TCU Shocks Kansas In Biggest Upset Of The Year

It will go down as the biggest upset this season in college basketball and the worst loss a Bill Self Kansas team has ever suffered. Last night, the Kansas Jayhawks were shockingly upset by TCU in Fort Worth, 62-55.

After a rare loss at home to Oklahoma State, most thought that Kansas would come out fired up against TCU. It didn’t happen, as the Jayhawks only scored an embarrassing 13 points in the first half. The Jayhawks only shot 30 percent from the field, including a horrific 3 of 22 from beyond the arc. Efficient scorers Jeff Withey and Travis Releford didn’t get many shots, while reserve point guard Naadir Tharpe attempted 15. Worst of all, struggling point guard Elijah Johnson continued to play terrible basketball, once again missing shots while turning the ball over at will.

To sum this loss up as “shocking” would be putting it too lightly. In terms of RPI, this was the biggest upset in the last 20 years of college basketball. The Jayhawks, who have knocked off top teams like Ohio State and Kansas State on the road, looked outclassed from the beginning against TCU. With two straight losses, it may be panic time in Lawrence if the Jayhawks can’t get out of their funk.

The loss also had a huge impact on the league race, as the Big 12 is now wide open. Kansas and Kansas State are tied for first, while suddenly red-hot Oklahoma State sits only one game behind. The Jayhawks will need to regroup quickly, as they have two tough games coming up – a road contest against Oklahoma and home against KSU. If Kansas can win these two games, it will once again be in the driver’s seat for a ninth straight Big 12 title. However, after last night, that is looking like a slim possibility.