Month: January 2017

Victim of fatal traffic accident identified

The victim of a fatal traffic accident at State Avenue and College Parkway on Tuesday has been identified.

The victim was Gloria Wilkerson, 69, a resident of Kansas City, Kan., according to a police spokesman.

The accident at about 1:15 p.m. Jan. 3 involved a Chevy pickup truck that collided with a Mazda.

An initial investigation revealed the Chevy was traveling southbound on College Parkway and struck the Mazda that was turning north onto College Parkway, police said.

The fatality victim was in the Chevy, and two others in the Chevy went to a hospital with critical injuries, according to police. The driver of the Mazda was taken to a hospital in serious condition, police said.

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department’s Traffic Support Unit-Critical Collision Response Team is investigating.

Guilty plea in death of KCK detective; another defendant turns down plea deal in death of KCK captain

Curtis R. Ayers pleaded guilty Tuesday in Wyandotte County District Court to capital murder charges in connection with the death of Detective Brad Lancaster.

Curtis Ayers on Tuesday pleaded guilty in Wyandotte County District Court to several charges against him, including capital murder, in the shooting death of Kansas City, Kan., Detective Brad Lancaster.

Ayers now faces a sentence of life without a chance of parole, as the death penalty was taken out in the plea agreement.

In an emotional hearing for families of the deceased police officers Tuesday in Wyandotte County District Court, defendant Jamaal Lewis turned down a plea deal in the death of Capt. Robert Melton. It was expected that he would change his plea last week, but he changed his mind Tuesday.

Lewis now is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in March, according to the court administrator.

Jamaal Lewis did not accept a plea deal in connection with the shooting death of KCK Capt. Robert Melton, and now Lewis faces a hearing in March.

T-Bones renew contract for second baseman

The Kansas City T-Bones have re-signed infielder Brett Wiley to a contract for the 2017 season, according to an announcement.

Wiley, 25 (11-24-91), who’s 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds from Huntington, Ind., batted .305 with a team-high 111 hits, 23 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 45 RBIs and 46 runs scored for Kansas City in 2016.

Defensively in 93 games at second base, Wiley had a .983 fielding percentage with seven errors in 401 chances. He was selected as the American Association’s Postseason All-Star second baseman.

Wiley, who spent the 2015 season at three levels in the St. Louis Cardinals’ system — single-A Palm Beach, double-A Springfield and triple-A Memphis, had 11 games with at least three hits last season.

He was selected as the league’s Player of the Week for the week ending July 10 after he went 13 for 23 (.565) with three doubles, one triple, two home runs, 15 RBIs and seven runs in his previous seven games. Additionally, during that stretch, Wiley’s average rose from .286 to .322.

The Cardinals selected Wiley in the 13th round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo. In five professional seasons, Wiley is a .283 hitter with 322 hits, 149 RBIs and 146 runs scored. In 232 professional games at second base, Wiley has a .976 fielding percentage.

The T-Bones open the 2017 regular season at home on May 19 against Lincoln.