Category: Courts

Wyandotte County major acquitted of charges

Major Andrew Carver of the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office was acquitted of official misconduct and interference, which are misdemeanor charges, in Wyandotte County District Court.

Major Carver had been charged with the two misdemeanors in January 2021 in connection with a case involving a Unified Government vehicle assigned to the Sheriff’s Office and allegedly involved in a hit-and-run case. Two other law enforcement officers also were charged with misdemeanors in the case.

James Spies, attorney for Major Carver, said that on Oct. 1 there was a hearing in which the state tried to move the case to a different date, which was denied. At the hearing, the state announced it was dismissing the interference charge against Carver, but proceeding on the misconduct charge.

The trial was held Monday and Tuesday, and after the state rested its case around midday on Tuesday, Spies moved for a judgment of acquittal, he said. The motion was made on the basis that the state had failed to prove its case, he said.

The motion was granted by Judge Aaron Roberts, who agreed there was not enough evidence to go forward, Spies said. Spies did not have to present a defense.

According to Spies, sometimes there is a lot of attention from the district attorney when officers are charged, but people don’t always hear about it when the officers are acquitted.

KCK man sentenced to 15 years in prison for attack on ATF agent

A Kansas City, Kansas, man was sentenced 15 years in prison following an attack on a federal law enforcement agent during an undercover operation.

In May 2021, Nicholas Newman, 20, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty to one count of forcible assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon and guilty to one count of using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. In September 2021, Newman was sentenced 10 years for the assault conviction and five years for the firearms conviction to run consecutively.

According to court documents, in February 2020, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted an undercover operation in Kansas City, Kansas.

Two undercover ATF agents drove their vehicle to the parking lot of the Sunfresh store at South 18th to meet with Newman after he contacted them a few days earlier suggesting he had a firearm for sale. Newman handed the undercover agent in the driver’s seat a firearm, which she put on the floorboard. She then gave him cash provided by the ATF for the undercover operation.

After Newman reached to grab the firearm, a violent struggle ensued between the agent and Newman for control of the weapon. Newman physically assaulted her, inflicting severe bodily harm, according to court documents.

The second agent, who had been in the rear passenger seat, came around and attempted to subdue Newman from behind. A short time later, ATF surveillance units arrived and instructed Newman to let go of the weapon, which he did. He was subsequently taken into custody.

“Every day our ATF agents work to make our communities safer by trying to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals,” said acting U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard. “In doing so, they often put themselves in harm’s way. Thanks to the bravery and quick action of these agents no lives were lost in an incident which could have resulted in tragedy.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania prosecuted the case.

Sedalia man pleads guilty in attempted murder for hire case

Man met with undercover BATF agent in KCK

A Sedalia, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to attempting to hire an undercover law enforcement agent to murder the victim in a pending statutory sodomy case.

Jon Mark Wilson, 57, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. to one count of the use of interstate facilities (the use of a cell phone and crossing state lines) in the commission of murder for hire.

By pleading guilty today, Wilson admitted that he paid $2,000 to an undercover agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to murder his alleged victim in a separate state case. Wilson has been charged in Pettis County, Missouri, with two counts of felony first degree statutory sodomy in a case that is still pending.

Wilson solicited another person in January 2019 to arrange the murder for him. That person contacted law enforcement authorities and helped arrange a meeting with Wilson and the undercover agent. Wilson agreed to hire the undercover agent to murder the intended victim.

On Jan. 22, 2019, Wilson drove from Sedalia to Kansas City, Kansas, to meet with the undercover agent. Wilson paid the undercover agent $2,000, made arrangements to pay another $5,000 after the murder, and gave him a photo of the intended victim.

Wilson also went into the Cabela’s store and purchased shotgun shells for the undercover agent to use in the murder. When Wilson left the area, he was stopped and arrested by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper.

Under federal statutes, Wilson is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Sedalia, Missouri, Police Department.