Category: Kansas City Missouri

Kansas City, Mo., man pleads guilty to heroin distribution

A Kansas City man pleaded guilty today to a charge of distributing heroin, which could send him to federal prison for 12 years, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Titus Sanders, 23, Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing heroin. The case was in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas.

According to court records, the investigation began when Westwood, Kansas, police were called to a Walmart where they found a man suffering from a drug overdose. He was found with a syringe containing heroin. The man was hospitalized and later died.

Investigators found evidence on the victim’s cellphone that he had purchased heroin from Sanders.

Sentencing is set for Jan. 13. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 12 years.

McAllister commended the Westwood Police Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trent Krug and Kim Flannigan for their work on the case.

Kansas City, Mo., man pleads guilty to carjacking in Topeka

A Kansas City, Missouri, man pleaded guilty Tuesday to an armed carjacking in Topeka, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Antonio Duane Simpson, 43, Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of carjacking.

In his plea, Simpson admitted he stopped a man near SW 13th and College Avenue in Topeka and demanded his wallet. The victim refused and during a struggle Simpson shot him, the U.S. attorney’s office stated. Simpson took the victim’s keys and drove away.

He left behind a hat and wig he had been wearing. A DNA test on those items tied Simpson to the crime, the U.S. attorney’s office stated. When the victim’s Toyota Tacoma was recovered in Kansas City, Missouri, it had been destroyed by fire, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Sentencing is set for Feb. 2. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 15 years in federal prison. McAllister commended the FBI, the Topeka Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.

KCK native receives Park University’s ‘Promising Young Professional’ Award

JT Daniels

JT Daniels, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, has received the Park University Promising Young Professional Award.

The award was given by the Park University Alumni Association on Sept. 17 in a virtual award ceremony. Daniels currently is a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, where he has a studio.

Daniels graduated from Park University in 2011 and shows exceptional leadership promise in his field, according to the alumni association.

After graduating from Park, Daniels rented a studio space in the Kansas City area to focus on commissioned work.

He was preparing to move out of the studio when he got a phone call that changed the course of his career, a Park spokesman stated in a news release. A scout was looking to photograph Midwest artists in their studios for a marketing campaign.

Afterward, a New York advertising firm noticed his colorful, fluid style and invited him to be one of 10 artists to submit designs for iced tea labels, according to the spokesman.

Daniels’ vibrant, streamlined designs are now featured on bottles of Brisk iced tea.

His uplifting murals can also be seen all over the Kansas City metro area, from the walls of local businesses to Kansas City Streetcar stops to the historic 18th and Vine District, according to the Park news release.

His colorful, expressive murals have also been commissioned by numerous clients in the Kansas City region.

Daniels’ portfolio continues to grow nationally in original works, collaborative projects and murals that address socially relevant topics, according to a Park University spokesman.

Daniels’ website is at http://www.jtdanielsart.com/.

Park University, a nonprofit private institution, was founded in 1875 in Parkville, Missouri, and now has 41 campuses in 22 states and also offers online education.