Forks and Corks fundraiser planned April 27

Harvesters’ Forks and Corks fundraiser is planned from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in the Grand Ballroom of the Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, Mo.

The event was created in 1997 to support Harvesters’ hunger relief effort and is known as one of the top food and wine events in Kansas City.

Everything is donated, and 100 percent of the proceeds benefit the needy, according to a spokesman. Each year, the event generates enough funds to provide one million meals.

“Forks and Corks is a wonderful event showcasing some of the city’s finest culinary talent all in support of our mission of feeding hungry families, children and seniors in our community,” said Valerie Nicholson-Watson, president and CEO of Harvesters. “We are grateful to our partners in the restaurant and beverage industries who lend their time and talents to make this event possible.”

Chef Megan Garrelts is the honorary chef for Forks and Corks 2017. Megan and her husband Chef Colby, are the chef-owners of rye, Leawood, Kan., and Bluestem, a 2015 James Beard Semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant, in Kansas City, Mo. Megan is a James Beard Semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef and her recipes have been featured in numerous national publications including Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Wall Street Journal and Saveur.

“It is an amazing honor to be selected to represent the restaurant community here in Kansas City,” Chef Megan said. “Food is my passion, it’s what I do daily and I can’t think of a better event or more deserving event to be a part of.

“This event cannot be done without the community’s support and we are so fortunate to have as many hands as we do involved in the event this year. It really makes a difference in our community and the people that we share food with,” she added.

Tickets for Forks and Corks are $100 each and are available online until Monday, April 24, at http://forkscorkskc.com/ or by phone at 816-929-3010. Tickets will be sold at the door for $120.

Victim of homicide identified

The victim of a homicide discovered April 7 in the 200 block of Donovan Avenue has been identified, according to Kansas City, Kansas, police.

The victim was Cristian Escutia, 19 years old, of Kansas City, Missouri, a police spokesman said. The family has been notified.

Escutia was found deceased in the street from an apparent gunshot wound, police stated. He would have turned 20 in three more days.

Last week, the Jackson County, Missouri, prosecutor’s office announced that Marco A. Sosa-Perea, 21, of Kansas City, Kansas, faced kidnapping and armed criminal action charges in connection with the April 3 disappearance of Escutia.

Escutia was seen near 3rd and Chelsea Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, with an unknown man pointing a gun at him, demanding he get into a light blue Chrysler Pacifica, the prosecutor’s office stated. Surveillance cameras captured the incident, according to the prosecutor’s charging documents.

A witness told police the defendant was driving the vehicle on Monday, April 3.

Two other men were in the vehicle, and Sosa-Perea was driving it, according to the probable cause statement. Escutia was driven to an area near a park off Quindaro Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas, according to the probable cause statement.

Escutia was forced out of the vehicle in Kansas City, Kansas, where shots were fired at him, the prosecutor’s office stated. Law enforcement was actively seeking Sosa-Perea in connection with the case.

Man sentenced for bank robbery

A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced Monday to 5.25 years in federal prison for robbing a bank in Prairie Village, Kansas, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Darrell Hunter, 51, Kansas City, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas, to one count of bank robbery. He admitted that on Dec. 26, 2014, he robbed United Missouri Bank at 6900 Mission Road in Prairie Village

In his plea, Hunter admitted he entered the bank and asked for a deposit slip. He wrote on the slip, “This is a robbery I got a gun put the money in the bag.” He put the money in a duffel bag and left the bank.

Beall commended the FBI, the Prairie Village Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tris Hunt for their work on the case.