All The Star's crime stories today

This blog is meant to be your one-stop resource for crime-related stories from The Star. Today's links:

Kansas Senate passes sex offender bill
Police find vehicle suspected in hit-run
  Metropolitan Digest
 Mystery of lost mother ends in still more loss
 Police end search of drained KC lake
 State ponders imposing tougher DUI penalties
  Two rob and rape woman, police say
  Lawmakers consider regulating ‘toy’ cars
 Clueless clerk faces charges
  

KC 2006 homicide #8: Elias Lopez Ramirez

From The Star this morning:

Shooting victim dies
A man wounded in a shooting last week at 10th Street and Topping Avenue has died, raising the city’s homicide tally this year to eight.
Police said Elias Lopez Ramirez, 23, of Kansas City died about 4 p.m. Wednesday from injuries suffered in an 8:10 p.m. shooting on Jan. 18.

And from Kansas City police 2:51 p.m.:

• On Wednesday January 18, 2006 at about 8:10pm, KCMO Police Officers were dispatched to 1008 Topping on a reported shooting. Upon arrival they located a victim laying in the street with what appeared to be two puncture wounds to his abdomen. The victim could not be interviewed at the scene and was immediately transported to an area hospital where medical personnel advised that his injuries were life-threatening. 
• Mr. Elias Lopez-Ramirez, Hispanic male, 7/20/1982 of KCMO died from his injuries...This is the 8th Homicide of 2006 compared to 9 at this same time last year. No suspects are in custody and anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 474-TIPS (8477).

Kansas City homicide roster 2006:

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7

Scam of the Week: Counterfeit Tamiflu

The scam: Fake or "generic" anti-flu medications
The targets: Persons concerned about influenza, especially the avian flu.
The hook: Online offers of "generic" Tamiflu - actually Vitamin C wrapped as Tamiflu instead. (Pictured: genuine Roche Tamiflu)
The scammers: Unknown online sellers.
The FDA (statement) has ticked off a series of recent cases involving counterfeit or diluted flu meds:

• FDA and Customs intercepted products at the border that purported (to be "generic" Tamiflu,) but which, in fact, contained Vitamin C and other ineffective substances.
• FDA and FBI special agents arrested an individual in Texas who administered counterfeit influenza vaccine to employees at a corporate-sponsored health fair.
• FDA probe led to the indictment of an individual for smuggling foreign, unlicensed influenza vaccines into the United States and attempting to sell the illegal vaccines to hospitals.
• An LPN was sentenced to nine months in prison for operating a series of unauthorized influenza vaccine clinics at a college in Minneapolis after admitting to diluting some of the vaccine to increase her supply.

How to avoid being victimized: "be very cautious of drugs they purchase over the Internet, and urges consultation with a qualified medical professional in the search for any influenza treatment."

San Francisco Chronicle article on seizure of counterfeit Tamiflu
State Department warning

A victim's open letter to burglars

It's easy to forget how seriously the crime of burglary or theft can affect a victim. It can rob you of your sense of security and safety - and make you mad as anything.
James Fritz, for example, blames himself for leaving unlocked the back door of his Independence home, where a burglar snuck in at 2:28 a.m. Dec. 28, rifled his wife's purse and tried, unsuccessfully, to withdraw cash at two nearby banks and an ATM in a Quik-Trip.
But he's even madder at the thief or thieves. And he's not happy with police response, either.

He wrote an open letter to the crook(s):

• You came in through our back door, which opens to the kitchen. You sat down at our table and went through the purse, I know this cause you left coupons in an envelope on the table top and other envelopes on the floor, that had been in the purse...
• I knew that you were at the Union Bank on U.S. RT 40 at 3:03 a.m. trying to get money from the ATM with our credit cards. Didn't work,  did it? Fools...
• I also told the Independence Police Dept. about this " activity " as soon as I learned about it. The information never got to the right people...in time (to retrieve surveillance tapes)...

Independence Police Sgt. Dennis Green said there was some initial confusion about where the withdrawal attempts were made. But, even with video surveillance - police need suspect info or the like to investigate - especially in a case with no loss, he said.
"This is not a viable case that we’re going to go out and actively pursue, because of the fact that nobody knows this person," Green said. "There are solveability factors that we have to look at prior to even assigning a case. If we take photographs that come to us from Union Bank and show those to the Fritzes, and they don’t know them, we’re kind of at a dead-end here."

1:55 p.m.: Folks, I should have posted this to begin with. Here are the full comments of Sgt. Green.

Overland Park daily offenses

Daily report from Overland Park police.

Offenses Jan. 26, 2006: XLS PDF

Data also available at www.opkansas.org

Also see:
Interactive map of Overland Park crime data by local programmer Brett Rickman
Crime mapping by Overland Park police
Past Overland Park crime reports in this blog

Leawood police activity as of 6:36 a.m.

Daily report from Leawood police.

Jan. 25 8:30 p.m. to 6:36 a.m. today: PDF

Feds: License clerk was on the take

From U.S. Attorney Todd Graves' office:

• Careli Rodriguez, 22, Kansas City, charged in a four-count indictment by a federal grand jury in Kansas City today...was employed by the Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle and Driver’s License Contract Office at 1170 W. 152 Hwy. in Liberty...issued Class A Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) to persons who had not provided proof that they had passed the required written test and driving skills test...in return for payments to her of up to $1,500. News release

Rodriguez was hired by and worked for the state's license bureau contract employee, not the DOR, DOR spokesperson Maura Browning told me.

Update: KCPD pond draining

From Kansas City police 3:35 p.m. This refers to the police draining a lake in Blue Valley Park:

• The homicide detectives were looking for evidence from the homicide of Emanuel L. Gragg, black/male, 02/14/1971.  Mr. Gragg was killed on February 5, 2005 at 2859 Oakley.  His body was discovered when the fire department was called to the scene of a house fire.  While inside putting out the fire, Mr. Gragg's body was discovered.  Detectives received information regarding possible evidence that was thrown into the lake at Blue Valley Park.  On Tuesday, investigators found the evidence they were told about when they were searching.  There were no additional guns or anything of evidentiary value found today (Thursday).  There is no suspect in custody for his death and anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816.474.8477.

8 days of Kansas City crime

These files are daily compilations, lists of all calls to Kansas City police that resulted in a case report.
Files are ordered by street and house number, and cover Sunday, Jan. 15, through Sunday, Jan. 22.
Key: CRN is case report number; PONUM is police officer number. REPORTAREA is the police beat. ADDRTYPE is A for address or I for intersection.

kccrime20060122.xls
kccrime20060121.xls
kccrime20060120.xls
kccrime20060119.xls
kccrime20060118.xls
kccrime20060117.xls
kccrime20060116.xls
kccrime20060115.xls

Kuwaiti UMKC student up on counterfeiting charges

This is Ahmed N. Dashti, 24, citizen of Kuwait. He's been your neighbor in Mission. He's a fourth-year student at UMKC, studying civil engineering and business.
He's traveled often to Iran, Great Britain and his home country in recent years, federal authorities say. He's got a Social Security number. And he got a Fed-Ex package from Kuwait Jan. 12, intercepted by the feds, allegedly containing a crayon-quality counterfeit U.S. Treasury check for $250,000.
Feds filed a six-page complaint against Dashti last week, detailing the interception of the package in Memphis; and a federal grand jury in Topeka indicted him yesterday.
In the complaint, Dashti seems to say the check was part of a Nigerian scam in which he was the victim. It also says Dashti's in this country on a non-immigrant student visa authorizing on-campus employment only.
The charge carryies up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Dashti is innocent until proven guilty.

$1.24M Medicaid scheme goes wrong

What a great name for a drug-alcohol treatment outfit: "The Great Meeting is On For Your Success".

Sadly, the Wichita agency's "meeting" was mostly for its own success - $1.24 million in, well, ginned-up Medicaid payments, prosecutors said. The agency billed the feds for counseling a 36-day infant and many persons not alcoholics or drug-addicted, they said.

A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted owners Johnnie and Peggy Franklin on 52 counts of health-care fraud, conspiracy, money-laundering, obstruction, etc.

• U.S. attorney's news release
• Kansas AG's news release

Great meeting's still on the state list of alcohol/drug service providers.

All The Star's crime stories today

This blog struggles mightily to be your one-stop resource for crime-related news from The Star. Today's links:

 Kansas City police seek parole violator
Arrests made in string of Miami County burglaries
"Survivor" guilty in tax case (AP video)
Police storm California bank (AP video)
7 children killed in crash (AP video)
Two teens face charges after road-rage incident
Drained lake yields clue
Two dead after I-70 shootout near Hays
Quick-thinking witness leads police to suspect
Death penalty foes seek to halt man’s execution
Raise driving age?
Kansas acts against Medicare fraud
Device in many cars today says a lot about how you drive
METROPOLITAN DIGEST

 

Pastor invites swastika-painting vandals back - to talk

Vandals paint a swastika on your church. Catch 'em and give 'em hellfire & brimstone, maybe?
Not Rev. Dr. Heather Entrekin, senior pastor of Prairie Baptist Church, 75th & Roe, Prairie Village, where a swastika appeared on the church door last weekend.
"In fact, I’m delighted they noticed the church and got to the door," she told me. "I would really want to invite them next time to try coming on in, and to see if we couldn’t talk about what their needs are and what the effect could be of what they’re doing, and maybe learn from one another."
A vandal or vandals - universally attributed to "kids" (talk about age discrimination!) - also painted a swastika on the concrete face of a footbridge near the church. Star story

Pastor Entrekin's church has 600 members. You can find her on ethicsdaily.com. And here's the Star story of her appointment in 1999, with background info. 2004 story

Leawood police activity

Daily report from Leawood police.

8:19 p.m. Tuesday to 7:55 a.m. today: PDF

Overland Park daily offenses

Daily report from Overland Park police.

Offenses Jan. 25, 2006: XLS PDF

Data also available at www.opkansas.org

Also see:
Interactive map of Overland Park crime data by local programmer Brett Rickman
Crime mapping by Overland Park police
Past Overland Park crime reports in this blog

Find your stolen car online

If your car is stolen, you're only $1 away from posting it on Stolencarreports.com, "the Nation's Neighborhood Watch for Stolen Vehicles".
I've been playing phone tag with them, I'd like to find out more.
Anyway, a 1989 Olds88 was apparently stolen out of the employee parking lot at the Brookside Price Chopper, and Stolencarreports - which says it donates all profits to charity - emailed me this victim-provided info:

Make:  Oldsmobile
Model:  88
Year:  1989
Color:  Grey
Type:  4-Door
License Plate KS VJI716

THEFT DATE:  01/24/2006
THEFT LOCATION

Street:  6327 Brookside Plaza
City:  Kansas City
State:  MO
ZIP Code:  64113

Comments:  Parked in the upstairs employee parking Lot of Price Chopper on Brookside Plaza around 12:23 PM, on Tuesday, January 24th, 2006. The passenger side rear windwing window (closer to the trunk) is busted out. It might have a busted steering column, I would believe, due to no keys left in car. The hood, the top of the car and the trunk have a lot of faded paint.  There is a small dent on the drivers side door, but not very noticeable. It has a thin white pin stripe that goes around the car, and there are no hubcaps on the 2 front tires. There is also a small dent in the top drivers side edge of the trunk. The theft was caught on video tape: It was stolen by 2 black males in their late teens / early twenties. One is tall, wearing a longer size white T-shirt, black pants, and a black and red cap. The accomplice is a shorter individual, heavy set, with  fro-ish style hair, and wearing a bulky dark blue puffy like winter coat, a black or dark blue T-shirt and black pants.

And, I might add, call the TIPS Hotline 816.474.8477. I'll check this out with KC police.

Wanted: Carlos K. Henderson

This is Carlos K. Henderson. Dangerous, on parole for robbery, wanted for violating that parole, police say.

• Description: black/male, 03/26/1955, 5'9" 180 lbs, may/may not be wearing his glasses, known to frequent the area of 71st and Tracy and the 6100 block of Blue Ridge.  Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816.474.8477.

Leawood PD activity

Daily report from Leawood police.

3:23 a.m. Tuesday to 9:04 a.m. today: PDF

Overland Park daily offenses

Daily report from Overland Park police.

Offenses Jan. 24, 2006: XLS PDF    

Data also available at www.opkansas.org

Also see:
Interactive map of Overland Park crime data by local programmer Brett Rickman
Crime mapping by Overland Park police
Past Overland Park crime reports in this blog

Traffic fatal: Vesta L. Anderson

From Kansas City police 3:21 p.m.: 

• The woman who was killed at I-70 and Stateline on January 17, 2006 at 140 pm, has been identified as Vesta L. Anderson, black/female, 01/02/1951, of Raytown.

Anderson was killed, police said, when a semi turned into her lane on the Lewis-Clark Viaduct, pinning her car against the wall and causing it to burst into flames.

Star news item Jan. 18 about the crash

Deer poachers get probation, big fines

Eight hunters from North Carolina shot eight white-tailed, trophy-class bucks in Kansas from 2002-2005  without licenses or tags and:

• were fined $36,000 and
• placed on probation and
• banned from hunting for 3 years

in federal court today in Wichita. The investigation took 15 months.

News release from U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren's office

I called Kevin Jones, top cop at Kansas Wildlife & Parks, and asked - in my ignorance - why this violation wasn't more like a traffic ticket.
Answer: These guys came to Kansas and cherry-picked the most-coveted deer - large-antlered bucks, basically for bragging rights. Hunting is a large industry in the state, and to let poachers deplete the state's highly-regarded deer herd would have a serious economic impact.
"Overall there's a large emphasis on the size of antlers on deer," Jones told me. "And it will cause some folks to do some pretty amazing things to try to get that big deer."

Crack dealer hands out business cards: Police

A Leavenworth crack dealer handed out business cards with his phone number and:

• QUICK HIT ON TIME CALLBOSS (see below)

police said.

Star story

And now, the card:

(but I got a Nextel "not in service" when I called...)

So many robberies, so much time

Sixteen bank robberies, four states, 25 years in prison. This happened Monday but just now landed in my email:

• James Kyle Kerr, 35, was sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty to a series of robberies and armed bank robberies. He was sentenced Jan. 23 during a hearing before U.S. District Judge John W. Lungstrum Kansas City, Kan.

Kerr hit banks in Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and California, prosecutors said. He also dragged and slightly injured a Leawood police officer during his last robbery.

News release
Star story from 2004 robbery

Female Realtors beware of after-hours visits

This is mid-Missouri so far, not Kansas City, but forewarned is forearmed:

• The Columbia Board of Realtors is warning female real estate agents about a Mokane man who has been asking them to show him homes for sale after business hours. Cops and Realtors think he may not exactly be trying to buy a house.
• Name/Aliases: Matt Potts, Mark Post, Mike Post.
• Description: heavy-set, white, 40s, 200-225, 5-8 to 5-9, full head salt-and-pepper hair.

Columbia-Tribune story

Short police career ends with bang in St. Louis

No one was hurt:

• A St. Louis police officer ran out of a grocery store yelling "I ain't got no gun!" after a weapon inside her purse discharged in the store. Then she lied about it, police said. A three-year veteran, she resigned Friday.
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch story

Thanks and a hat tip to Star reporter Tony Rizzo!