East Side DUI: Party at the Shady Lady

Kansas City police held a fully constitutional, state- and federal-funded DUI checkpoint Saturday night in the 6400 block of east Truman Road, in the parking lot of Hong Kong Supermarket and Tan Tan Authentic Vietnamese Food, across the street from Love United Missionary Baptist Church.

Chronology:

11:55 p.m. - Orange cones are out, flares down. Traffic's a trickle, never more than 2-3 cars at a time.

12:01 a.m. - A driver pulls up in a red Mercury. Officer Jake Becchina spots a pearl-handled object in a holster in the front seat. A gun? He reaches in and grabs it - it's a knife, which he places on the roof as he talks with the driver, who's sober.

12:03 a.m. - A young man in a black Chevy. He steps out, swaying. He's either a quiet person, or so drunk he can't talk. He's the evening's first DUI arrest.

12:10 - Three guys in a shiny red Monte Carlo LTZ with 30-day tags. They've just come out of the Shady Lady, we learn, where one of them - not the driver - celebrated his 21st birthday. "Unfortunately, I think the driver may have had a little too much to drink," PO Becchina says.

12:55 a.m. - A dazed-looking woman with big hair nears the checkpoint in a beat-up Dodge pickup with Wyandotte County tags. But she stops a block short, and turns into and over a row of orange cones blocking the side street. "I guess she's cone-challenged," a cop says. She hasn't been drinking. "I'd hate to see what she drives like with anything in her," he says.

1:15 a.m. - Two young men pull up in a Delta 88. Open beer can, strong smell of dope. "Good evening, sir, I'm Officer..." Screeeech! The driver pulls away. "I saw that coming!" an officer says. The fleeing vehicle blows through a red light and disappears down Truman Road. Cops do not pursue. Dispatch puts out a call, but odds of finding the car aren't good.

1:30 a.m. - Rain. "This is too much like work."

1:50 a.m. - A young brunette with several passengers approaches the checkpoint in a white Ford Windstar LX. Suddenly she stops and throws it into reverse. A half-dozen cops move quickly toward the vehicle, like an unknown threat. She stops. Everyone out.
She's wearing a "Don't Be Jealous" T-shirt and explains that, well, she doesn't have an explanation. She didn't know what to do. Anyway, she hasn't been drinking.

2 a.m. - Suddenly it's 3 a.m, Daylight Savings Time. It's still raining. "We'll go 15 minutes more," says Sgt. Roger Hill. Results: 176 cars checked, 10 DUI arrests, 5.7% of driver stopped.

For the defense

Comments

I like the first stop. Guy not drunk. Doing nothing wrong. Let's invade his privacy and attempt to confiscate his knife! What if it was a gun? It was not concealed. He has a right to carry it!

If you're doing nothing wrong (at midnight), does it really hurt that bad to talk to a cop for a few minutes? As for the knife, I see nothing wrong with a cop taking control of the knife during the conversation. He has no idea if the guy is going to try to stab him with it.

"I like the first stop. Guy not drunk. Doing nothing wrong. Let's invade his privacy and attempt to confiscate his knife! What if it was a gun? It was not concealed. He has a right to carry it!"

This person just hates authority?

fully constitutional !

Guy not drunk. Doing nothing wrong.

Guy gets to go home after a brief investigation. The key word is BRIEF.

Can you supply the race and sex of all the arrested persons? Just curious! I know it will come up as usual so we might as well get the discovery portion out of the way and in the open.

[t]

The real key to this story is the Delta 88 that got away. If you see a checkpoint and you have an open container and the car smells of dope, drive off. There is no sense in risking a DUI or a charge for the open container or a possession charge. Drive away! This is a no-brainer. The cops play their game, you play your game. Cops are not smart enough to prevent this from happening. Win the game!

The real key to this story is the Delta 88 that got away. If you see a checkpoint and you have an open container and the car smells of dope, drive off. There is no sense in risking a DUI or a charge for the open container or a possession charge. Drive away! This is a no-brainer. The cops play their game, you play your game. Cops are not smart enough to prevent this from happening. Win the game!

Sounds like you lost a few games in your day! Liberals are tying the cops hands otherwise the game wouldn't even be fair. Criminals are too stupid.

A gun and ammo that's readily accessible is a no-no unless you have a permit.

Doesn't KCMO have to get permission from owners of private property before they use it for scheduled checks and running radar?

They should have a chase car there for the ones they're trying to get off the streets in the first place. The irony of setting up a DUI check and letting people with open containers who've been smoking pot take off. If that's how they're run, why bother.

[t]

Exactly. Liberal tying cops hands? Wonderful. These stupid cops know they are getting beat. Cops lose. Way to go Delta 88. If you refuse to stop they can't get you. Great lesson to all the motorists out there. Cops should just give up!

A gun and ammo that is readily accessible is not a no no. Carrying it concealed without a permit is. --- So they stop a law abiding citizen and let the bad guys get away. I don't hate authority. I hate what authoritarians do to law abiding citizens while letting the bad guys get away.

Too bad this isn't the movies. There would've been a cop 100 yards down the road throwing out a spike strip for the Delta 88.

[Cochese]

I dont think cops should be given cars, just bicycles.

[Nate]

Hey sarcastic crime reporter, why mention the WyCo tags? What about all the other tags?

Fair and Balanced no doubt

[Cochese]

everybody knows that the scum of kc are from the dotte. get over it.

[Cecil Poole]

They were there from 11PM to 4AM and got ten arrests. In that neighborhood they could have done just as well in the middle of the day from 11AM to 4PM.

I like the whole lady with big hair in a beat up Dodge with Wyandotte County plates. One of several thousand that live in the Dot.

[C. Marinovich]

Keep poking fun at the "dotte". Once this stadium bill fails, we'll be the new home of the Chiefs. We'll see who will be laughing then.

[Cochese]

what makes you so sure the chiefs would move to wyandotte?

[tits]

Go Chiefs! We want a "league of our own". Wyandotte County here we come.

[Brian 2]

Is it possible the Police didn't give chase to the Delta 88 because of the bad publicicty of the last DUI check where the man fled the scene, was chased, and than got into a head on collision with another car up the road?

[Cochese]

Everybody knows gunther hates mullets, so he would refuse to play in the dotte. therefore, the chiefs are not going anywhere.

[K. Costner]

If you build it, they will come.

[Terry]

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.

Benjamin Franklin

It was true then, and it's true today!

[Crime Scene KC]

Hey Nate,
I wasn't picking on WyCo. I tried to mention any non-Missouri tag, like the 30-day tag on the Monte Carlo. All the rest were MO, as might be expected.
Fair and balanced? You *do* know sarcasm. :)

Greg Reeves

Wyandotte can have the Chefs.

about the Chiefs moving to Wyandotte County...Jackson County taxpayers have been footing the bill the stadiums that house the Chiefs (as well as the Royals) for decades. So what makes dotte residents so confident that they can do the same? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but the last time a county in Kansas (Jackson) was asked to help support the Chiefs and Royals (Bi-State II tax), they refused. So if one of the richest (and snobbiest) counties in America (Johnson) is too cheap to help support our teams, then how in the heck will Wyandotte do it?

[Ragan]

I have an idea. If u love the DOT so much why don't u stay in kansas. Oh thats right there is nothing there so u have to come to KCMO. The reason we are going to be votin tomm. on 1 & 2 is because the kansas folk did not pass the bi-stae tax last year. U guys do use the stadiums dont u?

Why vote for the bi-state tax, when we want the stadiums for ourselves? A brand new stadium with a retractable roof will look very pretty sitting next to KS Speedway.

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.

You know what that is it's a COPOUT. that all it is and thats the only reason anyone puts in on this blog

[Rita]

Okay I understand the reporters reason for identifying the WY tags like he did the 30 day tags. It makes the story. What I don't understand is why everyone thinks the "dotte" is just the most horrible place to be! Everywhere Kansas & Missouri have horrible areas and nice areas. Not everyone from KCKS is white trash or ghetto. You always hear bad sh*t from both sides of the line.
On the Delta 88 yes the police probally let him go because of the last incident.
Lets just hope this summer is not as crime filled as last summer on both sides of the state line. I have not been through a checkpoint but I also do not drink and drive...you know call someone if you do drink or have a designated driver. There will always be another kick that you can get on and someone else can be it next time. But really its not worth your life, someone elses life or if your lucky and just get caught the jail time and fines and ridin the Metro to work everyday because they suspended your driving license!

[Right DEFENDER]

It's put there because it is true

[Ragan]

When the 1&2 pass tomm. b/c this time we won't have kansas folk denying the teams the facilities the deserve we will see how great the DOT will become. U got lucky w/ the speedway so count your blessings and be thankful that some people from jackson county come to your state. I understand that your state has no city big enough to handle major leagues but thank god KCMO is close enough that you can mooch off us. So that is why you will be sitting at home the 1st day chiefs tickets go on sale and I will be standing in line.

Good for you if it does pass. If it doesn't, we will steal them quicker than you can imagine.

As Rita said, yes there are bad parts of Wyco, but there are nice parts also. Jackson Co is no different, if not worse.

[Dotte Master]

Ragan, keep your scanky a$$ over in missirable MO, it's were scum like you belong. I live by the speedway and Village West, it's nice to see all those MO & JO tags rolling into the Dotte to drop their coins, so keep the cha-ching coming, but take your soory a$$e$ back to JO & MO when your finished spending.

[Ragan]

Sorry bro I don't go to the speedway so no $$$ and if that is what u are going to brag about the speedway u are f****** sorry. Who is your favorite NASCAR driver. BY the way why am I scum is it because I am a truthteller DOT masterbator. See u in line the 2nd day tickets go on sale

[Rita]

Yes us JO people did not want to help pay for the stadium improvements because we aren't entitled to stand in line day 1 and get tickets. Why should we spend more of our money to fix something that you get to use before we do and we are helping with the bill. Also I am glad that KCK got "lucky" as one said to get the speedway because maybe they can improve the city in many ways. Missouri on the other hand has numerous things that were supposed to improve the city and they havent but I still lock my doors when I travel through there but I dont in KCK (xcept on Quindaro). But there are those spots everywhere.

[Ragan]

By the way other than the "speedway" what does your county have? Please respond because this is a serious question. I am lookin foward to hearing from u DOT masterbator

[Ragan]

U going to the royals game today in KCMO DOT masterbator

[The Bator]

Ragan, did those guys that were coming from the Shady Lady tip you good that night??? Must not have, you seem a little testy. If you were smart enough to find the Dotte, you would see what we have over here with the beautiful people.

[Ragan]

Wow Rita u really dont lock your doors in the DOT. I personally lock my doors were ever I go. The reason u have to wait for day 2 is because u dont pay for the stadium. If you would fit some of the bill u would be able to get tix on day 1. If it was up to me they would not let u get tickets at all. Like I said before from a financial stand point people coming from the kansas side are tourists coming to a major city to watch a "major league" game. If u dont like that dont come, go watch the T-Bones or pay for renovations.

[Ragan]

I-70 west right. I usually stop before I get to 670 though. Can you clue me in?

[me@here.com]

Seatbelts are an invasion of privacy! Oh wait.... what were we talking about?

[Ragan]

Shawnee man is homicide victim
Kansas City police today identified a man found shot to death behind a wheel of a car Saturday night.

Officers found Erasmo A. Martinez-Gonzalez, 35, of Shawnee, about 11 p.m. Saturday in an area of vacant houses near 44th Street and Bales Avenue.

Police released no suspect or motive information. His death was the city’s 23rd homicide of the year.

and U dont lock your car door. God Bless U Rita

[Mr. Bator]

What Ragan, you had to get to afternoon shift at the "Lady"? Those drunks at the Royals game might tip you better. Wear your prettiest outfit!!!

Zzzzzzzzz................

[Ragan]

u still did not answer my question of what the DOT has other than the "speedway" oh ya I go to the royals game and u go to the T-Bones game DOT bator

[Mr. Bator]

44th & Bales, vacant houses, 23rd homicide of the year??? Hmmm, sounds like KCMO to me...

[Ragan]

u still did not answer my question of what the DOT has other than the "speedway"

This blog is soooo off track. Good bye losers!

[Ragan]

by the way why are u on a missouri papers' website. Doesn't KCK have their own paper?