Crime Scene KC: Criminal Law

Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs

OR PHONE (866) 635-1838 for Bankruptcy Help, (866) 635-6190 for Divorce,
(866) 635-2689 for Personal Injury or (866) 635-9402 for Criminal Defense

Find a Local Lawyer

Bankruptcy (866) 635-1838
Divorce (866) 635-6190
Personal Injury (866) 635-2689
Criminal Defense (866) 635-9402

Criminal Law

Crime Scene KC

Comprehensive crime news information, crime prevention tips and crime analysis about the Kansas City area.
By James Hart

Post Frequency: 275.3/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 10:30:00

Prosecutors want death in Sandra Cantu homicide

Posted on September 11, 2009
Melissa Huckaby is a California woman accused of raping and murdering 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, then stuffing her body in a suitcase this past spring. Cantu had reportedly gone to Huckaby's house to play with her daughter, but was instead killed...

Robber puts gun to 16-year-old's head, OP police say

Posted on September 11, 2009
Joe Lambe has the reports on a particularly creepy robbery from Wednesday night in Overland Park. A 16-year-old had left her house and was walking to her car when a robber put a gun to her head. That man and...

Deputy admits to feeding "molested" bologna sandwich to inmate

Posted on September 10, 2009
I feel eating bologna, period, is gross, but I can't imagine having it rubbed against an inmate's privates is going to improve the taste, either.

Police think bone found near Garrido property is human

Posted on September 10, 2009
It was actually found in their neighbors' yard, but I guess authorities are working from the theory that the Garridos would have had access to the property. Police are still cautioning that it might not be what people fear --...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

City of 54K has more surveillance cameras than Boston, SF

Posted on September 10, 2009
The AP has a story here about Lancaster, Pa., which has a network of 165 surveillance cameras that are monitored by a local nonprofit, which employs trained "monitors." The local police chief says he doesn't have the manpower to monitor...

A modest proposal: "Bait houses"

Posted on September 10, 2009
You know how some police departments use "bait cars" to catch car thieves? Well, in St. Louis County, they're talking about "bait houses" -- vacant houses outfitted with furniture and hidden cameras, designed to catch burglars in the act.

Former inmate writes about changing his life behind bars

Posted on September 10, 2009
CNN has a good piece here about R. Dwayne Betts, who committed a carjacking at age 16 and spent nine years in prison as a result. Unlike other inmates, Betts used the time to get an education and improve himself,...

Iowa man accused of kidnapping bobcats

Posted on September 10, 2009
You would think that bobcats, like pit bulls, are one of those creatures that are "unstealable" by their very nature. In this case, the suspect allegedly got the cats when they were kittens in the wild and filed down their...

Open Thread ... Thursday (Friday Eve)

Posted on September 10, 2009
Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...

1 dead, 3 injured in KC shooting

Posted on September 10, 2009
From Tony Rizzo: Kansas City police are investigating a shooting this afternoon that killed one person and injured three others. Several victims with gunshot wounds began showing up at a hospital about 2:30 p.m. One of the victims died at...

Auditor: KCPD pays $17K for pagers that it doesn't use

Posted on September 10, 2009
From KCPD: Internal auditors discovered that the department had been paying nearly $17,000 annually for 229 pagers that were no longer in use. The audit recommended better tracking of these pagers and reducing their use as much as possible. Since...

Biological mother accused of sex crime

Posted on September 10, 2009
A Michigan woman is accused of using the Internet to track down the son she gave up for adoption 10 years ago ... and then having sex with him. The woman denies the allegations. Hat Tip: Many thanks, You're A...

UPDATE: IA football coach killed

Posted on September 10, 2009
Just an update on the Ed Thomas case. Thomas was the high-school football coach for Aplington-Parkersburg in Iowa until he was murdered this summer. The suspect, a former student, won't immediately stand trial. It's not clear if he's mentally competent...

Man chases screwy rabbit into power station, nature takes its course

Posted on September 10, 2009
Police say the man showed up at a hospital, naked and covered in electrical burns. No word on the rabbit. Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

Wife shoots husband in back after he confesses to 15-year-old affair, LA cops say

Posted on September 10, 2009
And when I say 15 years old, I mean that it happened 15 years ago, not that it lasted 15 years. The missus -- who looks oddly cheerful in her mugshot -- allegedly went after her husband with a revolver...

20 governors say they want prisons to jam inmates' cellphone

Posted on September 10, 2009
Which they're not supposed to have in the first place, yet somehow sneak into the prison. (It's very handy for running your drug crew and placing hits on people!) Federal regulations forbid cell-jamming, though. Kansas is onboard with changing the...

Update on 99th Terrace traffic enforcement

Posted on September 10, 2009
In Overland Park, residents on 99th Terrace recently asked police to do extra traffic enforcement on their street after a neighbor was run over in her yard. From an executive summary of the enforcement campaign's results, prepared by Overland Park...

Cass County plans extra traffic patrols near schools

Posted on September 10, 2009
From the Cass County Sheriff: In an effort to increase public awareness and keep the public safe as the school year returns, the Cass County Sheriff?s Office will target school zones and surrounding areas with saturated patrols. The increased patrols...

Criminally insane man jumps from back of ambulance, CA police say

Posted on September 10, 2009
And is immediately hit by a drunk driver. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Tim P!

Scam artists used Lyme disease to scare victims, feds allege

Posted on September 10, 2009
The U.S. Attorney for Kansas says a California woman, Carole E. Bradford, has been indicted in an alleged Lyme disease scam that also included others, including her husband. Here's how it reportedly worked: The 20-count superseding indictment alleges Carole E...

Don't mess around with Whitney Houston's mom

Posted on September 10, 2009
I hate getting into celebrity crap, but I thought this story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was interesting. Apparently, Whitney Houston told Oprah about how Houston's mom, Cissy, showed up with a court order and some cops and basically forced Whitney...

Report: U.S. seeing bumper crop of weed?

Posted on September 10, 2009
I wasn't aware that marijuana had really "gone away," but the AP says that law enforcement is seizing bigger quantities of weed this year, indicating that growers are having a pretty good year. The news service says that U.S. marijuana...

"Prop robbers" love playing dress up, Tampa cops say

Posted on September 10, 2009
They're the Carrot Tops of crime -- a group of Tampa-area robbers have worn hospital scrubs and, in one case, put hairdressers' sinks on their heads during their heists. Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

Report: About 70 percent of Detroit murders go unpunished

Posted on September 10, 2009
I'm guessing the convention and visitors bureau won't be ordering reprints of this one. The Detroit News has an absolutely devastating look at the conditions of their city's homicide unit. Snip: "It is absolutely horrible," said Gary Brown, a former....

New info on Lawrence-Manhattan rapist

Posted on September 10, 2009
Kansas authorities have connected 13 rapes in Lawrence and Manhattan dating back to 2001, typically during school breaks. Yesterday, the Kansas AG sponsored a forum at KU to warn students about the attacks and teach them to stay safe. (The...

"Primetime Live" looks at MO's juvenile justice system

Posted on September 10, 2009
The Missouri Model -- which emphasizes education and counseling for young offenders -- got another a national shoutout last night on "Primetime Live." Here's a text version of the story. One interesting (or scary) fact: It costs $50K per year...

Child killer would like to be executed, please

Posted on September 10, 2009
In Nebraska, an inmate named Patrick Ronald Russell has asked to be executed. In 1973, Russell used a phone cord to strangle an 8-year-old boy, Joseph Edmonds. Russell, 17 during the murder, has served about 36 years on a life...