KCK Man Arrested in January 6th Capitol Riot
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCStar) - A Kansas City, Kansas, man has been arrested in connection with the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Kansas City Star reports that 47-year-old Kasey Von Owen Hopkins Friday became the ninth Kansan to be charged in the riot. Hopkins faces four misdemeanor counts, including entering a restricted building and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building. According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, authorities tracked Hopkins down using video and cell phone data. Earlier this week, a federal judge ruled that another Kansas man will be allowed to represent himself against January 6th charges. 36-year-old William Pope of Topeka faces eight charges in the Capitol riot, including allegedly trying to force open a door in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. Also this week, 36-year-old Jerod Thomas Bargar of Centralia, Missouri, became the 23rd Missourian to be charged in connection with the Capitol riot.
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Study: Black Drivers More Likely to be Pulled Over than White Drivers in Douglas County
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - Black drivers are nearly three times as likely as white drivers to be pulled over for traffic stops in Douglas County. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that that's the finding of a study commissioned by the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which collected data from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the Lawrence, Baldwin, Eudora, and University of Kansas police departments. The study shows that 4.3% of the county's driving-age population is Black, but Black drivers represented 11.9% of the county's traffic stops in 2020 and 2021. The study also found that Black drivers were more likely than white drivers to receive a citation rather than a warning.
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Kansas Supreme Court Issues Ruling in Highway Patrol Case
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - The Kansas Supreme Court issued a ruling that could support a lawsuit brought by a former Kansas Highway Patrol superintendent. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that former superintendent Mark Bruce claims he was forced to resign after his term ended and he should have been allowed to return to his former rank of major. Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall said in his written opinion that state law defined the rank of KHP major as being within the classified or civil service system. Employees in classified state government positions have a right to continued employment; unclassified workers are considered at-will employees and subject to immediate termination. Friday's ruling sends the case back to federal court.