Kansas Drug case keeps on growing...

I'll just say it right now.  College kids smoke pot.  This is not the news of the century.  Four out of every five people that come into my office with misdemeanor pot possession charges looking for a criminal defense lawyer are either in college or are college age.  It is a great privilege to be a basketball player at the University of Kansas, however, it is not completely unheard of for a college kid to act like a college kid.  Regardless of if they play basketball or not.

This is why I don't understand why the idea that some college kid may have bought pot from a drug dealer is a big deal.  I think the real story is the size of this bust.  We are talking about quite a lot of drugs and quite a lot of money.  The charges just seem to keep on coming and this case keeps growing as if to no end.  Here is the article in the Kansas City Star about the new charges and the size of the bust.


Kansas Drug Case expands to 101 counts, 35 indicted
 
The Associated Press

WICHITA -- Nearly three dozen people were indicted Thursday for what federal prosecutors say was a ring that supplied about $17 million worth of “high-grade” drugs to customers, including marijuana to members of last year's University of Kansas basketball team.

The U.S. Attorney's office for Kansas said the 101-count indictment involves 35 defendants, most of them from Kansas. The defendants supplied drugs to residents in Johnson and Douglas counties, prosecutors said.
At a hearing last month, assistant U.S. attorney Terra Moorhead said one of the defendants, a 32-year-old Overland Park man, supplied marijuana to multiple members of the Jayhawks' 2010-11 basketball squad. The university would not comment on the case then and officials with the school did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Thursday.

The university said then that its internal drug-testing policy requires all freshman or new transfer student athletes to take a drug test “within a reasonable amount of time” after arriving on campus. All teams that qualify for postseason play also may be subject to testing.  The indictment stemmed from an original federal complaint filed in June that accused 25 people and included only one count. The new charges including conspiracy to possess and distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 kilos of marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering and unlawful possession of firearms.

In announcing the indictment Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a release that two Lawrence residents, Los Rovell Dahda, 30, and Chad Eugene Bauman, 33, “made millions” leading the drug ring. Lawyers listed in online court records as representing Dahda and Bauman did not immediately return phone messages left Thursday evening.  Prosecutors are seeking additional penalties for several of the defendants for distributing drugs within 1,000 feet of high schools, a middle school and Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence from about 2005 to 2012. They're also asking a judge to order the forfeiture of $16.9 million in cash and real estate they allege was gained from the scheme.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/07/12/3702997/kansas-drug-case-expands-to-101.html#storylink=cpy

Dallas Cowboys WR makes plea to prosecutors, not to pursue charges.

Des Bryant former Oklahoma State WR and all around freak athlete finds himself in a courtroom again. We have all heard about the Lil Wayne fight and the pants sagging incident but now it appears that he may have gotten into a fight with his own mother. As in many of these types of cases the alleged victim is not asking the prosecutors not to pursue the case.

It seems like cooler heads have prevailed now and she doesn't want to see her son in trouble. Hopefully the prosecutors can give Mr Bryant a chance and just drop the case. It would be difficult to pursue the case if the victim/witness is not cooperating with the prosecution also. If you find yourself facing a criminal charge like Dez contact a criminal defense lawyer right way.  Here is the article in the KC Star.

Bryant's attorney: Cowboys WR not guilty of crime
By: Normaan Merchant


DALLAS -- The attorney for Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant asked prosecutors Tuesday not to pursue charges against his client, who was arrested after allegedly attacking his mother during an argument.  "Did a family disagreement occur? Yes," attorney Royce West said. "Did Dez Bryant commit family violence against his mother? No."

Police arrested Bryant on July 16, two days after his mother, Angela Bryant, called 911 to complain her son was assaulting her. Authorities said they found her with a swollen wrist and thumb and bruising on her upper arms. Angela Bryant allegedly told authorities Dez Bryant hit her in the face with his ball cap and tore her shirt.  On a 911 tape released by authorities, Angela Bryant is heard saying that she wanted to "put an end to it."  "I can't keep letting him do this," she said on the tape.

Angela Bryant has since submitted an affidavit asking prosecutors not to pursue the case. Family violence is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.  Bryant sat next to his mother at a press conference that lasted about two minutes. Neither spoke or took questions.  "I would love to make a statement, but I can't," Dez Bryant said as he left. "I can't."  Instead, West read a statement calling any dispute "a family matter that can be worked out through counseling."  "They ask that there not be a rush to judgment concerning their family," West said.

Prosecutors have not announced whether they will pursue charges against Bryant and declined comment Tuesday. The NFL and the Cowboys declined to comment.  The talented Bryant has run into trouble since before he entered the NFL. Drafted by the Cowboys in the first round, Bryant had nearly his entire last year of college at Oklahoma State wiped out by an NCAA suspension for lying about having dinner with Deion Sanders. He ran up hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills on game tickets and jewelry - and was sued by people who said they were creditors.

Last year, he was kicked out of an upscale Dallas mall for wearing sagging pants. In January, he was reportedly involved in a fight with the rapper Lil Wayne at a Miami nightclub.  West has dismissed what he called Bryant's "youthful indiscretions" and said he was trying to move forward.  Bryant's Cowboys teammates have expressed support after his arrest. His coach at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy, said Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days that Bryant was an "unbelievable talent" and trying to do the right thing.
"But it saddens me to hear negative things come out about Dez, and hopefully he can get it together," Gundy said. "When he was at Oklahoma State, we were with him all the time every step of the way. We never really had many issues with him."

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/07/24/3721383/bryants-attorney-cowboys-wr-not.html#storylink=cpy

Kansas Police Search for Officer Impersonator

Driving through Kansas?  That cop that just pulled you over may not be a cop at all.  Turns out some person is playing cop in various different locations in Kansas.  Stopping people in a fake police cruiser, pulling them over, and out of their cars.  It looks like in some cases this yahoo is even searching the car and fondling the women he pulls over.  What kills me about this is first that its just plan ole' creepy, second is that you would think that at some time this guy would run across a real cop and get busted.

What I take from this is that you need to be really careful and use your head during a traffic stop.  Look at the police cruiser and the officer's uniform, if you think the officer is a fake you need to call 911 or *47 and make sure the stop is legitimate.  Another thing, never let an officer search your car.  The police have no right to pull you over and just search your car without probable cause to believe you have committed a crime so don't let them.


Here is the article about this crazy fake cop.



OLATHE, Kan. – Kansas law enforcement agencies are on alert after a second apparent incident of an officer impostor is reported this month. This latest incident happened in Southern Kansas. But it has agencies all across the state on the look-out.

“They’re criminals. They’re out there doing things making people feel unsafe about their police,” said Lt. Kenneth Woods, with the Kansas State Highway Patrol.  Woods says a man claims he was pulled over in Kingman County in southern Kansas. The victim claims a white man driving a white Crown Victoria, with a light bar and the words “Highway State Trooper” on the driver’s side had what looked like a gun.  He handcuffed the victim and searched his car for up to 15 minutes before releasing him.  “Definitely being pulled out of your car and searched for no reason and being let go without any type of warning or ticket or, any reasoning, is not reasonable,” Woods said.

The highway patrol is investigating this latest incident but they’re also assisting the Osawatomie Police Department in another incident where a woman says she was pulled over by a man with a similar description, driving a similar car earlier this month.  That woman says she was sexually assaulted during that stop.  Woods said to keep yourself out of these situations, become familiar with what your local and state agencies look like. He said look for legitimate uniforms with official patches. Also look for a full light bar, a set of dash lights or headlights that alternate and official markings on the car.  “Most of these people that are impersonating police men, they don’t have the full markings that normal patrol cars do,” he said.  Finally, Woods said you can also dial *47, if you’re on the highway, or *KTA, for the turnpike.   The dispatcher can verify if it is a real stop.  You can also dial 911.

It”s unclear if these two incidents are related, but the highway patrol says it, and the other agencies are taking these cases very seriously and warns officers are always looking for impersonators.