Man charged in Waldo attacks and sexual assault

The Jackson County Prosecutor today filed charges against 23-year-old James D. Kemp in the sexual assault of a woman on the Trolley Trail in June and an attack on a woman at a car wash near the trail a week and a half ago. We released a composite sketch last week of a possible suspect.

Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker today praised the work of KCPD's detectives and Crime Lab personnel on identifying and apprehending this suspect, especially given that the Waldo-area neighborhood already had lost much of their sense of security in previous attacks by a different serial rapist in 2009 and 2010.

The suspect arrested today lived and worked in the Waldo area. DNA and fingerprints linked him to the two latest attacks. In each instance, he wore all black clothes and a black ski mask, threatened the victims with a knife, bound them with duct tape and told them to shut up or he would kill them.

According to the probable cause statement, Kemp initially denied any involvement in the attacks, but he then confessed to both of them when confronted with the DNA and fingerprint evidence.

Congratulations to the officers, detectives, crime scene investigators and crime lab analysts who got this dangerous man off the streets and increased the sense of security for those who use the popular Trolley Trail. James Kemp is being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond.

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Police stop prolific Northland thief

Last week, a man broke into his neighbor’s home at 55th and North Woodland. He knocked on the door, and when a developmentally disabled teenager answered it, he pushed his way inside and stole a laptop computer. He left, then came back and stole more. Then, he started making threatening calls to the victims. On Dec. 21, police caught up with the man they believe to be the theft suspect, 32-year-old Brandon Seys, but he refused to stop for officers. They pursued him, but Seys eluded them and drove through a fence at Davidson Elementary School. Realizing Seys could be a serious danger to the public, police called off the pursuit. But they later found his truck outside his girlfriend’s house at Barry Road and Evanston. They obtained a search warrant for the property and found a large stash of stolen goods.

The Shoal Creek Patrol Division’s property room now is full of stolen items – many power tools and pieces of construction equipment, but also a lawnmower, laptop computers, purses, cell phones, even a child’s ceramic bank with change inside. Police believe Seys was stealing from cars, homes and retail stores. Detectives have identified several of the victims and are continuing to do so. They’re coming from all over the city. Detectives also conducted a residence check at Seys’ parents’ home and recovered the laptop stolen from his neighbors and returned it to them.

Seys has been charged with burglary in Clay County and is being held on $100,000 bond. With Seys’ incarceration, detectives of the Shoal Creek Property Crimes Section believe they’ve stopped a major source of property crime both north of the River and in the metro area. He is on parole for assault on a law enforcement officer and has only been out of custody since Sept. 1. Since that time, police thinking he actively had been stealing in Kansas City.

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Police nab catalytic converter thief

Kansas City Police have tracked down a prolific catalytic converter thief, and prosecutors have charged him on multiple counts. Alfonz C. Dawson, 27, has been charged with three counts of tampering related to catalytic converter thefts, as well as four felony driving while revoked charges, and a forgery charge. We continue to investigate more involved in the theft ring.

Since Nov. 1, more than 80 catalytic converters have been reported stolen from vehicles in Kansas City, Mo. More have been reported in surrounding communities, too. Even more catalytic converter thefts have gone unreported, usually by people who don’t have full coverage insurance. It can cost more than $1,000 to replace a catalytic converter, and a vehicle won’t pass inspection without one.

When police served a search warrant at Dawson’s home, they found eight catalytic converters stolen within the last week. We have already traced four of those back to the cars and victims from which they were stolen. One belonged to a cancer patient. Police are hard at work tracing the other ones.

Of the 80 reported catalytic converter thefts in the last two months, more than half have been stolen from the Northland. The thieves struck cars in apartment complexes, used car dealerships, auto repair facilities and even hospital parking lots.

Since Dawson has been in custody, only two other catalytic converter thefts have been reported, both in the East Patrol Division area. This is a marked decrease from what we’ve been experiencing. It’s important to note that the three tampering charges Dawson faces are felonies – more severe than a typical theft-from-auto case. According to state statute, removing a catalytic converter is tampering with the operation of an automobile and is subject to more serious penalties than, say, stealing something out of a car’s passenger cabin. We continue to investigate this crime and will keep you update on the results.


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Escaped sex offender caught after trying to license a car

At 1:46 p.m. today, Kansas City Police and the FBI Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force captured George Dudley, a sexual predator who escaped from a Wyandotte County Courthouse yesterday. Police tracked him down at a convenience store. Just down the street at Truman and Bales, they discovered he had just purchased a green Ford Taurus at a used car dealership. Dudley told the dealership staff he needed a temporary tag and was planning to drive to Kentucky. The staff pointed him toward the license bureau at Independence and Sterling and later told police about their contact with Dudley. Sure enough, officers found him in the DMV parking lot with three other people in the car - two homeless men and a man with a Kentucky parole violation. Police took Dudley and the parole violator into custody without incident.

Charges filed in violent 2006 rape

Our Cold Case Sex Crimes Squad has arrested a man whose composite sketch was on a billboard three and a half years ago. The suspect's mug shot and the sketch from 2006 are above.

From the Platte County Prosecutor's Office:

A Kansas City man has been charged with a 2006 rape, after being indentified by a cold case DNA match. The case against Zachary L. Townsend, 39, is the first charge filed outside Jackson County as part of the Kansas City Police Department’s cold case program.

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “This crime, where a woman awakens to a stranger in her apartment who rapes her, is one of the most frightening offenses imaginable. While rare, such crimes are often very difficult to solve. Fortunately, the tenacity of Kansas City police officers combined with DNA technology led to these charges today.”

According to court documents, on December 21, 2006, a woman awoke sometime after 11:00 p.m. to a stranger standing in the doorway of her apartment bedroom in the Crossings apartment complex, located at 7867 NW Roanridge Road in Kansas City.

The stranger then allegedly took the woman to her car, where he raped and sodomized her. He later allegedly forced her to return to her apartment, where he repeatedly raped and sodomized her over a period of several hours.

At one point during the encounter, the woman screamed. The stranger allegedly grabbed the woman by the neck, choked her, and threatened to kill her.

The stranger fled the next morning. The woman immediately went to a hospital, where medical personnel completed a sexual assault examination. The woman had numerous bruises to her body.

The case generated substantial attention at the time, including the posting of a composite sketch of the suspect on a billboard along I-29. That billboard, funded by Crime Stoppers and Lamar Advertising, was the first billboard of an unknown suspect posted in the Kansas City area.

Court documents indicate that DNA recovered during the sexual assault examination allegedly matches Townsend.

Captain Mark Folsom of the Special Victims Unit of the Kansas City Police Department credited the hard work of detectives and the continuing success of the cold case unit for the charges filed against Townsend.

“Detectives worked more than 100 tips during this case, and the lead detective, Catherine Johnson, never gave up on finding a suspect,” Folsom said. “This case is the 47th case filed as part of our cold case program, and the first such case outside Jackson County.”

To date, Kansas City’s Sex Crimes Cold Case Squad has reviewed more than 1400 cases. In addition to the 47 cases filed, 71 additional cases have been cleared, and multiple other cases are currently being investigated. The squad is funded by a $500,000 grant, which has been renewed once.

Townsend is charged with forcible rape and forcible sodomy. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

Townsend is currently being held on an unrelated charge from Clay County. Bond in this case has been set at $500,000 cash.

The charges against Townsend are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Charges filed in McDonald's property damage

At 9:45 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, Kansas City police arrested the woman who was caught on tape vandalizing a McDonald’s restaurant in the 3200 block of Main Street on Dec. 27.

19-year-old Alesha McMullen has been charged with first-degree property damage, a Class D felony. Officers located her Sunday morning hiding in a closet in an apartment in the 400 block of E. Armour Boulevard.

We received many tips in this case, and we thank you for that.

Men charged in death of grocer during robbery

At about 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, police were called to Abarottes Grocery in the 3400 block of East 12th Street regarding a robbery. Upon arrival, officers were informed that two suspects (black males wearing dark hoodies) robbed the business at gunpoint and fled on foot. An employee and his brother chased the suspects, resulting in the employee getting shot near 12th and Bales. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital and pronounced dead a short time later. The victim has been identified as 27-year-old Wilfredo M. Melgar of Kansas City, Mo.

The brother continued chasing the suspects and observed them enter an apartment building in the 3200 block of East 11th Street. An Operation 100 was called, with police surrounding the building. At about 2:30 p.m., the suspects exited the basement and surrendered to police.

The suspects, pictured above, are 18-year-old Travis L. Knott, top photo, and 20-year-old Clifford V. Jackson, bottom photo, both of Kansas City, Mo. Both have now been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action. Their bond is set at $250,000 each.

Violent crimes initiative leads to capture of murder suspect

A nice finish to our violent crimes initiative last week was the capture of 30-year-old Ronald Taylor, who has now been charged with the murder of 27-year-old William E. Harmon on April 5, 2009. Taylor's picture is above.

The homicide happened at 1210 ½ Independence Ave at about 3:18 a.m. that day. Witnesses reported they had been drinking and doing drugs when they heard shots in another room, and all of them fled the apartment, including the suspect, Ronald Taylor. Police found the apartment abandoned with Harmon’s body left inside. Taylor had been on the run for nearly six months until he was apprehended Thursday, Oct. 1, as 200 officers fanned out through the city seeking information in three other unsolved murders.

Taylor has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Harmon’s death. He is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

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Teen who shot at officer in custody

At about 12:10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28, an officer attempted to conduct a pedestrian check on an individual walking in the street near 41st and Tracy. As the officer exited his patrol car, the suspect began to run. After a brief foot chase, the suspect fell to the ground. As he got back to his feet, he removed a handgun from his waistband and shot at the officer. The officer returned fire, and the suspect fled northbound on Forest Avenue. Neither the officer nor the suspect was injured. Police conducted a thorough search from 39th to 41st Street, and from Troost to Tracy but could not find the suspect.

Today, the shooter has been arrested and is in custody. He has been identified as 19-year-old Carl E. Counce. He has been charged with first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and armed criminal action. He is being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond.

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