HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Richard Greever, who represents local landlords, sparked controversy at the latest Hutchinson City Council meeting when he accused city staff of peeking in windows:

 

It didn’t stop there. He warned the council that convicted murderer Dennis Rader also worked for a government organization. That brought a sharp response from councilwoman Jade Piros de Carvalho:

 

Piros de Carvalho said it was sickening for Greever to imply that city workers in Hutchinson were rapists or murderers. Her interjection brought an end to Greever’s accusations. However, he did ask the council to limit city officials from entering private property unless they have a warrant or a complaint from the resident of that property. This all has to do with the rental inspection program which is set to sunset at the end of the year, so the council will look at it again in the fall on whether they want to continue it.

HUTCHINSON — A Hutchinson man arrested on March 11 was back before a judge to hear the formal charges against him.

Andrew Martinez has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia with intent to sell, and possession of personal use drug paraphernalia.

He was stopped by police at Fourth and Waldron after he allegedly battered a person in a domestic case. Police arrested him on the misdemeanor charge and reportedly discovered a seller’s quantity of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

The state didn’t charge Martinez with battery, opting instead for the more serious charges.

Martinez will be back in court on the charges next month.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A motion to suppress hearing continued Tuesday in the Reno County District Court involving a murder case from 2015.

Brennan Trass is accused of murder for the shooting death of 24-year-old Jose Morales. Morales was found on the floor of his residence back on Aug. 17, 2015.

In court, Trass took the stand in his own defense where he says he felt threatened for his life from former Hutchinson Police Detective Jamie Schoenhoff while being interrogated after the shooting. He claims his statements were coerced.

He’s attempting to get those statements suppressed, claiming he was in fear of his life. He even reportedly told his mother to check on him to make sure he was alive. He at one point broke down on the stand.

The state again showed the interrogation video of Trass over the shooting trying to show that all of the statements were made voluntarily.

District Judge Trish Rose denied the motion to suppress and also denied a motion to continue the trial, which is scheduled to begin next Monday.

HUTCHINSON – With little discussion, the Reno County Commission on Tuesday approved a resolution for the payment of bonds used to build the Reno County Correctional Facility, improve the Reno County Jail Annex and improve security at the courthouse.

The next step will be to provide notice to the Kansas Department of Revenue that the county intends to sunset the sales tax used to fund the bond repayment. Notification will be made by April 1, and the tax will sunset on July 1.

The county expects to save $879,400 in interest and have as much as $1 million from the sales tax collected that won’t need to be spent on the project.

HUTCHINSON – A 26-year-old man was arrested just after 11:30 p.m. Friday in what police said appears to be a domestic case.

Demetrius Cantu was jailed for battery/domestic violence, but more serious charges include attempted robbery and felony flee and elude.

The arrest occurred in the 100 block of West A after Cantu reportedly tried to flee from police after an attempted robbery report.

The Reno County Correctional Facility inmate log showed he bonded out, but was arrested again early Sunday for violation of a no-contact order with the victim. He again posted bond and is scheduled to make an initial court appearance this week.

HUTCHINSON — Three people arrested in the early morning hours of March 9 on drug-related charges were before a judge again Monday for the reading of formal charges.

David Joshua Logan, 26, Alisha Brown, 20, and Dustin Ray Berry, 22, face charges of being in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, and personal use drug paraphernalia.

The arrests came during a traffic stop on K-96 and Kent Road. The Reno County Sheriff’s deputy who made the stop reportedly could smell marijuana when he made contact with the occupants, and a search of the vehicle allegedly led to the discovery of a gallon-sized bag of marijuana, paraphernalia and a fully-loaded handgun.

It is believed that they purchased the marijuana in Wichita and intended to sell it in Hutchinson.

During a court hearing Monday, Brown claimed she was being threatened by the family of one of the other suspects. After the hearing, she was taken to the law enforcement center to make of report over the threats.

The three are scheduled to be back in court next month.