Latest news with #MichaelRomero
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Former Kansas police chief faces charges
WAKEENEY, Kan. (KSNW) — The former police chief of WaKeeney has been charged with three counts and is due in court on June 3. According to a news release, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation investigated Michael Romero, and the Trego County Attorney found probable cause to charge Romero with mistreatment of a confined person and two counts of battery. The mistreatment of a confined person allegedly happened on March 7. The charge reads that Romero 'did unlawfully, and knowingly abuse, neglect, or ill-treat a person … who was detained or confined by' the WaKeeney Police Department. One of the battery counts also allegedly happened on March 7, and the other on Jan. 19. Kansas seizes Dodge City restaurant assets for $37K tax bill The battery charges claim that Romero 'did unlawfully and knowingly or recklessly cause bodily harm to another person … or knowingly cause physical contact with another person … done in a rude, insulting, or angry manner.' Pfannenstiel said he does not typically release suspects' names, but he is doing so this time to be transparent with the community. 'It gives me no pleasure to present charges to the Court in this unfortunate case,' County Attorney Abraham Pfannenstiel said in a news release. 'However, any apparent abuse of power by our public officials is in violation of the oath they take to uphold the rule of law — and nobody, not even our leaders in law enforcement, are above the law.' 'While these crimes will be prosecuted in the courts of Trego County, I pray that we work together to prevent this case from turning into a prosecution of all law enforcement in the court of public opinion,' he continued. 'The men and women that serve our communities across this country are overwhelmingly officers of the highest integrity who take their duty to protect and serve to heart. They deserve our respect and gratitude for the tough role they play in making our communities safe.' The WaKeeney City Council terminated Romero on April 1 but did not give a reason for the decision. The council appointed Trego County Sheriff Ed Pritchard interim chief until Sept. 1. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Local athletes honored at 11th annual Diapaolo scholarship banquet
A longtime Erie School District educator was honored Wednesday for his lasting positive impact on our community. The 11th annual Patrick J. Diapaolo Scholarship Banquet honored 10 student athletes from the region's public and private schools. The commencement was held at the Sacred Heart Church student received a $1,000 scholarship. More than 120 students were awarded scholarships over the past eleven years. 'He was a dedicated coach, teacher and later on an administrator and one of the biggest things is it was making a difference in kids lives and he did that on the field and in a classroom so after his passing we thought this was a great way to honor his memory,' Michael Romero, co-chairman of scholarship committee expressed. The program was created in 2014 after Diapaolo passed away in 2013. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
NBC News
05-03-2025
- NBC News
Wisconsin teen is person of interest in mom, stepdad's death; found 800 miles away with gun
A Wisconsin teenager was arrested in Iowa more than 800 miles away from the home where his mother and stepfather were both found slain, authorities said Tuesday. The juvenile was stopped for running a stop sign near 745 S. 1st St. in Wakeeney, Iowa, at 11:25 p.m. CST on Friday, WaKeeney Police Chief Michael Romero said in a statement. "The subject was taken into custody with no further incident. The subject was identified and found out to be a juvenile wanted out of Wisconsin," Romero added. "The subject is a person of interest in a double homicide that this Wisconsin sheriffs office is still investigating." Romero declined to name the young motorist, but Waukesha County prosecutors identified the teen as a 17-year-old student from Waukesha West High School. The boy's mother and her husband were found fatally shot at their Waukesha home on Friday afternoon when local authorities conducted a welfare check. The woman's face "was blackened from decomposition with dried blood on the floor around her," according to the criminal complaint filed against the teenager. The woman's husband was also found at the home "covered by a pile of clothing" with "an obvious wound to the back of" his head, the complaint said. The teen has been charged with allegedly swiping his stepfather's Volkswagen Atlas and a firearm. Relatives of the victims have identified them as 51-year-old Donald Mayer and his wife, Tatiana Casap, NBC Milwaukee affiliate WTMJ reported. The affiliate also reported that the teenager is Casap's son. A neighbor of the family saw the 17-year-old suspect driving the Volkswagen on Feb. 23, the complaint said. Cell phone pings showed that the teenager left Waukesha at about 10 a.m. on Feb. 24 and "took a general route through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado," according to prosecutors. He visited The World's Largest Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa, from 2:25 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. the day he left Waukesha, prosecutors said the cell phone records showed. Nearby surveillance cameras showed the young suspect, accompanied by the family's small black dog, driving the VW Atlas, court document said. Records found at the victims' home showed that Mayer owned a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum, though police didn't find that weapon at the house. That gun, the victims' driver's licenses and spent shell casings were all found in the Atlas, prosecutors said.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Yahoo
Wisconsin homicides, juvenile arrested Kansas: police
The Brief A juvenile wanted in a Wisconsin homicide investigation was arrested in Kansas. A Wisconsin sheriff's office, according to WaKeeney police, said the juvenile was wanted in connection with the homicides of two people. At this time, law enforcement will not say where in Wisconsin or when the homicides took place. MILWAUKEE - A juvenile wanted in a Wisconsin homicide investigation was arrested in Kansas, according to a police department's Facebook post. What we know The WaKeeney Police Department said officers stopped a vehicle that ran a stop sign. The vehicle came back stolen out of Wisconsin, and Trego County sheriff's deputies responded to the scene. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News A Wisconsin sheriff's office informed Kansas law enforcement that the juvenile driver could be armed with a handgun. The juvenile was taken into custody, and investigators found items in the vehicle "consistent with the information" received from Wisconsin law enforcement. The Wisconsin sheriff's office, according to WaKeeney police, said the juvenile was wanted in connection with the homicides of two people. That homicide investigation remains ongoing. Police said the subject is being held in a juvenile detention center awaiting extradition. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android What we don't know The WaKeeney Police Department did not say when the juvenile was taken into custody, which Wisconsin sheriff's office is investigating the homicides or where the homicides took place. FOX6 News reached out to WaKeeney Police Chief Michael Romero for additional information. He would not release any further details, citing the ongoing investigation. The Source Information in this report is from the WaKeeney Police Department.
