Latest news with #OlatheEastHighSchool
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Wyandotte County man charged in 2 rape cases could spend life behind bars
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Wyandotte County man accused of raping a woman in September 2020 is charged four-and-a-half years later in Jackson County Court. If convicted, he could receive a life sentence. Peytrien Lavelle McClenton, 35, is charged with first-degree rape, second-degree assault and two counts of first-degree sodomy nearly five years after he offered to drive a woman home from the liquor store. The victim told police that she had never met McClenton before that night but that she needed a ride home. Court documents said when the two arrived at the victim's home, she came across her father and his friend. Former student sentenced in 2022 Olathe East High School shooting An argument ensued between the victim and her father, so she kicked him and his friend out of the house. The victim told police that McClenton got angry with her because he thought her father was trying to take advantage of him in some way. From there, court documents said McClenton hit the victim in the head repeatedly with a handgun. He then told her to remove her clothes and proceeded to sexually assault her. Later, when the victim asked McClenton if she could get a drink of water, he told her to 'get a drink from the bathtub so that he could keep her in sight while he kept ahold of the gun.' The suspect then told the victim to go upstairs and wait 30 minutes before coming back down. She did, and when she finally went back downstairs McClenton was gone. The victim went to a gas station and called the police. Court documents said she had scratches on her back and a cut on the top of her head where she had been pistol-whipped. Despite positively identifying McClenton using his Facebook page, police did not arrest him. Court documents said that detectives later verified McClenton's identity through further investigation. While at the hospital, the victim had a sexual assault examination done but only a minimal amount of DNA was found. Court documents said detectives tried to contact McClenton by calling him and visiting his home but that they 'were met with negative results.' Less than two years later in 2022, McClenton was named the prime suspect in a separate KCPD rape report via evidence collected from a sexual assault exam on the victim. Two months later on June 30, 2022, a notification confirmed the male DNA profiles in both cases matched one another but that there was no profile for McClenton to compare them to. Three KC men accused of committing series of burglaries in 7 states A different court filing shows that the KCPD Career Criminal Squad was conducting surveillance on McClenton in June 2024. Investigators knew he had two Active Stop Orders for Rape issued by Kansas City, Missouri police and two Kansas City, Missouri city warrants for assault. The rapes for which he was wanted happened in September 2020 and April 2022 while the two city warrants for assault were issued in October 2018 and August 2019. Officers followed McClenton and received instructions from the tactical team to pull him over and arrest him for the two STOP orders and municipal arrest warrants. They turned on their sirens to pull him over to conduct a traffic stop. However, court documents said McClenton sped off and got up to 100 miles per hour on 71 Highway. Officers eventually arrested him and charged him with resisting arrest. He was due in court on December 18, 2024, which is when investigators took a buccal swab. Court documents then showed that the lab results from that swab showed him to be a one-in-one-billion match to the DNA at the September 2020 rape scene. He has not been charged in the 2022 case. McClenton is due in court Thursday for the rape, sodomy, and assault charges. His bond is set at $500,000. He's currently on house arrest, according to court records. If convicted of first-degree rape, he could receive up to a life sentence. Layfayette County middle school janitor facing child sex crime charges Meanwhile, he was in court the previous day, Wednesday, for the resisting arrest charge. If convicted, he could spend up to four years in prison. FOX4 contacted Kansas City Police and the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office to ask why it took so long to arrest McClenton and if there's possibly more victims. KCPD deferred us to the Prosecutor's Office, who did not respond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Layfayette County middle school janitor facing child sex crime charges
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A janitor at Layfayette County C-1 Middle School has been charged after being accused of sex crimes, according to court documents. Documents show that 42-year-old James Looney of Higginsville is being charged with possession of child pornography, sexual contact with a student, tampering with physical evidence and first and third-degree sexual misconduct. The three victims in the case are 13-years-old, 15-years-old and 16-years-old, according to the court documents. Former student sentenced in 2022 Olathe East High School shooting Those documents also share that on March 4, the school's resource officer met with three witnesses at the school when one of the victims handed in a report that shared she was fearful for her safety because of Looney. That report stemmed from an incident in which Looney pulled the 13-year-old aside and asked for one of her social media handles. During the investigation, it was learned that the 16-year-old victim had been involved in a sexual interaction with Looney and that the 15-year-old victim was also involved. Looney admitted to the interactions in an interview, according to records, and also admitted to deleting apps from his phone before the resource officer seized his phone. The court documents also include that Looney has a previous felony conviction of knowingly burning or exploding. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android This is an ongoing investigation, FOX4 will provide updates as they're made available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kansas House looks to enshrine ‘God-given right' to guns, ammo and accessories in state constitution
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach testifies Feb. 5, 2025, in favor of a constitutional amendment establishing the God-given right to own guns, ammunition and firearm accessories. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislate video) TOPEKA — Olathe East High School senior Grace Springer told lawmakers her life 'changed forever' when a classmate brought a gun to school in 2022, opened fire and injured an administrator and school resource officer. The next day, she said, 'I was terrified to go anywhere.' 'I worried that another shooting could happen to me at any time,' Springer said. 'Grocery stores or movie theaters — nowhere I went felt safe.' 'No one deserves to live in a place where gun violence is a constant fear,' she added. Members of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee are considering House Concurrent Resolution 5006, which would present to voters a constitutional amendment that recognizes the God-given right to own a firearm, ammunition and accessories. The proposal would apply a 'strict scrutiny' to the right, invoking a legal term with the goal of blocking any future restrictions on gun rights. That means even armor-piercing bullets could be protected, according to testimony from proponents. Springer, who said the constitutional amendment would put guns in the hands of felons and abusers, was one of two opponents to speak at a Feb. 5 hearing on the resolution, although opponents who submitted testimony outnumber proponents 32-13. The other opponent who spoke, Nick Reinecker, said the resolution doesn't provide enough freedom for gun owners. The resolution has the support of 67 sponsors in the House, as well as Attorney General Kris Kobach. The proposed constitutional amendment refers to 'a natural and fundamental right' to carry guns, which Kobach defined for committee members as 'a God-given right, or if one doesn't believe in God, then a right that is of the very essence of human logic and human nature.' 'It's a right that government doesn't create,' Kobach said. Megan Hilbish, executive director of the Kansas State Rifle Association, said it was necessary to clarify the right to possess ammunition and accessories to ensure that guns could be used for safety and sport. She identified herself as a certified firearms instructor and competitive shooter. 'A firearm is a tool that is not just used for self defense,' she said. 'It is a tool that can do a lot of really neat, impressive things, including the sports side of shooting.' Rep. Dan Osman, an Overland Park Democrat, presented a challenge to supporters: Could any of them identify a law passed by the Legislature that infringes on the right to bear arms? No one offered an example. 'I am not aware of any that have infringed on our rights,' said Tammy Bartels, a Lawrence resident and director of the Kansas chapter of Women for Gun Rights. 'But that does not mean that that will not happen in the future.' Richard Condon, a U.S. citizen with a distinct Scottish accent, talked of his service in Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the 1990s in Yugoslavia, as a private security contractor in Afghanistan, and as a law enforcement officer in Johnson County. 'No, I'm not James Bond,' he said, although no one indicated they thought he was. 'What I am is a guardian.' Condon asserted without offering evidence that he knows 'for a fact' that members of a violent Venezuelan gang are present in Kansas. 'These gang members are known for their vicious and brutal tactics, giving no consideration to our laws or our law enforcement officers,' Condon said. 'Swift and decisive legal action against criminal fire on possession should be your priority.'
