Law Enforcement

Frank Abagnale is best know for his life being portrayed on the silver screen. "Catch Me If You Can" was a box office hit and not necessarily because Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks fronted a star filled cast in the movie. Rather, it was Abagnale's story of dodging the law as one the nations most intriguing and daring con-men ever. To add to his wild tale Abagnale did all of his criminal work before he was 21. Abaganle was in Salina Thursday speaking as representative of the FBI and as the keynote speaker at the Salina Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet and Membership Meeting at the Bicentennial Center.

It's one of those too-good-to-be-true situations. A viewer tells Eyewitness News she was called by someone claiming to be from Publisher's Clearing House. Supposedly, she had won $250,000 and a new Mercedes. But (and there's always a but) she would have to meet someone at Walmart and write a $100 check. Fortunately, she was bright enough to contact law enforcement. It's a good warning. Some things really are too good to be true. Roger

Aware and alert. That's the tone the McPherson Police Department has set. "Don't hesitate to call us if you think you have been a victim or you think you are missing something. " Captain Michael Terry has kept busy the last couple of weeks sifting through case after case of burglaries that have been linked to three teenagers. The teens targeted cars, sheds and farmhouses...taking tools, gas cans and even an all-terrain vehicle. "These people do not have the money to buy things that they feel that they deserve, and they see these things that the people have and take them”, added Capt.

Local law enforcement is teaming up to combat against drunk driving this holiday season.  You'll see red ribbons tied around police cars to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving. Normally the Wichita Police Department and Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department participate in the Holiday Drive.  But this year, 18 law enforcement agencies are teaming up with the Wichita Crime Commission and DUI Victim's Center.  The agencies include, Andover, Bel Aire, Derby, Dodge City, Emporia, Haysville, Maize, Park City, Valley Center, Wellington, Ford County Sheriff's Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, Lyon County Sheriff's Office, Emporia State University and Wichita State University police departments along with the Wichita Public Schools Safety Services Department.

Years ago, parents stood in line at special events to get their children fingerprinted or have a special photo ID card made.  Today, giving police information about your missing child is just an app away. The FBI says its Child ID app has been downloaded more than 80,000 times.  The app allows parents to store a child's picture and vital information on their phone and email it directly to police with the touch of a button. "The sooner that we have the information that will be helpful such as photographs, physical descriptions and any other things that we can use as identifiers, the better," said Lt. Jeff Weible of the Wichita/Sedgwick County Missing and Exploited Child Unit.

In the past few weeks, Eyewitness News has received several e-mails and Facebook posts about runaway teenagers from this area. The senders wonder why the news doesn't generally publicize such cases. The simple answer is...there are just too many of them. In an area of this size, there are hundreds of runaways every year. If we covered them all, the news would end up being simply a runaway hotline show. So we generally limit stories to those where law enforcement tells us they suspect foul play or are seriously concerned about the child's wellbeing.

A soldier is killed during a standoff with U.S. Marshals and local police outside a hotel in Abilene. The 1st Infantry Division based at nearby Fort Riley says Sgt. Kirk Evenson was AWOL (Absent Without Leave) on Tuesday when he failed to show up for the second day of his court-martial. Evenson was on trial for Rape of a Child. Evenson was tried in absentia and on Wednesday. He was convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Around noon on Thurdsay, Evenson's vehicle was spotted outside the Holiday Inn Express just north of I-70 at 110 E. Lafayette in Abilen.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol conduct a DUI checkpoint in West Wichita. The checkpoint was set up in the West-bound lanes of 21st St. North, just east of Ridge Road.  It was in operation from 11:00pm Saturday to 2:30am Sunday, Our news partners at KFDI radio report 400 vehicles passed through the checkpoint this weekend, and seveal arrests were made. Officers on the scene also confiscated several open containers of alcohol.  

After hours of searching overnight, two campers in Cowley County are found safe. The two girls were missing from Camp Horizon east of Ark City Friday after they went for a hike in a heavilly wooded area and did not return. Law enforcement, including Cowley County Sheriff's Deputies, a K-9 unit from Winfield, an area tracking team and a Kansas Highway Patrol helicopter assisted in the search. The girls were eventually found unharmed.

Wichita police say an elderly couple is missing. Around 5:30 Tuesday afternoon, JC Parks and his wife Mary, both in their 70's, went for a drive around Pawnee and Maize. They became disoriented and got lost around that time. The couple was driving a 2002 Chevy Pickup truck. The truck is red with a chrome tailgate.  The vehicle tag is Kansas VBO 471. JC is 79 year old white male 6'01” slender build, his wife Mary is a white female, 5/02” slender build.  JC is easily lost.  Law enforcement believes they may be in rural Harper County as cell phone information was last obtained from that area.