Sexual Assault

Three people are arrested and faces charges in the sexual assault of an 76-year-old southwest Wichita woman Friday. It happened in the 2300 block of east Menlo around 5 a.m. Friday.  A woman reported someone kicking in the door to her home.  Police say th ewoman was raped, and the intruder stole some of her things. Monday morning, police told us two teenaged males, 17 and 18 years old, and an 22-year-old woman were arrested.  Police say the woman is the girlfriend of one of the other suspects.

Prosecutors called Wesley Watson a dangerous predator and tried to keep him locked up after he was paroled.      When jurors couldn't agree, he was released and now police say Watson's done the same kind of crime again.      The 55-year- old Watson is on parole from Sedgwick county where he was convicted in two sexual assault cases 30 years ago.       Now, Kansas City, Kansas police accuse Watson of impersonating a police officer outside a store and raping a woman who got in his car thinking she was under arrest.

The Hays Police Department is investigating a sexual assault. According to police, the woman reported the incident last Thursday. According to the police report, the incident actually happened two weeks earlier on April 17th. Police say the victim reported being approached by two men in the early morning hours in the 500 block of E. 5th Street.  No other information about what happened was released. The first suspect is described as a white male in his thirties, average height and medium to large build.

The suspect in a Derby kidnapping and sexual assault is in custody in Springfield, Missouri. Patrick Stewart was arrested there by U.S. Marshals, and is awaiting extradition to Kansas. He is accused of beating, tying up, and sexually assaulting two women in Derby after a Super Bowl party. The Derby Police Department says Stewart was also wanted for charges in Georgia, Idaho and Missouri.

The Wichita Police Department is changing the way it classifies certain sexual assaults.  The new Uniform Crime Definition of "Rape" has been changed to include "All forms of sexual penetration to a victim" and also includes assaults to male victims as well. Head of the WPD's sexual assault unit, Lt. Randy Reynolds, says many of these cases were classified as "sodomy" before this change.  Reynolds says the change will increase the number of cases classified as rape by about fifty.  He says the increase may give the appearance of an increase in rapes, but that isn't the case.  The change does not affect the way cases are prosecuted.

A man being treated at the Sexual Predator Treatment Program at Larned State Hospital now faces charges for an assault on another patient. The Pawnee County Sheriff's Department says 54-year-old Perry Isley is charged with one count of Aggravated Criminal Sodomy after an alleged incident involving another patient. Officials say the incident happened in mid-November of last year. The KBI and Larned State Hospital staff investigated the incident. Isley is in custody with the Pawnee County Sheriff's office until his preliminary hearing, which is set for April 17.

Derby police are investigating a sexual assault that occurred shortly before noon on Monday. Officers say a woman was attacked in her home on the east side of the city by a man wearing a black ski mask. Police have called a community meeting this weekend to answer questions about the sexual assault. The attacker is described as being 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-10 with a medium build. He wore jeans and a dark colored shirt. The community meeting will be held at two o'clock on Sunday in the City Council Room at City Hall.

The Ellis County Sheriff's Office investigation into a possible sexual assault on Highway 183 North of Hays has been determined a false report. In July a woman reported that she was raped after she stopped to help a child in rural Ellis County. She told investigators that she saw an SUV stopped along the side of the road and a small child was standing alone behind the vehicle. The woman told authorities that as she talked to the child a man approached her, restrained her and raped her. Ellis County Sheriff Ed Harbin says that his office followed every lead and the result of the investigation is that the alleged sexual assault did not happen and this was a false report.

Wichita police are investigating the possible sexual assault of a 71-year-old patient at the Kansas Masonic Home. The woman was brought to Wesley Medical Center Sunday for treatment of injuries.  During an examination, a hospital staffer determined the woman had injuries consistent with sexual assault, Sex Crimes Investigator Lt. Randy Reynolds said. It's unclear when the woman may have received the injuries.  She suffers from dementia and other health problems and has been unable to speak with investigators, Reynolds said.

Wichita police arrest five boys at Gordon Parks Elementary on suspicion of sexually assaulting a girl in an empty classroom this week. Police say the girl reported that the boys surrounded her and touched her inappropriately on Wednesday afternoon.  Three of the boys are 11-years-old, the other two are 12-years-old and 13-years-old. Police and school officials were notified of the incident on Thursday. The five boys were booked into the juvenile detention center on suspicion of unlawful restraint and sexual battery.  They have since been released to the custody of their parents.

Three people are arrested and faces charges in the sexual assault of an 76-year-old southwest Wichita woman Friday. It happened in the 2300 block of east Menlo around 5 a.m. Friday.  A woman reported someone kicking in the door to her home.  Police say th ewoman was raped, and the intruder stole some of her things. Monday morning, police told us two teenaged males, 17 and 18 years old, and an 22-year-old woman were arrested.  Police say the woman is the girlfriend of one of the other suspects.

Update: District Attorney Marc Bennett says no charges will be filed against a former Wichita State basketball player accused of rape. The DA's office says it made the decision after reviewing the facts of the case, applicable laws and discussing the matter with the reporting party and her family.  The DA says, like any case, if additional information comes to light, the case could be reconsidered in the future. The case stems from a report last month that a 20-year-old woman woke up during a sexual assault at another player's house.

The Hays Police Department is investigating a sexual assault. According to police, the woman reported the incident last Thursday. According to the police report, the incident actually happened two weeks earlier on April 17th. Police say the victim reported being approached by two men in the early morning hours in the 500 block of E. 5th Street.  No other information about what happened was released. The first suspect is described as a white male in his thirties, average height and medium to large build.

A woman was sexually assaulted inside her own car after a man approached her about needing a ride. Police said the man approached the woman in the 600 block of N. West street just before 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The man forced the woman into the passenger seat, while the suspect took off in her car. Authorities said the man stopped the vehicle a short time later and sexually assaulted the woman. The victim managed to get away and called 911 for help. Police found the victim's car Monday, abandoned.

The Wichita Police Department is changing the way it classifies certain sexual assaults.  The new Uniform Crime Definition of "Rape" has been changed to include "All forms of sexual penetration to a victim" and also includes assaults to male victims as well. Head of the WPD's sexual assault unit, Lt. Randy Reynolds, says many of these cases were classified as "sodomy" before this change.  Reynolds says the change will increase the number of cases classified as rape by about fifty.  He says the increase may give the appearance of an increase in rapes, but that isn't the case.  The change does not affect the way cases are prosecuted.

An inmate at the Sedgwick County jail says a deputy handcuffed and raped him in his cell earlier this month. Two Wichita lawyers are now investigating the claim from June 3rd. “What is going on is an absolute abuse of authority,” says attorney Mark Schoenhofer. Schoenhofer says he and Kurt Kerns plan to file a "notice of claim.” That's the first step needed before a civil lawsuit can be filed. Schoenhofer says it's unclear whether criminal charges will be filed, but he thinks there is enough evidence to prove the abuse happened.

A pastor in northeast Kansas is drawing national attention for comments he made about gays during a recent sermon. Curtis Knapp is the pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church in Seneca, Kansas. In audio posted online, he says the following: "Oh, so you're saying we should go out and start killing them? No, I'm saying the government should. They won't, but they should. " Click to Listen to Sermon In an interview on Wednesday, Knapp compared homosexuality to the sexual assault of children.

For years, a Valley Center woman's death was called an accident.  But now it's being called a homicide and the man charged with her death is in court this week for a preliminary hearing.  Prosecutors say Daniel Perez led a commune and lived off of the life insurance money of its dead members. Homicide isn't the only charge.  Perez faces about 30 others, including rape and fraud.  It's a complicated case that spans several years.  The man in question also has two names.  Perez is also known by many as Lou Castro.  Many of the people who took the stand Tuesday didn't want to be identified.  But their testimony started to reveal the state's case and evidence against Perez.