49 News Now - A Morning Update of News and Weather
8:10 a.m. Friday, June 15, 2007
A community, coming together, after a judge sentenced a child rapist to probation. Judge Matthew Dowd says Orlando Paul Cisneros should not go to jail for raping a 14-year-old girl. With signs crying for justice, community members stepped up to offer support to a victim of rape, and tell the judge who let her offender walk, it's time for him to step down. We tried to contact Judge Dowd but were not able to reach him. The state is appealing the sentence, but that process can take a year, maybe more.
Police are teaming up with local bars to keep rowdy patrons out. Officers say they're seeing a problem with people getting out-of-hand at bars; primarily in the area of Huntoon and Gage. That's where, in a year's time, there have been 17 crimes at bars. Everything from thefts, to fights, to a robbery and even a shooting. Police are encouraging bar owners to form a co-op. If a person is banned from one bar, they'll be banned from all bars in the co-op. Police are also looking at helping bars buy machines that snap pictures of everyone who comes in. They say it will influence bar patrons to behave themselves.
It's the first time the parents of murdered teen Kelsey Smith have come face to face with the man accused of killing their daughter. Thursday the judge issued a gag order in this case. 26-year-old Edwin Hall, who now has a lawyer, heard the charges against him in the death of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith. Police say Hall kidnapped 18-year-old Kelsey Smith from outside a Target store in Overland Park on June 2nd. Her body was found three days later at a Missouri park. Smith's parents Greg and Missy Smith were in the courtroom at Johnson County District court for Halls' appearance. This is the first time they've seen the man accused of strangling their daughter. Hall is being is held on a $5-million bond. His next hearing is set for August 15th.
Authorities are also looking into whether there was a connection between Smith's murder and a Missouri teen's disappearance. 17-year-old Kara Kopetsky has been missing for more than a month, but those who know her hope new leads can be generated. This is new surveillance video of Kopetsky last seen May 4th, leaving Belton High School. The video shows her walking down the hall that day and then stopping to talk to another girl. She then walks off camera and was never seen again. So far investigators have not linked the two cases. Anyone with information that could help locate Kara Kopetsky is asked to call the Tips hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
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