HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The 52-year-old Hutchinson man who held police at bay for nearly nine hours on the Fourth of July could see the case against him go to federal court after other weapons and several thousand rounds of ammunition were found in two safes that Thomas Fee was renting for storage.
They held an emergency bond hearing in the case Thursday afternoon in front of Judge Joe McCarville because of the state’s concern over the safety of the community in light of what they found and also that this case could now go federal. The defense argued that he has bonds totaling nearly $20,000, and that is sufficient to ensure community safety and that he appears in court for future hearings.
But, Judge McCarville agreed to raise the bond to a half million dollars because of the series of incidents involving Fee and use of guns over the years, his mental health issues and the fact the he refused to sign probation papers after being sentenced for DUI.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell says he was in contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Wichita Thursday over the possibility they would take the case and indicated they were interested and now a part of the ongoing investigation. It’s illegal for Fee to have weapons because of previous felony convictions and the nature of the weapons found with the amount of ammunition.
Maxwell stated in court they found some very dangerous weapons, including two Uzis as well as several thousand rounds of ammunition, including some that didn’t even match the weapons found.
Fee, at this point, is charged in District Court with criminal possession of a firearm, criminal discharge of a firearm and interference with law enforcement for the incident on the fourth.
He is scheduled to appear in District Court as part of a waiver-status docket on the state charges on July 23, but again the case may go to federal court.