Local man arraigned on multiple counts of rape and other charges
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 48-year-old man facing nine felony counts including three counts of rape, two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, kidnapping, aggravated battery and criminal threat was arraigned Monday where he entered “not guilty” pleas.
Woodson Crable faces the charges for two incidents involving two different victims. The first occurred back on December 26, 2011, when the victim says she was raped on two occasions and threatened during the second. The next incident occurred on Dec. 28, when he asked her to pick him up. They ended up at her apartment where she says they again began to argue and he threatened to kill her if she didn’t admit to having sex with her half brother, which she says never happened. He’s then accused of again forcing her into sex.
With the second part of the case, the second victim told Sheriff investigators of being raped twice inside Crable’s home. She was eventually able to leave and went back to her home in Nickerson. Crable then allegedly went there and wanted her to go back to Hutchinson. She refused, but he forced her into the back seat of his vehicle. Somehow, she was able to call 911 and Sheriff’s Officers were dispatched to the report of the disturbance in Nickerson. When they arrived, they made contact with the victim who reported that she had been battered by Crable at that location and also told them what happened earlier. These incidents occurred on April 9 and 10 of last year.
Crable is jailed with a $750,000 bond.
Hutch man expected to enter a plea in assault of law enforcement case
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 53-year-old Hutchinson man accused for two counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer and criminal damage to property in a domestic case was expected in court Monday where he was expected to enter a plea.
But, the case against James L. Paige has been pushed back to Tuesday afternoon. He’s charged with the crimes against the officers after he allegedly came at them with a knife. Officers came very close to shooting him, but ended up tasing him instead.
He is also charged with damaging a woman’s property by throwing it out the door of the home.
The bond in the case remains at $100,000 because of the nature of the charges, but also prior convictions for aggravated assault, criminal threat, battery, possession of drugs, robbery, two convictions for burglary, unlawful possession of firearms and criminal damage to property.
The plea hearing is scheduled in front of Judge Joe McCarville.
Man arraigned in flee and elude and arson cases
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 26-year-old man bound over for trial in two cases from October was arraigned Monday and as it stands now will face trial. Scott Lutz entered “not guilty” pleas in front of Judge Tim Chambers.
In the first, he’s charged with two alternate counts of felony flee and elude and misdemeanor theft. This is the chase where he nearly struck a teenage girl who had gotten off a Buhler school bus and was about to cross the street. That was on Oct. 8. The second case involves the incidents on Oct. 12, when he was allegedly hiding in an attic of a residence and may have set a small fire in the attic. He was eventually forced out and gave himself up when they sprayed water into some holes in the roof. Charges in this case include aggravated arson, interference with law enforcement and battery of a law enforcement officer.
Judge Trish Rose had recently sanctioned him for violating his community corrections in other cases. He had earlier declined to stipulate to violating his corrections in these other cases in exchange for the state dropping the two most recent cases, but the catch was that he would be required to serve the over 18 years in prison. Judge Trish Rose didn’t go that far, instead ordered that he serve roughly six months in prison, then be placed on community corrections for another three years.
The prior convictions include felony flee and elude, obstruction, manufacturing or attempt to manufacture methamphetamine, robbery, possession of a precursor to manufacturing meth, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal damage to property.
Hutchinson charged with meth distribution waives preliminary hearing
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 53-year-old Hutchinson man charged in a methamphetamine distribution case waived his preliminary hearing Monday.
Darren Stephenson is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute and personal use drug paraphernalia.
A drug-related search was done on his property in the 1400 block of North Forest. Drug Unit detectives say that inside his bedroom, they found a wooden box containing a digital scale with white residue, new baggies, a zip-close bag with a crystal substance—later determined to be three grams of meth—a glass pipe with burnt vegetation, another pipe with burnt residue, a second baggie with green vegetation that weighed about a gram and tested positive for marijuana, and a used bag with crystal residue which is also believed to have been meth.
With him waiving the preliminary hearing, his case will now move to arraignment on February 2.
Stephenson has prior convictions for aggravated indecent liberties with a child and obstruction of the legal process for crimes in Rice County. The indecent liberties charge goes back to 1999 and the obstruction charge occurred back in 2006.