Three men arrested on drug charges after reported noise complaint
SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Three men face criminal charges after their arrest this week after a search warrant was served at a home in South Hutchinson.
At around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, deputies with the Reno County Sheriff’s Office and South Hutchinson Police responded to 15 Sunnydell Circle in South Hutchinson for a noise complaint. When they arrived, they heard loud music and made contact with owner of the home. While talking with the occupants, deputies noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the home. The Kansas Highway Patrol responded to the residence with a K-9 and detected narcotics coming from one of the vehicles as well as the home.
A search warrant was then obtained and served on the vehicle and residence. Two firearms, 260 grams of marijuana, and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia were seized.
26-year-old Brandell Chalmers of South Hutchinson was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of paraphernalia, criminal possession of a firearm with controlled substance and no drug tax stamp. 26-year-old Michael Alexander of Hutchinson was arrested for possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. 26-year-old Ryker Duncan of McPherson was arrested for possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
All three men are free on bond and should be back in court next week for the formal reading of charges.
Suspect in hour and a half chase formally charged
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 46-year-old man arrested after he led law enforcement on a high speed chase made a first appearance Friday morning where he was read the formal complaint against him.
Donald Mayer is charged with two alternate counts of felony flee and elude. One of the charges alleges he five or more moving violations during the chase and the other alleges that he was reckless in his driving.
It started around 1:45 a.m., on March 1, when sheriff deputies attempted to stop a Chevy Blazer allegedly driven by Mayer for failing to signal a turn and also for an obstructed license plate. They says he refused to stop and led officers from the Sheriffs Dept, Hutchinson Police, and South Hutchinson Police on a chase that lasted an hour and 24 minutes.
The chase was primarily in the southern and eastern part of the city of Hutchinson and passed through South Hutchinson twice. At one point, the chase went as far south as Yoder, but then returned back to the Hutchinson area.
Numerous attempts were made to deploy tire deflation devices, but he was able to avoid them each time. The chase finally ended when Mayer pulled into the west parking lot of the Law Enforcement Center and surrendered without incident.
Because the formal charges have been filed, the case will now move to a waiver-status docket.
Hearing for former HCF inmate convicted of attempted rape continued
Stumper
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The sentencing hearing for a 28-year-old inmate has been continued because apparently wires were crossed somewhere and his attorney informed the court that Steven Stumpner was not transported from the El Dorado Correctional Facility where he’s currently being housed.
Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton informed the court that they had prepared a transfer order already last month, so both sides asked that the hearing to be continued two weeks so they can determine what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Stumpner entered a plea to a reduced charge of attempted rape while a second charge of aggravated sexual battery was dropped by the state. The original charge against Stumpner was rape. He admitted in court to the sexual contact with a female contract employee back on July 17, 2014. He forced the nurse at the prison into a sexual encounter when he pushed her up against a wall and sexually assaulted her without her consent.
The plea agreement calls for him receiving the maximum sentence which would give him an additional 20-years and seven months on top of the sentence he’s already serving. He also waived his right to appeal any sentence handed down in the case and will have to register as a sex offender.
Stumpner is serving time in prison for two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of theft and battery of a correction’s officer.
The sentencing hearing is now set for March 27.