Federal Drug Charges Filed Against 25 in Johnson, Douglas Counties

More details expected within a month, U.S. Attorney says

KANSAS CITY, KAN. — Federal drug charges have been filed against more than two dozen defendants in Johnson and Douglas counties, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., alleges twenty five defendants were part of a drug organization that from April 2008 through June 20, 2012, distributed high grade marijuana in Douglas and Johnson counties. The single–count complaint alleges all the defendants conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a total of more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies made arrests and served search warrants Wednesday in the case.

U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Wednesday he expects to be able to release more details about the investigation within a month.

Defendants named in the criminal complaint are:

•Los Rovell Dahda, 30, Lawrence, Kan.

•Roosevelt Rico Dahda, 30, Lawrence, Kan.

•Sadie Jolynn Brown, 25, Lawrence, Kan.

•Justin Cherif Pickel, 32, San Lorenzo, Calif.

•David James Essman, 35, Lawrence, Kan.

•Amos Moses Hurst, 31, Seattle, Wash.

•Phillip Villereal Alarcon, 43, Hayward, Calif.

•Jeffery David Paviva, 39, Union City, Calif.

•Mark Lee Romero, 31, Lawrence, Kan.

•Samuel Villeareal, II, 32, Overland Park, Kan.

•Peter Park, 41, Olathe, Kan.

•Wayne Suhan Swift, 39, Hayward, Calif.

•Charles Thomas Kreisler, 38, Kansas City, Mo.

•James Michael Soderling, 42, Fort Bragg, Calif.

•Simon Andrew Tyson, 27, Kansas City, Mo.

•Trent Jordan Percival, 32, Overland Park, Kan.

•Chad William Pollard, 34, Lenexa, Kan.

•Jason Marcus Hansen, 38, Lenexa, Kan.

•Daniel Mark Sieber, 31, Lawrence, Kan.

•Justin Jerome Mercer, 35, Olathe, Kan.

•Jacob Paul Forbes

•Chad Eugene Bauman, 33, Lawrence, Kan.

•Carey Lynn Willming, 36, Lawrence, Kan.

•Michael Shane Witt, 37, Olathe, Kan.

•Stephen Mallison Rector, 50, Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Agencies involved in the investigation and the arrest of defendants include the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Lawrence Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.

U.S. Marshals Capture 15 Most Wanted Convicted Child Molester in Detroit

Washington – U.S. Marshal John Kammerzell and Douglas County Sheriff David A. Weaver announce the capture of U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted Fugitive Richard Carl Heeringa in Detroit, Mich., Saturday. Heeringa was added to the 15 Most Wanted list in July.

“The capture of predators such as Richard Heeringa, who ruthlessly preyed upon young girls, will always be priority one for us,” said Geoff Shank, Acting Assistant Director of the U.S. Marshals Investigative Operations Division. “I thank our deputies, and all of our law enforcement partners, for their tireless persistence in bringing this fugitive to justice.”

Following a two-week trial in April 2010, a jury found Heeringa guilty of 17 counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and failure to register as a sex offender. He is facing more than 500 years in prison. Heeringa had not been seen since he fled in the middle of the night on April 15, 2010, the same day the jury reached their guilty verdict.

Authorities were gravely concerned Heeringa would not change his criminal ways and therefore put forth every effort to locate and apprehend him before he victimized another young girl. Those efforts included dedicating significant resources to the investigation, issuing a federal warrant for Heeringa charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and adding him to the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted list.

“The capture of a violent predator such as Heeringa exemplifies the coming together of numerous local, state, and federal agencies. I am very proud of the hard work and swift action taken which resulted in the safe apprehension of Richard Heeringa,” said John Kammerzell, U.S. Marshal for the District of Colorado.

On Saturday, investigators from the U.S. Marshals Service Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team and Detroit Police Department Officers were contacted by a local citizen with information on a man they believed was on the America’s Most Wanted website. DFAT investigators determined the individual in question was Richard Heeringa, a U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted Fugitive and that the tip was credible. The citizen informed police Heeringa had been living in Detroit for approximately one year and was known by the alias Tim Thurman.

Deputy U.S. Marshals from Michigan worked closely with Deputy U.S. Marshals in Colorado to verify information about Heeringa and were able to further substantiate the person was indeed the fugitive Richard Heeringa. DFAT investigators established surveillance at the residence in question located at the 20000 block of Ohio Street in Detroit where Heeringa was believed to be living in the basement.

DFAT made entry into the house and located Richard Heeringa at approximately 6:30 p.m., Saturday. He was taken into custody and transported to the Livonia Police Department for processing.

Heeringa, 55, previously served 12 years in prison in Michigan following a sex assault conviction there. Shortly after being released from prison in 2004, Heeringa met a single mother from Colorado.

In 2005, he moved to Colorado and began living with the mother and her daughter. He soon began sexually abusing the 12 year old and continued the abuse until January 2008, when the child came forward with allegations of sexual abuse resulting in his 2010 conviction. He has two other sex assault cases pending in Colorado.

“The Capture of Richard Heeringa is an extraordinary example of how multiple law enforcement agencies are able to work together to locate and apprehend a dangerous sexual predator. We can’t change what Heeringa has done in the past, but we are able to hold him accountable for his actions and prevent him from harming other innocent victims in the future,” said Douglas County Sheriff David A. Weaver.

The Heeringa 15 Most Wanted fugitive investigation received assistance from multiple federal, state, local and international agencies including the Douglas County Colorado Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Colorado Violent Offender Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Task Force, the District of Colorado’s U.S. Attorneys’ Office, Interpol NCB Washington, America’s Most Wanted and many more.

Duluth Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Taking a 13-Year-Old Girl Across State Lines to Commit Sexual Abuse

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court in Duluth, a 42-year-old Duluth man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for taking a 13-year-old girl across state lines with the intent to sexually abuse her. United States District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank sentenced Todd Richard Franik, who was indicted on October 5, 2010, and pleaded guilty on November 5, 2010, to one count of interstate transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. In imposing the 30-year prison term, Judge Frank said a sentence of anything less would be insufficient to promote respect for the law and protect the public.

Following today’s sentencing, Donald E. Oswald, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Minneapolis Field Office, said, “Children are one of our community’s most precious assets. Child predators like Mr. Franik can always be assured that the FBI will give them its fullest attention to ensure that they are brought to justice.”

According to the documents filed in this case, Franik abducted the girl in Duluth at about 3:00 p.m. on August 2, 2010. The girl was walking her dog. She passed a parked car, its hood up. The man standing near the vehicle, later identified as Franik, asked the girl for directions to the zoo. As she drew closer, the man grabbed both her and the dog and forced them into the trunk. He then drove the car around for 15 to 20 minutes, crossing into Wisconsin and back into Minnesota, before stopping in a wooded area.

While in the woods, Franik removed the child and the dog from the trunk. He then engaged in sexual conduct with the child. Afterwards, he used duct tape to wrap the child’s hands and feet and secure her to a fallen tree. He also tore his shirt, stuffed the cloth into her mouth, and covered her mouth with more duct tape. He reportedly taped the dog’s mouth shut too. After Franik drove away from the scene, the child twisted and chewed through the duct tape and made her way to a business in Superior, Wisconsin, from where authorities were called.

While law enforcement officers worked to recover evidence from the woods, which ultimately included scraps of duct tape and fresh shoe prints, they observed a car repeatedly drive past them on a nearby highway. The car matched the description of the vehicle used in the crime, so authorities traced its license plate number. Later, they located the car in a Duluth parking lot and placed it under surveillance.

During the early afternoon of August 3, 2010, authorities observed Franik approach the vehicle and open up the trunk. Officers moved in, spotting duct tape and other evidence of the crime. A subsequent search of Franik’s residence yielded shoes with a tread pattern that matched the shoe prints found in the woods. Franik was subsequently arrested without incident.

This case was the result of an investigation by the Duluth Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin, and the FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.

U.S. Marshals Add Convicted Child Molester to 15 Most Wanted

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Marshals have added a convicted child molester to their 15 Most Wanted fugitive list.  Richard Carl Heeringa is wanted in Colorado by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals led Fugitive Location and Apprehension Group Task Force.

Following a two-week trial in April 2010, a jury found Heeringa guilty of 17 counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and failure to register as a sex offender. He is facing more than 500 years in prison.

Heeringa fled in the middle of the night on April 15, 2010, the same day the jury reached their guilty verdict. He has not been seen since.

Heeringa, 55, has two other sex assault cases pending in Colorado and previously served 12 years in prison in Michigan following a sex assault conviction there.

Shortly after being released from prison in 2004, Heeringa met a single mother from Colorado. In 2005, he moved to Colorado and began living with the mother and her daughter. He soon began sexually abusing the 12 year old and continued the abuse until January 2008, when the child came forward with allegations of sexual abuse.

Authorities do not believe Heeringa will change his criminal ways and want to find him before he victimizes another young girl.

“Richard Heeringa is a predator, who has a track record of preying on young girls,” said Geoff Shank, Acting Assistant Director of the U.S. Marshals Investigative Operations Division. “We will make every effort to track this criminal down and bring him to justice.”

Heeringa has a history of working in construction and had his own construction company in the past. He is very self-sufficient and could easily make a living as a handyman. He is in good physical shape, skilled in martial arts and has been a hunter in the past, so he could live in the wilderness for a while.

He was born in Michigan and has family there. He also has ties to Georgia and California.

“This man is very dangerous and we need the public’s help to bring Herringa to justice,” said Sheriff David A. Weaver.

Heeringa is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 200 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes. He has scars on his abdomen, right knee, upper left arm and face.

Heeringa is considered armed and dangerous.

A reward of up to $25,000 is offered for information leading directly to Heeranga’s arrest.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office or the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102.

US Bank Robbery

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force (RMSSTF) are investigating a bank robbery.

US Bank

9376 South University Boulevard

Highlands Ranch, Colorado

03/11/2011, 5:54 p.m.

The suspect is described as a white male, 25 to 28 years of age, approximately 6’2”, approximately 180 pounds, with a slender build.

The suspect demanded money and fled.

Bank robbery is punishable by a 20-year prison sentence for each offense and increases if a dangerous weapon is used in the commission of the crime.

The FBI continues to provide financial institutions with the best practices for security to make them less vulnerable to robberies.

If anyone has any information on the bank robbery above, or any bank robbery, please call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171; or, you can remain anonymous and earn up to two thousand dollars ($2,000) by calling CRIMESTOPPERS at 720-913-STOP (7867).