As disjointed as this column will seem when you read it, next week might be even worse.
I’ve got a case of holiday fever, and believe it or not, I just don’t seem to have much to say. We’ll hit a few “highlights” on items racking my brain and then let you move on with your life.
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The Kansas City (Mo.) Police Department’s new Northland Patrol headquarters looks very nice.
I’ll admit: I didn’t hang around last week for the tour because I wasn’t quite sure how that many people would be able to walk the halls together and gather any info. However, I showed up early enough to wander around a bit and peek around some corners.
While I have no doubt the facility will serve as an upgrade for officers, I really enjoyed the concept of public meeting space and wanting citizens to feel like the building is part of their community. I’m not sure how you deliver on that, but I hope the department does find public uses for the facility, even if it’s just an occasional meeting or outreach effort.
Having the first KCPD building in Platte County also feels significant. While the old “bumblebee” station was just across the line in Clay County, this move finally makes the Platte County portion of Kansas City feel a lot more like Kansas City.
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An astute reader helped point out a technicality on a recent court case in Platte County.
In a story that we ended up telling a lot in the past few years, Dana Tutor eventually pleaded guilty to murder and robbery charges in the death of a trucker at a Platte County rest area along Interstate 29. Well, kind of.
Like most news outlets, we ran a slightly edited version of a news release from the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office. However, the wording didn’t include any mention of Tutor’s specific plea agreement.
According to court records, Tutor actually took an Alford guilty plea. From my understanding, this basically means a defendant asserts innocence but also admits that there is enough evidence that the prosecution would be likely to secure a conviction.
Tutor is scheduled to be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison during a late July hearing. Her plea came in late May just weeks after her repeatedly rescheduled trial ended with a hung jury.
While we can speculate on the reason for accepting this plea, the original crime happened nearly a decade ago, and Tutor had been the reigning longest-tenured inmate in the Platte County Detention Center by a wide margin. She’s off the books and will be punished.
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We were probably a week delayed in publishing the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association story due to the MLB Draft. Didn’t want to oversaturate any one issue with news on Platte County senior Justin Mitchell.
However, a review of the Class 5 list revealed some oddities.
As you can see in this week’s edition, Mitchell, who the Royals selected in the 39th round of the draft, and senior pitcher Jared Wilson were all-state, but that was it from a 24-3 team that finished ranked No. 5 in Class 5.
Staley (lost to Platte County in the District 16 title game) and Liberty North (lost to Platte County in a sectional) combined for eight players. I know lists can be political and not all selections are fair, but man, that seems like a low number for Platte County.
By my estimations, Drew Parmeley, Austin Gammill, Kobe Cummings and Dillon Doll all warranted a look. Their exclusion doesn’t diminish a historic season, but there’s something to be said for putting your name on a list that helps tell the story of a great season.
Ross Martin is publisher of The Citizen. He may be reached via email at editor@plattecountycitizen.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Citizen_Ross.