Citizen Refuses Police Aid

On September 10, 2019 at approximately 10:00 pm Parsons Police were notified about a possible home invasion in the 700 block of North 26th in Parsons.

When Parsons Police officers arrive on scene it was reported that two unknown black males entered the house armed with handguns. The homeowners were gone, and a friend of the owner's was struck in the head. There were also four children in the house at the time; they were located in another room, away from the confrontation. The homeowners returned during the invasion and the male was immediately assaulted as well. It was reported that $200.00 was stolen.

The homeowner and victim displayed animosity towards law enforcement and demanded that they leave the residence without being allowed the opportunity to conclude their investigation. The victim, a convicted felon, refused cooperation. Officers were forced to leave the scene without being able to gather pertinent information.

In Kansas there is no basis to charge a crime if the victim is not willing to participate and give information for the case. The 4th Amendment gives citizens the right to privacy even if that puts their family in danger.

"This is a sad day for the Parsons community," said Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks. "Here we have the opportunity to investigate a potentially solvable crime and the victim in the case has ill feelings towards law enforcement and refuses our assistance. Mind you that we were called to help and was then ushered off the property before our investigation was begun. This leads officers to believe that this convicted felon could be also involved in other criminal activities. We want to solve crimes. That is our job. We are here to do that very thing and have been stonewalled by multiple citizens who have been victimized by these targeted acts. This means that either criminals are committing crimes against other criminals or that citizens are being bullied into not talking to the police out of fear. If any police department has a chance of success it needs the collective help from the citizens it serves," finished Spinks.

This crime, much like the recent others, seems to be targeted and is not a random act. This is only speculation since the victim will not cooperate.

Commander Mike Powell said, "we continue to push forward and again ask the citizens of Parsons to call us in case of an emergency, or you suspect criminal or suspicious activity. We are here to help. Please don't fall trap to the few negative citizens that make frequent post on social media. The majority of the anti-police collective are about a combined 20 citizens. Please don't let them influence your opinion on the efforts of your local police department."

This continues to be an on-going investigation and citizens are encouraged to "See It, Hear It, Report It." If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspd.com.