One person killed in fiery western Lenexa crash

Posted: July 15, 2020 - 11:47 p.m.

The Lenexa Police Department's Traffic Safety Unit is investigating after one person was killed in a fiery crash on Prairie Star Parkway late Wednesday evening.

It happened about 9:15 p.m. in the median of Prairie Star Parkway just east of Tallgrass Drive in western Lenexa.

A large boulder was forced into the eastbound lanes of Prairie Star Parkway in the crash
Click images to view larger
All photos ©Mike Frizzell - Operation 100 News

Master Police Officer Danny Chavez says officers arrived to find the car engulfed in flames.

Lenexa firefighters worked for about five minutes to extinguish the flames. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. An extensive search of the immediate area was conducted to ensure no one had been ejected from the car. No one was located in the search.

Police believe the car was driving westbound at high speed when it left the road.

"[The car] left the roadway into the center median and struck large landscaping boulders," Ofc. Chavez said. "We don't have any info on the deceased yet."

Johnson County Med-Act paramedics look over the crashed vehicle after
Lenexa firefighters extinguished the flames.

The crash forced officers to close Prairie Star Parkway in both directions between Lone Elm Road and Prairie Creek Road for several hours.

No other details were immediately available. Check back with this report for updates.

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Mill Valley High School fire ruled accidental

Posted: June 7, 2019 - 1:24 a.m.
Updated: June 7, 2019 - 12:01 p.m.

Shawnee Fire Investigators say the fire at Mill Valley High School, 5900 Monticello Road, late Thursday evening was accidental.

Shawnee firefighters work on the roof of the school to keep the fire
from extending into the building.
All photos ©Mike Frizzell - Operation 100 News

Fire Marshal Corey Sands says firefighters were alerted of the fire by calls to 911 about 9:30 p.m. Those calls were followed closely by a call from an alarm company reporting the building’s fire alarm had activated.

“Our crews arrived to find fire on the outside of the building, where the construction is occurring at the high school,” Sands said. “They got it taken care of pretty quick.”

Sands said the fire had extended to the roofline of the building, which firefighters also caught and extinguished quickly.

Firefighters retrieve equipment off of one apparatus.
Additional photos below report.

Unified School District 232 sent an email to families in the district informing them of the fire. The message says that the fire occurred on the outside of the building in an area where demolition work is underway for the addition of a competitive gymnasium.

“We are grateful that our emergency systems worked as planned, which is why the fire department arrived so quickly,’ the statement said. “There were no school activities taking place at the time of the fire and no fire damage to the interior.”

After hearing that several neighbors were talking about how they could smell smoke earlier in the evening, Fire Marshal Sands said, “we would encourage people if you do smell smoke, call 911.”

Sands said if the smell of smoke had been reported sooner, firefighters would have responded to investigate and worked to locate the source.

Fire investigators say the fire was caused by demolition crews using torches and saws to remove metal structural components.

"The metal and roofing material that was demolished was then placed in a pile up against the exterior wall of the high school," Fire Marshal Sands said. "The roofing material and foam roofing pieces used to insulate the roof actually insulated the fire for several hours when it was placed in a pile after the demolition."

Damage to the building is estimated at $2,500

Shawnee firefighters were assisted on the call by the Lenexa Fire Department and Overland Park Fire Department. Johnson County Med-Act was on scene with two ambulances and their firefighter rehabilitation unit due to the heat and humidity.

No injuries were reported.

Firefighters on scene awaiting their next assignment

 

The fire and large response from firefighters attracted a large crowd.

Firefighters work on the roof of the building.

The Lenexa Fire Department's mobile ventilation unit of 'Vent 94' was
brought in to help remove smoke from the building.

Johnson County Med-Act Paramedics established a firefighter rehabilitation area.
All firefighters cycle through this area between rotations. This allows them to hydrate
and have their vitals monitored

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Six unlocked vehicles burglarized in western Shawnee

File image

Posted: January 22, 2019 - 10:12 a.m.

Shawnee police say six unlocked vehicles were burglarized early Monday morning in a western Shawnee neighborhood.

Major Sam Larson of the Shawnee Police Department says officers were called around 1:30 a.m. to a home in the 5500 block of Lakeridge Drive, in the Symphony at Monticello neighborhood, on a report of a possible auto burglary. The neighborhood is located near the intersection of Johnson Drive and Monticello Road.

"A citizen called reporting suspicious activity and thought someone was trying to break into a vehicle at their home," Maj. Larson said.

Officers searched the area with a K-9 but were unable to locate the suspect.

A resident of the neighborhood called the police again around 3:30 a.m. after seeing the suspect walking in the area. A responding officer spotted the suspect near 56th Street and Millridge Street.

"The male suspect, an 18-year-old Kansas City, Kansas resident, fled from officers on foot," Maj. Larson said. "He was taken into custody a short time later."

Johnson County Sheriff's Office booking logs show the suspect was arrested at 3:54 a.m. and then booked into the Adult Detention Center in Olathe at 7:55 a.m.

Maj. Larson say officers have already taken six case numbers which are believed to be associated with this suspect.

Police say all six of the vehicles burglarized were left unlocked.

"The vast majority of the auto burglaries we investigate are to unlocked vehicles, help to greatly reduce your chance of being a theft victim by locking your cars," Maj. Larson said. "We ask that all residents take the time to remove valuables from vehicles and to ensure that their vehicles are locked."

Maj. Larson adds that it's always a good idea to double check that your garage door is closed and car doors are locked before going to bed.

Police are asking anyone who believes their vehicle may have been burglarized or entered over the weekend to call them, 913-631-2150, to report the crime.

The suspect remains in the custody of the Johnson County Sheriff's Office and is awaiting formal charges. Operation 100 News will update this report to identify the alleged suspect once he is charged on Tuesday afternoon.

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COURT UPDATE: Suspects in November 2014 carjacking in Shawnee

Posted: November 6, 2014 - 2:32am
Updated: February 16, 2016 - 12:31am

Court update:

Johnson County court records show the now 18-year-old lived in the Cottonwood Park Apartments in Shawnee and was a suspect passenger in a November 2014 carjacking. In January 2015, he pled guilty to a reduced charge of felony burglary and received a two and a half year sentence for his role in the November 2014 carjacking. According to court records prosecutors dropped the charge of attempted kidnapping against him. Operation 100 News does not release the names of juvenile offenders.

The second suspect, a now 18-year-old Olathe resident, Madio Torrence Bayha remains in custody at the Johnson County Sheriff's Office Adult Detention Center. Court records show Bayha is being tried as an adult. He faces charges of aggravated robbery, kidnapping, recklessly fleeing a law enforcement officer, and battery of a corrections/detention officer. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 9, 2016.

Accident report: November 16, 2014

Operation 100 News has obtained a copy of the Shawnee Police Department's accident report from the November 6th vehicle pursuit and suspect vehicle crash near Shawnee Mission Parkway and Kansas Highway 7.

The six page accident report

The report identifies the driver as a 17-year-old from Olathe, and the passenger as a 17-year-old Shawnee resident. The passenger is listed as resident of an apartment complex two blocks from the Hy-Vee store where the carjacking occurred.

Operation 100 News has chosen to withhold the names of the two juveniles alleged in this case.

Included in the accident report is an illustration (shown below) of the vehicle's path and estimated speeds.

Shawnee PD Traffic Unit illustration of the vehicle's path
Click image to view larger

The crash narrative states that the vehicle was traveling westbound, at high speed, on 67th Street, where the driver began braking towards the west end of the Kansas Highway 7 bridge.

"The vehicle skidded several hundred feet before going off road left," the report says.

After leaving the road the car struck a KDOT owned exit sign, a ditch and then went airborne. While airborne, the car struck the top of a KDOT owned fence and rolled over twice, coming back to land on its wheels on the Nachbar Automotive property, 6801 Hedge Lane Terrace.

Officers say all of the vehicle's airbags had deployed.

Shawnee Police collecting evidence from the crashed car
Click image to view larger
Additional photos from the crash scene can be found below this report

"It is unknown where [passenger name] was in the vehicle when the crash occurred. He was found in the back seat when [officer name] approached the vehicle," according to the accident report.

The owner of Nachbar Automotive estimates damage done to his property to be $2,000. This includes damage to landscaping and damage to vehicles from crash debris that landed on vehicles in his parking lot.

The report concludes with a list of seven suggested charges, related to only the crash. Those charges do not include the initial carjacking incident at Hy-Vee. Suggested charges include: felony fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, no driver's license, speed too fast for conditions, improper driving, violations of traffic control signals, and reckless criminal damage to property.

Johnson County court records show both juveniles have been charged with aggravated robbery and attempted kidnapping. The driver has also been charged with fleeing a law enforcement officer.

Check back with this report for updates as additional information is confirmed.

Original Report: November 6, 2014

Shawnee Police are investigating an armed carjacking that occurred in the parking lot of the Shawnee Hy-Vee late Wednesday, November 5th.

Officers were called to the Hy-Vee store, 13550 West 63rd Street, at 11:55 p.m. Wednesday. The victim, a 64-year-old man from Shawnee, told officers that his gray 2010 Honda Accord was stolen by two, younger black men wearing hooded sweatshirts.

The victim said one of the men had a weapon, according to Maj. Dan Tennis of the Shawnee Police Department, but wasn't sure what it was. Tennis said the victim had been shopping at the Hy-Vee, had loaded his groceries into his car and was putting his shopping cart away when he was approached by the suspects. Tennis said the two suspects are 17-years-old.

"They demanded his vehicle keys, phone, wallet and told him to get in the car as well," Tennis said

Tennis said the victim instead ran inside the Hy-Vee where he asked for help and dialed 911. He was not injured.

A Shawnee officer then spotted the stolen Accord, westbound on Shawnee Mission Parkway near Barker Road. The officer attempted to stop the suspects and after initially slowing, the suspects accelerated to nearly 100 miles-per-hour and sped through red lights at Monticello Road and Hilltop Road with officers in pursuit, according to Tennis.

"Due to the high speeds, the car driving without headlights and running red lights, our officer stopped the chase," Tennis said.

Officers lost sight of the car near Kansas Highway 7, according to police. The officer that was leading the pursuit reported that they might have gone south on Kansas Highway 7. The pursuit was called off at 12:06 Thursday morning.

About 20 minutes later, Tennis said, the vehicle was located, wrecked, with the two juvenile suspects still inside.

The crash scene was on the property of Nachbar Automotive, 6801 Hedge Lane Terrace, just west of Kansas Highway 7. The vehicle crashed through a ditch, and a barbed wire highway fence.

Johnson County Med-Act transported both suspects from the crash scene, one with serious injuries. The crash scene was six-and-a-half miles from the Hy-Vee store where the carjacking occurred.

Johnson County Med-Act transporting one of the injured suspects
Click image to view larger

Shawnee Fire and Police on the scene
Click image to view larger

Tennis said the Shawnee Police Department's Traffic Safety Unit was called out to investigate the crash. One of the juveniles was released from the hospital at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday and was transported by Shawnee Police to the Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center in Olathe.

Part of the wooden support that holds up the exit sign was thrown onto the property of Nachbar Automotive
Click image to view larger

Skid marks and debris from the exit sign show where the car crossed the eastbound lanes and into a ditch.
Click image to view larger

A Ford Mustang was sprayed with fluids from the suspect vehicle as it crashed
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Orange spray paint marks where the suspect vehicle came to rest after smashing through the exit sign and through a barbed wire fence
Click image to view larger

The crashing car tore a path through the grass as it skidded out of control
Click image to view larger

At least eight vehicles in the Nachbar Automotive used car lot had dirt and other debris thrown on them by the crashing car
Click image to view larger

Operation 100 News was the only media at the scene as the injured suspects were transported away from the scene by ambulance and police processed the stolen car.

Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.

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