Lee's Summit Soccer Coach Charged With Producing Child Porn - Lee's Summit Tribune - Lee's Summit News

Lee's Summit Soccer Coach Charged With Producing Child Porn - Lee's Summit Tribune - Lee's Summit News

Lee's Summit Soccer Coach Charged With Producing Child Porn

April 23, 2013

Joel D. White


Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Lee’s Summit, Mo., youth soccer coach was charged in federal court today with producing child pornography by secretly videotaping members of his soccer team.

Joel D. White, 40, of Lee’s Summit, was charged with producing child pornography in a criminal complaint that was filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. White, who coaches a girls under-12 soccer team and a girls under-15 soccer team through a local soccer association, remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s criminal complaint, law enforcement officers in Commerce City, Colo., discovered videos of nude minors on White’s camera. White was at a soccer stadium in Colorado last month for a World Cup qualifying game when the cameras were seized by law enforcement officers as part of a criminal investigation.

Several videos allegedly depict White positioning a video camera in a bedroom of his residence in such a way that the camera is hidden. Shortly after White leaves the room, the affidavit says, the videos depict several minors, approximately 11 or 12 years old, entering the room and changing their clothes. Minors are fully nude in the videos and do not appear to know they are being videotaped.

White allegedly told police that he videotaped nude minors 10 to 15 times without their consent from May to October 2012. According to the affidavit, at least four child victims have been identified so far in the investigation.

Dickinson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. It was investigated by the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department and the Commerce City, Colo., Police Department.

Update:


 

City of Lee’s Summit Now Faces Crime-Fraud Hearing - Lee's Summit Tribune - Lee's Summit News

City of Lee’s Summit Now Faces Crime-Fraud Hearing - Lee's Summit Tribune - Lee's Summit News

City of Lee’s Summit Now Faces Crime-Fraud Hearing

Federal Judge’s Order is No April Fools Joke
Lee’s Summit Now Faces Crime-Fraud Hearing

By Debbie Van Pelt

Late Friday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey handed down an order in the Ted White, Jr. case. Although the order was entered on April 1, Laughrey’s mandate is no April Fool’s joke. Laughrey says she intends to conduct an in camera crime-fraud hearing to determine whether the City of Lee’s Summit committed fraud in August, 2006 when it entered into an Indemnification Agreement with White, only to later say that honoring the signed agreement would violate city ordinances. An “in camera” hearing is one held in private to protect one party’s privacy until a determination is made that the information and testimony should be shared with the other party.

In 2005, Ted White, Jr., a former Lee’s Summit businessman, filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Lee’s Summit, former Lee’s Summit detective Richard McKinley, former Lee’s Summit Police Chief Kenneth Conlee, and Tina (White) McKinley, Ted’s former wife.  The defendants in the 2005 lawsuit were accused of being part of and/or allowing a cover-up in 1998 when White was accused of molesting his adopted step-daughter, thereby preventing him from having a fair trial.  Richard McKinley allegedly began an affair with Ted’s wife, Tina, during his investigation of the molestation charges against White. Testimony indicates McKinley had possession of and then mishandled some evidence in the case. Court records show that Chief Conlee knew about the affair, but took no action to stop it and that he failed to remove McKinley from the case. White was initially convicted and spent nearly six years in prison before being exonerated in 2005. He filed the lawsuit a few months later.

The 2006 Indemnification Agreement released the city and the police chief as defendants in White’s lawsuit, in exchange for the city’s commitment to pay Richard McKinley’s judgment, should he lose. McKinley lost the initial trial and has lost every possible appeal since that time – all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. According to the Indemnification Agreement, the City of Lee’s Summit and MARCIT, the city’s former liability insurer, are responsible for paying White $14 million in compensatory damages, plus interest, court costs and attorney fees. Interest charges, mounting at approximately $6,000 every week the judgment goes unpaid, plus attorneys’ fees have brought the amount now owed White to nearly $17 million.  But, on July 6, 2010, the date the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit denied McKinley’s appeal and affirmed the multi-million-dollar award, Mayor Randy Rhoads issued a public statement saying that despite signing the agreement, “paying any damages in this case would be a violation of city ordinances.” Rhoads was a council member, but not mayor, at the time the agreement was signed. 

In a hearing before Judge Laughrey on March 8, White’s attorneys argued that the city committed fraud if it agreed to indemnify McKinley, knowing an ordinance would later prevent the city from paying as agreed. However, in depositions, city officials have refused to answer questions about the agreement and the ordinance, citing attorney-client privilege. Meeting minutes from the August 4, 2006 closed session in which the agreement was discussed indicate the ordinance was reviewed at that time as well. David Baker, an outside attorney for the city, presented White’s Indemnification Agreement to (then) Mayor Karen Messerli and the full council. According to the minutes, Baker informed the council that he had seen no evidence that McKinley had exceeded or abused his authority, failed to act within written city policy or violated anyone’s rights. Baker was given permission to proceed with the agreement. Joe Rebein, from Shook, Hardy and Bacon, LLP is now representing the city.

At the March 8 hearing, Judge Laughrey grew frustrated with Rebein’s reluctance to answer her questions. She gave both sides five days to file briefs regarding legal authority and how a crime-fraud hearing would progress.  In the April 1 order, she stated that the plaintiff’s (White’s) brief provided a factual basis to support a “belief by a reasonable person that in camera review” may reveal evidence “that the crime-fraud exception applies.” The crime-fraud exception states that the attorney-client privilege ceases to exist when a lawyer enables or aids someone to commit or plan a crime or fraud. 

The parties have ten days to submit proposed procedures for conducting the upcoming crime-fraud hearing. In the meantime, White’s motion to bring the city and Conlee back into the lawsuit as defendants has been continued, “pending a ruling on White’s forthcoming garnishment action”.  White was excited about the April 1 order, saying, “It looks like a can of worms is getting ready to be opened.”

PLEASE NOTE:

City officials present during the August 4, 2006 closed session meeting when the Indemnification Agreement was signed were:
Mayor Karen Messerli, Kathy Hofmann, Ed Cockrell, James Freeman, James Hallam, Nick Swearngin, Randy Rhoads, Joseph Spallo, Ron Williams.
The Indemnification Agreement was signed on behalf of the city by (then) City Administrator Steve Lewis and (then) Chief of Police  Kenneth Conlee later that month. Robert Handley was the city's attorney.

FURTHER NOTE:

On July 6, 2010, when Mayor Rhoads released the public statement saying that "paying any damages in this case would be a violation of city ordinances", Karen Messerli, James Freeman, Nick Swearngin and Ron Williams were no longer in office.  Brian Whitley, Allan Gray II, Bob Johnson and Dave Mosby had joined Kathy Hofmann, Ed Cockrell, James Hallam and Joseph Spallo on the Council.  

Big brother is watching | Letters to the Editor | Lee's Summit Journal

Big brother is watching | Letters to the Editor | Lee's Summit Journal

Dear Editor,

Every automobile trip you make in Lee’s Summit is now monitored by automatic police high-speed license plate readers and saved in a database in undisclosed location somewhere outside of Washington, DC. The police record where you bank, where you go to church, where you shop, where you buy your beer, who your friends are, if you visit any gun shops, if you stay at local motels, if your friends are at the same motel as you, what restaurants you visit, and when and where you visit a hospital or medical clinic.

You may think “I am not doing anything wrong. I am glad the police are protecting me.” That’s what Lee’s Summit resident Ted White thought. A corrupt Lee’s Summit Police Officer, Richard McKinley, conspired with Ted White’s wife, Tina, to send Ted White to a brutal prison for over six years so he could marry Tina and share in Ted White’s assets. Ted White is finally out of prison, thanks to the Midwestern Innocent Project (MIP) and hard work by University of Missouri–Kansas City Law School Dean Ellen Suni, board member of MIP.

The outrageous conduct of the Lee’s Summit Police Department and the former Lee’s Summit Mayor cost the Lee’s Summit taxpayers over $15 million in punitive damages for compensation to Ted White. Corrupt Police Officer Richard McKinley continued to wear a Lee’s Summit Police Department badge and gun for over two years after McKinley’s misconduct was exposed.

The current city council members all voted for the automatic police high-speed license plate readers and data retention program. Do you support the license plate readers? You think you are not doing anything wrong? You think the Lee’s Summit police are protecting you with the license plate readers? Think again. Ask Ted White.

Bob Gough

Ted White: Lee's Summit has Broken Their Promise

Ted White: Lee's Summit has Broken Their Promise

KANSAS CITY, MO - Ted White says that he has a simple message for officials in Lee's Summit: It's time to make things right.

White, who served over five years in prison after he was falsely accused of sexually abusing his stepdaughter, is returning to Lee's Summit from his new home in Utah to address the city council as his fight to get the $16 million in damages awarded to him by a federal jury gets under way.

"My family paid for four trials," said White, who has since remarried and has a new child as he rebuilds his life in Utah. White says that over the past 12 years he has lost his family, his business and his parents went bankrupt because of the false child molestation charges.

White was eventually freed after a jury heard evidence that his ex-wife, Tina, was having an affair with the Lee's Summit Police detective investigating his case and had conspired to withhold evidence that would have cleared him.

"It could happen to any citizens of Lee's Summit, and it comes down to what's right and what's wrong," said White.

A federal court made a final ruling against the detective two weeks ago, upholding the $16 million dollar civil verdict in White's favor. The city of lee's Summit signed an agreement prior to the civil trial would pay damages if its detective lost the lawsuit. But now the Lee's Summit Mayor Randy Rhoads says that a city ordinance that reads if a city employee violates someone's rights the city isn't responsible means that it would be against the law for the city to pay White.

Rhoads says even though the city signed the agreement with White, "it was not known then that the jury would issue a verdict two years later that the defendants violated Mr. White's constitutional rights."

"There's a promise to pay and they have broken that promise," said White.

Lee' Summit officials would not talk to FOX 4 about the White case on Wednesday. White says that the judgment is building interest at the rate of almost $900 a day, and says that he will take the city back to court if he has to, but that he hopes that the city will do the right thing.

Ted White's supporters plan to hold a rally on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. in front of City Hall prior to the City Council meeting. There is also a petition circulating in support of White.

"Nobody wins in this situation, but if they force me to fight the people who get hurt are the taxpayers because I have to fight," said White. "I've been put in that position to defend my rights for 12 years."

Calls increase for termination of Missouri education commissioner - KansasCity.com

Calls increase for termination of Missouri education commissioner - KansasCity.com

Why aren't any Republicans calling for this?

The legislators asking for Nicastro’s firing or resignation:

Rep. Genise Montecillo, Democrat; Sen. Paul LeVota, Democrat; Rep. Bonnaye Mims, Democrat; Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, Democrat; Rep. Judy Morgan, Democrat, ; Rep. John Mayfield, Democrat; Rep. Ira Anders, Democrat; Rep. Joe Runions, Democrat

It's not any store, it's THE Store | The Fast Pitch | The Pitch

It's not any store, it's THE Store | The Fast Pitch | The Pitch

I was driving on Raytown Road the other day when I saw the sign for The Store, the "Old Fashion Meat Market" at 6624 Raytown Road. The list of daily specials included frog legs and Delmonico steaks. The building couldn't have been more nondescript -- it looked like a small-town convenience store -- but I felt some strange compulsion to go in.

I'm glad I did, because I stumbled on one of the great treasures of Kansas City's East side: a little supermarket, as neat as a pin, with the most amazing butcher section. The refrigerated cases were filled with glorious cuts of beef that were distinctly less expensive than in Midtown. The cases were stocked with some oddities, too, including oversized mushroom caps filled with cream cheese, jalapeno queso and grated cheddar (four for $3.89) for baking off in the oven. The Store's butchers also make fresh ham salad -- it's delicious! -- almost every day.

For shoppers used to only wheeling their carts through giant stores like Hy-Vee and Price Chopper, The Store may seem too quaint for words. But it does stock one of the biggest selections of barbecue sauces, marinades and rubs in town. I bought a jar of Blues Hog Barbecue Sauce from Perry, Missouri, and discovered that it's fabulous with brisket, meatloaf and... stuffed mushroom caps!