TV Archive 2007

December 2007

KSN December 21, 2007 Schneiders will remain in jail through trial. Prosecutors say they hope to link an additional 34 deaths to Dr. Schneider and his clinic.

Dr. Stephen Schneider and his wife Linda are facing a multitude of federal charges related to patient care at their Haysville clinic.  Prosecutors say they hope to link an additional 34 deaths to Dr. Schneider and his clinic. Prosecutors charges the two with 34 counts including conspiracy, unlawfully distributing control substances resulting in death and medical fraud.

The couple made their first appearance in Federal court this afternoon.  The purpose of the appearance was to determine if the Schneiders should remain in jail throughout their trial. Prosecutors said they were a flight risk and a danger to the community. 

Holding the couple is just a ploy being used by the government and has little to do with them being a flight risk.

"A person who is detained pre-trial is less able to defend themselves because the government has now spent years investigating a case and the accused just hears about it.  The accused is immediately isolated from family, from money and from the ability to speak with counsel," said Dan Monnat, KSN's legal expert.

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November 2007

KWCH November 9, 2007 Lawmakers Criticize Kansas Supreme Court

The highest court in Kansas is not doing its job -- that according to a group of lawmakers. The group is upset the Kansas Supreme Court blocked the start of a grand jury investigation into Wichita abortion provide Dr. George Tiller. Instead, the court will consider whether the proposed grand jury probe should be allowed.

Kansas is one of a handful of states where a citizen petition can summons a grand jury. This is the second time Tiller has been the focus of a grand jury investigation. Wichita attorney Dan Monnat is on Tiller's defense team and says the grand jury process is being used to harass his client.

"I seriously doubt that the Kansas Supreme Court is going to be bullied by the press conferences of the politicians into either not acting or not acting as quickly as the politicians would have them.  The grand jury itself is something brought as an instrument of harassment by people politically opposed to a woman's constitutional right to choose," says Monnat.

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October 2007

KSN October 26, 2007 TOPEKA, KS. (AP) Court blocks investigation of Dr. George Tiller

The Kansas Supreme Court temporarily blocks the start of a Sedgwick County Grand Jury to investigate abortion provider George Tiller. The court's order Friday stops the grand jury from starting its work until the court can decide if the panel should convene.

The Grand jury had been scheduled to begin its work next Tuesday.

The order by Chief Justice Kay McFarland was in response to a petition filed by Dr. Tiller, who is one of the nation's few late-term abortion providers. Abortion opponents accuse Tiller of violating a 1998 state law restricting late-term abortions, an allegation his attorneys repeatedly have said is unfounded.

Stay with KSN News and KSN.Com for more on this developing story.

KAKE October 26, 2007 Supreme Court Delays Tiller Grand Jury

Wichita abortion provider George Tiller has, at least, won a temporary victory in court. The Kansas Supreme Court has stepped in to delay a grand jury that has been called to investigate allegations of breaking state restrictions on late-term abortions.

In an order signed by Chief Justice Kay McFarland, the court says the delay has been granted due to the "unique circumstances" of the case.

The parties involved in the case are now ordered to respond to the grand jury petition by November 16th. The grand jury was originally scheduled to convene Tuesday.

Attorney General Paul Morrison has already filed 19 misdemeanor charges against the Tiller, but many abortion opponents believe Tiller should be prosecuted even more aggressively.

KSN October 15, 2007 Online prostitution?
Is it a reasonable service or a front for prostitution? Some say online escorts are taking the war on prostitution to the Internet.

South Broadway in Wichita has a long history and reputation for prostitution. But recently, Wichita police have been cracking down and say their tactics are working. But prostitutes may be abandoning the street corners and moving to the World Wide Web. More than 70 Wichita women have profiles on one web site alone. The pages show pictures, advertise available services and even list rates and prices. One person's web site lists rates as high as $1,600. But that same site goes on to say "Any gratuity or financial exchange is solely for my time and social companionship". Another web site calls the charges "donations" rather than rates. There are several Wichita laws pertaining to soliciting, but none specify online activity.

"Solicitation under the city code of Wichita requires that the solicitation be on the public streets of the city," Dan Monnat, legal analyst and defense attorney, said.

Monnat also says the services being offered aren't illegal. The law says prostitution only includes certain acts such as sexual intercourse, which aren't directly spelled out on the sites.

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September 2007

KSN September 17, 2007 Baby dies months after mother's murder

A baby who was delivered after his mother was shot last spring has also died. The family of Xavier Worley Jr. said the four-month-old boy died Sunday afternoon as he slept in his crib.

Steven Novotny is awaiting trail for Starr's death. With her baby's death comes the question: Could Novotny face another homicide charge?

Alexa's Law wasn't in place at the time of the shooting and, even if it were, it only applies to the death of a fetus.

But another law, dating back to the Common Law of England, may apply. It's known as the Born Alive Rule. If a pregnant woman's child is born alive, then dies as a result of any injury before it was born, the death may be prosecuted as a homicide.

"The big question in any such prosecution is causation: Did the child die from injuries inflicted by the accused?" Dan Monnat, KSN Legal Analyst, said. "Probably the longer the child lives, the better the argument the child did not die from injuries inflicted pre-birth."

Police say they are waiting on an autopsy

KSN September 12, 2007 Grand jury investigation into abortion provider will move forward

A federal grand jury investigation into Wichita abortion provider George Tiller will move forward. A federal judge has refused to block the case.

Last week, Kansans for Life delivered more than 7500 signatures, asking for an investigation into whether Dr. Tiller broke state law on late-term abortions. Tiller's attorney's asked a federal judge to block the investigation, saying it was harassment, but the judge ruled it's a matter for the state. Dr. Tiller has been investigated by a grand jury before, still the grand jury process is relatively rare in Sedgwick County court.

After the investigation is complete, the grand jury's deliberations are done in secret. Twelve jurors must agree to file the indictment. A grand jury has investigated Tiller before. Last year another anti-abortion group, Operation Rescue, forced an investigation into a 19 year-old's death. And for that reason, Tiller's attorney's say this is not the legal system at work, but simply harrassment.

"To convene yet another grand jury for the purposes of a political prosecution rather than a professional prosecution is an abuse of the justice system and a waste of taxpayer’s money," Dan Monnat argued.

Monnat says he will now take that argument to a state judge, in an attempt to stop the grand jury from convening.

KAKE September 5, 2007 Kansans for Life Turn in Abortion Petition

For the second time, abortion opponents are asking for a grand jury investigation into late-term abortions performed at Dr. George Tiller's clinic.

Kansans for Life turned in petitions with nearly 8,000 signatures to Sedgwick County Wednesday morning. The group wants the state to investigate more than 2500 late term abortions.

A grand jury investigation requires a petition of around 2400 or 2% of the registered voters in Sedgwick County. The signatures must be validated by the election commissioner. From there, Chief District Court Judge Michael Corrigan will either accept the case or appoint another district judge to handle the proceedings.

Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison has already filed 19 misdemeanor counts against Tiller but the group wants more.

Tillers attorneys say Kansans for Life is just trying one more way to harass Tiller at taxpayers' expense.

"Dr. Tiller is innocent of any wrongdoing and he continues to provide high-quality health care to women despite constant harassment by anti-choice extremist groups," said Dan Monnet, one of Tiller's attorneys. Monnat also said, "To use the Grand Jury process to prompt a political persecution rather than a professional prosecution, is an abuse of the system and a waste of taxpayer's money."

The signatures are expected to be validated sometime next week.

See video player at this story's webpage: Kansans for Life Turn in Abortion Petition

July 2007

KAKE July 4, 2007Tillers abortion clinic vandalized
Someone was able to get by George Tiller's heavy security equipment Tuesday night and gain access to the roof of his East Wichita abortion clinic. Vandals cut a hole through the roof, inserted a garden hose, and flooded the clinic.

Police say they're looking at surveillance video to try to determine who did this. As well as the damage to the building, the vandals tried to use epoxy to seal the parking lot gate shut. Firefighters responded to a burglar alarm at the building and were able to get inside the gate before the epoxy dried.

"These cowardly, terroristic acts show no respect for the women who choose his care and seriously jeopardize their health. There is substantial damage, but Dr. Tiller is committed to staying up and running for the women who need his health care." said Dan Monnat, Dr. Tiller's attorney. 

See video player at this story's webpage: http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/8324012.html

June 2007

KSN  June 27, 2007   A partial ruling in Phill Kline's case against Dr. George Tiller
Wichita abortion provider, Dr. George Tiller, is closer to being off the hook. On Wednesday, Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison partially deflated the hopes of abortion opponents by saying that at least half of a case filed against Tiller, by former Attorney General Phill Kline, is flawed.

"The first thing we noticed about the charges filed by Kline were the glaring errors in the affidavit," Ashley Anstaett, Morrison's spokesperson, said.

"Kline's irresponsible and careless treatment of the records inhibited our investigation from day one," Anstaett said.

"An independent, objective investigation has been conducted by a professional prosecutor," Dan Monnat, Tiller's attorney said. "We're confident that when the investigation has been completed, the result will be, as we've said all along, that Dr. Tiller is innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever."

"It sounds like the defense firm of Tiller, Monnat and Morrison has been at work," Kline told the Associated Press after Wednesday's ruling.

Before this investigation is completed, Morrison must also rule on fifteen other charges filed by Kline on whether or not Tiller actually performed illegal late-term abortions. That ruling is expected later this week.

"Most people are concerned about illegal late-terms abortions, not the illegal reporting of late-term abortions," David Gittrich, Kansans for Life, said. He is not overly confident that Morrison will find that Tiller actually performed illegal late-term abortions.

KAKE  June 27, 2007 AG: Tiller Case Flawed
A criminal case previously filed against the state's best-known abortion provider was based partly on incorrect or incomplete information. A spokeswoman for Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison said 15 of 30 charges that the previous attorney general filed against Doctor George Tiller were flawed.

She said that in eleven cases, Morrison's predecessor Phill Kline did not include information that he had that was favorable to Tiller.

Dan Monnat, attorney representing Tiller was interviewed in the news story, made the following statement: "All along we have said when the whole story is told and all of the evidence is looked at fairly, Dr. Tiller's innocence will be clear.

See video player at this story's webpage: Morrison Clears Tiller of Wrongdoing

KSN May 30, 2007 Thurber writes letter to media
Justin Thurber has apparently been busy behind bars. KSN has learned he wrote about his case in a letter to the Ark City newspaper.

The headline in Ark City, “Suspect writes letter to Traveler.” Justin Thurber apparently writes, "I am asking you to start printing the truth about Justin Thurber."

The paper did not show the letter, but we're told it was two hand-written pages. Thurber neither admits nor denies his role in the crime, but does suggest police have not released every detail in the case. He goes on to say "Maybe Mr. Thurber not the hardened criminal they say he is."

March 2007

January 2007

KSN 1/09/2007 Legislative session begins in Topeka

Inside the Statehouse, lawmakers officially opened their new session Monday. This year some key issues will grab the spotlight and some of them are very familiar topics from casino gambling to a new education debate.