By Nancy D. Borst
Good community police work led to the apprehension last Thursday of two suspects in an Osawatomie County murder.
Goddard Police Chief Sam Houston said a Goddard officer on routine patrol at 9 p.m. spotted a car on a Goddard street that matched the description of a vehicle wanted in connection with the murder. The officer verified that this was the vehicle in question by running its tag number.
Goddard officers requested assistance from the Sedgwick County Sheriff and Kansas Highway Patrol. The driver of the vehicle left the Goddard neighborhood but was stopped by officers at 167th Street West and U.S. Highway 54 a short time later. The incident involved seven law enforcement vehicles and it closed the highway for a half-mile in both directions for a period of time.
Houston said two suspects – a 41-year-old man and a woman – were detained without incident in connection with the murder. They have since been turned over to Osawatomie County authorities. There were four other occupants in the vehicle, including two young children. No one else was arrested.
According to the Osawatomie Graphic, the man arrested near Goddard was Thomas E. Pool of Louisburg. He is a suspect in the April 8 shooting death of Billy Gene Cooper of Osawatomie. The Miami County District Attorney’s office reports that Pool has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder.
Houston credited his department and specifically, officers Don McElroy and Steve La Row, with handling the incident correctly, especially since the suspects were considered armed and dangerous. The suspects had driven to the Goddard neighborhood apparently because they knew someone who lived in the area.
“(The police officer was) just being vigilant in the neighborhoods,” said Houston. “That’s what happens with proactive policing. This is your police department.”
He said he has received accolades from other agencies on the handling of this incident.
“I’ve gotten calls from (state) troopers. They couldn’t say enough praise for our two officers,” said Houston. “I’m very proud of them.” |
