South KC neighborhood tracks property crime ring but left with frustration

By Ben McCarthy

In July, Melesa Johnson, the new Jackson County prosecutor, issued a press release highlighting various successes that had been achieved six months into her tenure.

Johnson is quoted as saying the office has more than doubled its case filing rate from January to March, while maintaining “exceptional conviction rates.” She claimed the office secured guilty pleas in 65% of disposed cases and guilty verdicts in 99% of cases that went to trial.

The press release also mentioned property crime, stating that the Crime Strategies Unit had worked with law enforcement to charge five members of a burglary ring responsible for numerous small business burglaries across the community.

But one such case has gone unprosecuted despite seemingly heavy evidence, and it has left some residents in south Kansas City frustrated.

In late March, Lauren Bell’s south Kansas City home was burned beyond repair due to a kitchen fire. Bell and her partner, Travis Brown, attempted to salvage everything they could from the charred structure.

Little did they know that their home, resting just north of Highway 150, was also in the crosshairs of a small group of criminal suspects, who were about to seize what was left of their life off 139th and Prospect.

In June, Brown would have his GoKart (a black “Yerf Dog Predator 459CC”) and a red Kawasaki motorcycle lifted from the property.

Though those vehicles have still not been returned, sightings of them around town began very quickly, and not far from the scene of the crime.

The GoKart was spotted by Brown near 131st and Holmes Rd. It was being driven by a woman. “She was swerving all over the place,” he says.

The woman was identified as a nearby resident with ties to two men who had also been spotted driving both of Brown’s stolen vehicles. (The names have been withheld.) All have a long criminal record, according to police records. Those rap sheets center on drugs and property theft.

A few months later, on July 31, Brown’s red Dodge Ram truck that he had been restoring was stolen from his yard. Brown said that a government-owned fence in his backyard was cut to allow entry from 150 highway.

Security footage from nearby homes, and local businesses, shows the same two men driving the easy-to-spot red truck. The truck was missing the bed of the vehicle, which still sits in the backyard of Brown and Bell’s burned home.

At that point, police identified at least one of the men as a chief suspect in the truck heist. He, as well as the woman and male friend, were also listed as chief suspects in a police report for the earlier incident.

Bell attempted to reach out to the suspects themselves, and was considering an offer if they returned everything without further incident.

“The only response I received was a threatening text message,” Bell said.

Kansas City Police located an abandoned property at 125th and Holmes Rd. full of stolen cars, including a very peculiar looking, red Dodge Ram truck.

Brown’s bedless truck has since been moved to a repair facility in Independence. The transmission is effectively ruined, and the truck will likely never run again.

To Brown and Bell, all their evidence produced an open and shut case.

On August 9th, they received word from Jackson County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, Jonah Hall. The Jackson County Prosecutor’s office declined to proceed with charges stemming from the incident, citing a lack of credible evidence that the men knew the items were stolen.

One September 25, the case involving the stolen Dodge Ram was also dismissed.

Other neighbors expressed concern. One, who asked not to be named, acknowledged that the neighborhood has changed.

“I’ve lived here since 1997, and I only remember two other instances of (crime) before this year,” she said.

She’s not expecting any favors from the prosecutor’s office.

“We know that things aren’t going to get prosecuted unless it’s a ‘violent’ crime,’” Tara said. “(The prosecutor’s office) also knows that these kinds of ‘non-violent’ activities just function like a gateway to bigger crimes.”

Andrew Wachtel has a backyard that almost connects to that of Bell and Brown. He, too, lost his home in an accidental fire, albeit back in 2020. Like his former neighbors, items from his property have recently turned up missing.

“I thought it was hidden away, just like (Travis Brown’s) truck,” Wachtel said. “It’s definitely someone who was already back here with intimate knowledge of things.”

Unlike his neighbors, he’s chosen not to call in the theft, despite losing high ticket items, like a 150-gallon fuel cell.

“I’ve already turned in multiple police reports after a few ‘hit and runs’ happened, and both were caught on camera,” Wachtel said. “In the grand scheme of things, I’m not reporting this (theft) because they’re not gonna do a damn thing about it.”

Brown and Bell’s Kawasaki has since been found at a property off 232nd and State Line Road, painted black. The GoKart has yet to be recovered.

All three suspects are being prosecuted in nearby counties for stolen property and other crimes.