News
   Valley Center
   Park City
   Kechi
   Bel Aire
   School
   Sheriff
   Police & Fire
   Deaths
   Looking Back
   Heard on Main Street
Municipal Court
Sports
   School Sports
   Rec League
People
   General
   Birthdays
   Engagements & Weddings
Opinions
   Editorials
   Letters
   Commentary
Columns
Church
Advertising
   Classified
   Legal
Crime and arrests stun the community
By Chris Strunk and Matt Heilman
Last Updated: November 27, 2013

The crimes shook the community. The arrests left it in shock.

How could a young man we watched grow up be accused of such a crime? How could we lose his mother one day and then find out four days later that this young man and three others — including the son's biological mother — may have caused her death?

Melissa Bluml was laid to rest Nov. 22, her husband, Roger, was in a hospital bed fighting for his life this week and their 18-year-old son appeared in court Nov. 25, accused of shooting his adoptive parents.

It's an unbelievable tragedy, more than one Valley Center resident told The News as the story unfolded last week.

Tony Bluml, 18, was charged this week in Sedgwick County District Court with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated robbery, burglary and misdemeanor theft.

Facing the same charges are Kisha Schaberg, 35, of San Diego, Andrew Ellington, 18, of Park City, and Braden Smith, 18, also of Park City. Schaberg is Tony Bluml's biological mother. Ellington and Smith are former Valley Center High School students.

Roger and Melissa Bluml were found with gun shot wounds in front of their home in the 5900 block of East 109th North around 9:15 p.m. Nov. 15. Melissa Bluml died the next afternoon.

Friends and family packed the Church of the Resurrection in Bel Aire for her funeral Nov. 22.

As a show of support for the Blumls' youngest son, Chris Bluml, several Valley Center High School students attended the funeral, and many wore football jerseys. Chris Bluml, a junior at VCHS, was a defensive starter for the Hornets.

Jamie Wetig, president of the Sideliners booster club, said many people in the community want to help the Bluml family.

"What's great about Valley Center is just the support," Wetig said. "... We're still a tight-knit community."

Teresa Triana, parent of a VCHS football player who is close friends with the Blumls, said Melissa Bluml was a "calming and collected lady."

"She loved being involved in anything that had to do with the boys' sports activities or school-related functions," Triana said. "She and Roger would be at the football games, and you could always hear Roger's laugh and his sense of humor everyone would enjoy."

Triana said the Blumls were quick to cheerfully volunteer with the football and wrestling programs.

"It's hard to think that someone as sweet as her could be gone in an instant," Triana said. "The consolation I guess I can get from all this is that heaven has received a very special angel and find some peace knowing she's crocheting her little heart out up there."

Valley Center school district Superintendent Cory Gibson called Roger and Melissa Bluml "two of our great supporters."

"We continue to keep the family and friend in our thoughts and prayers," Gibson said in a news release.

Gibson said the district worked with the sheriff's office during the investigation to ensure student and staff safety.

"The authorities received our full cooperation and will continue to do so," he said.

The district had its crisis team available for students and staff.

"Our goal is to maintain a safe, supportive learning environment throughout this difficult time," Gibson said.


The arrests


The sheriff's office did not release much information surrounding Bluml's death or the investigation last week.

Capt. Gregory Pollock announced the arrests on Nov. 20, five days after the shooting.

The search for evidence continued last week at various locations in the county, including Chisholm Creek Park near K-96 in north Wichita and the rural roads around the Blumls' residence.

The News learned that Chris Bluml was the first to find Roger and Melissa Bluml in a vehicle outside of their home around 9:15 p.m.

For now, there seem to be more questions than answers regarding the circumstances leading to the arrests.

What's known is that all four suspects were arrested within a few hours of each other in the Wichita area and all four remain locked up at the Sedgwick County Jail.

The four made their first court appearance on Nov. 25.

Tony Bluml is being held on $500,000 bond.

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. David Mattingly said Bluml was arrested Nov. 19 at 4665 S. Broadway in Wichita. The address matches the location of the Value Place Hotel. Bluml's arrest also shows a charge of failure to appear in court and an additional bond of $2,500. Mattingly said he couldn't discuss the failure to appear charge because he couldn't disclose past criminal history of any of the suspects.

Schaberg also was arrested at the Value Place Hotel on Nov. 19. She is being held on a $1 million bond. Schaberg had recently moved to Kansas from San Diego. Her bond is higher than the other three suspects.

Ellington, a 2013 Valley Center High School graduate, was arrested at 995 E. 61st North in Park City.

That address matches the location of the Cracker Barrel restaurant. A manager at the restaurant indicated she didn't recognize Ellington's name and seemed unaware that an arrest had taken place on the restaurant's property

Ellington is also being held on a $500,000 bond.

Smith, also an 18-year-old Park City resident, was arrested at the Sedgwick County Courthouse, 525 N. Main in Wichita. Mattingly said he could only provide the location of the arrests and couldn't say why Smith was at the courthouse when he was taken into custody.

Smith is also being held on $500,000 bond. Smith was previously a student at Valley Center High School but did not graduate from the school.


The suspects


The arrests surprised many in the Valley Center community.

Some students and Valley Center area residents who knew the Blumls said they feared Tony Bluml was growing more distant from his parents since he graduated from Valley Center High School last spring.

Bluml had planned to go into the Air Force and scored well on a military aptitude test.

However, many saw a change in Bluml after a couple of run-ins with the law this summer. Bluml was arrested in June on a charge of assault and was booked into jail in July on a DUI charge. Both arrests occurred in Wichita.

Friends say Melissa Bluml's worst fear was for her son to get mixed up with his biological mom again.

Tony Bluml and Schaberg had connected through social media and Bluml was allegedly living with Schaberg in California for several weeks.

Schaberg and Bluml returned to Kansas about a week and a half before the shooting.

Friends said Roger and Melissa Bluml went out to dinner with Tony, Schaberg and Schaberg's young daughter on Nov. 15, hours before the Blumls were shot.

Roger and Melissa Bluml adopted the boys when Tony was about 6 years old and Chris was about 4, friends said. Tony Bluml's first year in Valley Center schools was first grade at West Elementary.

Friends remember how proud the Blumls were of their sons. Melissa Bluml was like a mom with newborns, friends said.

That love grew through the years as both parents supported their sons in school activities and athletic events.

Both boys were active in sports. Tony Bluml was a starting defensive lineman for the football team. As a junior, he fought for a varsity spot on the wrestling team and then placed second in the state as a senior.

The Blumls rarely missed a football game or wrestling match.

Ellington also graduated from Valley Center High School in 2013. He played golf for four years at VCHS and was an honor roll student through middle school.

Friends described him as a good kid who got mixed up with the wrong crowd.

Students said Ellington was a homecoming or prom king candidate as a senior but was removed from the voting process because of a Twitter post he allegedly made about smoking marijuana.

Smith was a student at Valley Center High School as a freshman during the 2009-10 school year.

Tony Bluml and Smith played on the junior varsity baseball team together. Smith also was active in middle school sports. He apparently left the school in 2010 and didn't return.

According to a resume she posted online, Schaberg was a caregiver for an in-home support services company in San Diego until Dec. 2012. She previously worked as a clerk at a gas station in Columbia, Mo., from December 2010 until September 2011 after working as a certified nurse aid from February to June 2008 at Fairview Nursing in Sedalia, Mo., and at HCR Manor Care in Butler, MO., from July 2009 to July 2010

Schaberg's Facebook page says she attended UEI College in Huntington Park, Calif., and was from Pasadena, Calif., where she attended high school.

An ABC News affiliate in San Diego said she had recently moved to Kansas after breaking up with her girlfriend.





Trending Stories
Legals SEDGWICK COUNTY PUBLIC NOTICE

Valley Center Contact The Ark Valley News

Valley Center Wrapped in love

Valley Center City trims street projects

Valley Center Student enrollment sees a small dip

Other Sections
News

Sports

People

Columns

Opinion

Contact Ark Valley News | Archives