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Undercover sting yields stolen guns By Chris Strunk Last Updated: December 13, 2018 Three people were arrested Dec. 5 in connection with a string of thefts and auto burglaries in Valley Center and surrounding cities. Chief Lloyd Newman said the arrests were made after an undercover buy, two search warrants and hours of police work, including a 27-hour continuous stretch by Valley Center Sgt. Michael Gordon. "It's hard to say at this point how many cases we're going to clear up, but it's several," Newman said. Since late November, police have been investigating reports of vehicle burglaries in various neighborhoods. In some cases, weapons were stolen. On Dec. 5, the victim in one of the cases apparently saw his bow-and-arrow set for sale on an online site and contacted police. Gordon said plain-clothes Valley Center police officers went to the residence of the person who offered the bow and arrow for sale in the 2000 block of South Santa Fe in Wichita. Officers contacted a 16-year-old boy at the residence who offered to sell the items for $275. The victim was shown the bow, and he confirmed it was his. Officers arrested the 16-year-old on a charge of possession of stolen property. Officers also arrested two 18-year-olds at the residence. Jose Manuel Hernandez was arrested on a charge of possession of stolen property and drug charges. Mason Riley Slavenburg was arrested on a charge of possession of stolen property and drug charges. Valley Center police obtained search warrants for the residence on Santa Fe. Through the day and overnight hours, officers recovered other stolen property, including five firearms (one firearm was stolen out of Valley Center and two rifles were reported stolen out of Goddard), vehicle ownership documents, stolen identification cards and jewelry. Marijuana, cocaine, heroin and drug paraphernalia were also seized under the search warrant. Gordon said the case is still under investigation and will be forwarded to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office for charges when complete. Gordon said Goddard, Kechi and Andover police departments assisted in the investigation. |
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