Staff writer
Hillsboro Police Chief Dan Kinning said the department has dealt with many child custody disputes in the last month. He said 12 cases were called in, three of which required serious police intervention.
The disputes usually occur when one parent is arriving to pick up the children and the other parent will not release the children into his or her custody.
“They’re very difficult,” Kinning said. “Each side makes accusations against each other. People who get divorced usually hate each other.”
If a child arrives to one parents home with bruises, often the other parent accuses the other of abuse. Sometimes there is abuse and the department has to intervene.
“It’s really difficult for us to show up every time there’s a child exchange and be referees,” Kinning said.
Kinning said the department usually deals with about two child custody disputes a week, but recent cases have been more involved.
“Normally, we hope the courts help us,” Kinning said.
The Hillsboro Chief said some cities have established Child Exchange and Visitation Centers — Hutchinson, Emporia, and Wichita for example. He said it may not be feasible for Hillsboro to have such a center.
Check forgeries
Hillsboro Police are investigating multiple check forgery cases in Hillsboro, 35 check forgeries total One case has over 20 charges.
“Every one is a forgery,” Kinning said. “You could be looking at a lot of time.”
Kinning said officers have mainly been conducting interviews with business owners and other individuals that accepted bad checks. They are also checking video at various locations — banks and convenience stores — for more evidence.
“We’ve caught a lot of people in the liquor store stealing,” Kinning said. “They have a really good camera system.”
The Hillsboro Chief also said the department has been analyzing handwriting on the checks and may bring in a handwriting expert from the state.
In other cases:
- A man from Durham was assaulted in Salina but did not know the extent of his injuries until visiting Hillsboro Community Hospital Dec. 19. Kinning said the victim was looking for a friend when he was jumped. He is choosing not to press charges because he did not see the assailant and cannot remember the exact location of the crime.
- In the northeast corner of Hillsboro, on Washington and Jefferson streets, lewd messages were left on vehicles Jan. 2 and 3. The messages included a woman’s phone number, which officers checked and is an active number. “It was a prank, but it’s not so funny if you’re the victim.”
- A missing person reported Jan. 5 was found Jan. 7. Kinning said the 27-year-old female just did not want to be found.