Man charged in Waldo attacks and sexual assault

The Jackson County Prosecutor today filed charges against 23-year-old James D. Kemp in the sexual assault of a woman on the Trolley Trail in June and an attack on a woman at a car wash near the trail a week and a half ago. We released a composite sketch last week of a possible suspect.

Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker today praised the work of KCPD's detectives and Crime Lab personnel on identifying and apprehending this suspect, especially given that the Waldo-area neighborhood already had lost much of their sense of security in previous attacks by a different serial rapist in 2009 and 2010.

The suspect arrested today lived and worked in the Waldo area. DNA and fingerprints linked him to the two latest attacks. In each instance, he wore all black clothes and a black ski mask, threatened the victims with a knife, bound them with duct tape and told them to shut up or he would kill them.

According to the probable cause statement, Kemp initially denied any involvement in the attacks, but he then confessed to both of them when confronted with the DNA and fingerprint evidence.

Congratulations to the officers, detectives, crime scene investigators and crime lab analysts who got this dangerous man off the streets and increased the sense of security for those who use the popular Trolley Trail. James Kemp is being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond.

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Suspect charged in recent Waldo rapes

Capt. Mark Folsom, commander of the Special Victims Unit, flanked by detectives, Chief Corwin and Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar at today's press conference.

Twenty-two charges were filed today in the rapes that occurred in the Waldo neighborhood from fall 2009 to early 2010. Detectives, crime lab personnel and prosecutors have worked months to build a strong case against 53-year-old Bernard Jackson. He also is charged with multiple sexual assaults in the same area in the early 1980s and had been in custody since May 2010.

Now that charges have been filed in the latest assaults, I get the chance to praise the tremendous job the men and women of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department did on this case. Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar said at today's press conference that this serial rape investigation had more talent and resources devoted to it than any case since Precious Doe.

Kansas City Police devoted more than 10,000 hours to the case. They investigated 955 tips and wrote more than 1,000 reports that totaled 10,000 pages. The Sex Crimes Section, Crime Lab, Narcotics and Vice Division, Perpetrator Information Center, patrol officers and countless others came together to find the suspect and quell the fear that had overtaken the community.

Speaking of the community, you deserve praise, too. The hundreds of tips you submitted helped with this case. In fact, detectives hope to hear again from a particular tipster who called the TIPS Hotline anonymously on Jan. 23, 2010, and described a vehicle seen in the area. We ask that this tipster please call 816-474-TIPS again so we can get more information from you.

This was one of our biggest investigations in some time, and the men and women of this department really stepped up. I'm very proud that we're another step closer to getting justice for the victims.

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Person of interest in Waldo-area rapes charged in four rapes from 1980s

On Wednesday afternoon, at about 4 p.m., officers arrested 52-year-old Bernard Jackson after a short foot pursuit. Jackson was inside a house in the 3200 block of Thompson, an acquaintance’s house, and officers saw him walk out the rear door of the house. When Jackson saw the officers, he fled on foot and was taken into custody in the 3200 block of Smart.

Jackson was developed as a person of interest in the Waldo rape investigations through good detective work using information and evidence gathered during the investigation. While investigating Jackson, detectives linked him to four unsolved rapes from 1983 and 1984 in Kansas City. He has been charged with those crimes. Those rapes took place in a very similar area and were very similar to the most recent assaults. The charges in these cases are: 6 counts of rape, 5 counts of sodomy, and 4 counts of robbery.

While Jackson is considered a person of interest in the Waldo rapes, additional investigation is necessary before he can be charged with those crimes. Detectives are still following leads in the case and analyzing evidence.


During the course of the investigation we received nearly 1,000 tips. Detectives have logged several thousand hours investigating these leads.


While our work is not done, I want to take this time to thank the community for their support and commend them for pulling together during this difficult time. I also want to commend the detectives and police officers who worked very hard on this case.

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Reward for information leading to capture of serial rapist up to $15,000

An additional $3,000 has been added to the reward fund to capture a serial rapist who has struck five times in the Waldo and Brookside areas from September 2009 to February 2010. The total reward now stands at $15,000. The recent donations to the fund came from the Waldo Area Business Association, Armour Hills Neighborhood Association and Vetta Studio 213.

Police have received nearly 800 tips on this case to date and encourage you to call the Crimestoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477) if you have any information you think could help solve the case. You can also submit tips electronically at www.KCcrimestoppers.com or by texting "TIP452" and your information to CRIMES (274637). You could be eligible for $15,000 in reward money.

Additional reward donations can be made to the Waldo Reward Fund at any UMB Bank.

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Serial rapist is not in custody

We have received several calls over the past few days from people who heard we’ve arrested the suspect in the Waldo-area serial rapes. Unfortunately, this is only a rumor. We have not arrested anyone in connection with the serial rapist case. We are still following hundreds of leads and doing everything we can to get an arrest as soon as possible.

However, in the course of this investigation, detectives have questioned some people about their possible involvement in the rape cases, only to discover they were wanted on other crimes or involved in other criminal activity. We have arrested those people for those unrelated crimes and are pursuing charges against them.

Believe me, we will be the first ones to tell you when the rape suspect is in custody. In the mean time, if you have information in the case, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS or the Sex Crimes Section at 816-234-5220.

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Answers to some questions raised in ongoing serial rapist investigation

Police continue to expand their investigation of the man who has sexually assaulted five women in the Waldo and Brookside areas since last fall. To accommodate the ever-growing operation, the whole investigation was moved out of the Sex Crimes offices here in Headquarters to the City’s Emergency Operations Center. We're now working 733 tips that have been submitted as of today.

An investigation of this size is bound to bring a lot of scrutiny. A few points to make:

First, detectives have talked to literally hundreds of people in this case. That does not mean the people they interview are considered suspects, persons of interest or anything of the sort. It is their duty to track down every lead they find, and they wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t.

Second, in the course of this investigation and many others like it, police have asked the people they’ve interviewed if they’d like to give a voluntary DNA sample. This is a DNA buccal swab, obtained by swabbing the inside of someone’s cheek with a swab like a Q-Tip to obtain cheek – or buccal – cells for comparative DNA analysis. It’s simple and non-invasive. This is a very standard, routine, investigative procedure. We ask many of the people we interview in most sex crimes and homicide cases if they’d like to give a DNA sample, often to eliminate them as a possible suspect.

And finally, a word about the composite sketch. When we first released it, we put out this disclaimer:

A composite is not a portrait of one person, but a grouping of characteristics to put people into a category that narrows the search and eliminates other groups. It is intended to place the focus on a smaller grouping of individuals.

That is very true. The sketch is not intended to be a picture of the suspect. It’s to put together all the things we know of what the suspect looks like into one place. So please keep that in mind any time you see the picture. And if you have any information that could solve this case, please call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477) or the Sex Crimes Section at 816-234-5220.

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Reward fund in serial rapist case doubles

A generous anonymous donor has stepped forward with $6,000 to double the reward fund in the case of the Waldo-area serial rapist to $12,000.

Additional reward donations in the case can be made to the Waldo Reward Fund at any UMB Bank.

TIPS Hotline call-takers encourage callers to provide specific information in their tips regarding possible suspect names, addresses, or specific vehicle and license plate information.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers Greater Kansas City TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477), TIPS may also be submitted electronically at KCcrimestoppers.com, or by texting TIP452 and your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Information leading to an arrest in the case could be eligible for up to $12,000.00 in reward money.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Latest update on the serial rapist case in Waldo/Brookside

I wanted to give you the latest update on the case of the serial rapist who has attacked five women in and around the Waldo area of town since last fall. The last attack was Feb. 22 near 69th and Oak streets. To date, we have received 590 tips that our detectives are investigating. More detectives have been added to work on this case full time for a total of 16, as well as three sergeants. Two officers on limited duty because of injuries have been assigned to the Sex Crimes Section to take phone call tips. Many are being referred from the TIPS Hotline because these tipsters don’t want to remain anonymous. They want to tell police who they are and everything they know. You can submit tips either way – calling 816-474-TIPS or Sex Crimes at 816-234-5220.

Police continue to offer personal safety classes. The next one is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 15, at the Central Patrol Division at 1200 Linwood. Because of the small meeting location, only eight spots are still available. To claim one, e-mail Master Patrol Officer James Schriever at james.schriever@kcpd.org. Officer Schriever said if that class fills up, he’ll schedule another class. Last week alone, 225 people attended KCPD’s safety classes. That’s compared to two people in the same week last year.

Finally, there has been a lot of racial tension involved in this case. Rumors have flown around on social networking sites and in e-mails regarding possible suspects. Yes, the suspect in this case is a black male, but that does not mean every black man who frequents the Waldo area should be treated as a suspect. People should familiarize themselves with the information available and look for suspicious behavior that matches the information, not just skin color.

And remember, the descriptions victims have given police of the suspect include some very distinguishing features like pitted cheeks, a bald head and a 6-feet, 250-pound frame. They also said he has a deep, smooth voice. One said he smelled like smoke, and another said he smelled like exhaust fumes.

Stay tuned to this blog for more updates on the case.

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Serial rapist case: an update and dispelling rumors

The case of the serial rapist in the Waldo and Brookside areas has received vast amounts of media coverage and been the subject of many internet groups and postings. This is both good and bad. It gets the information out there, but it also propagates fear, irrationality and rumors. I wanted to both update you on the case and address some of those rumors. First, the status of the case:

Five women have been raped in their homes in the Waldo and Brookside areas from Sept. 29, 2009, to Feb. 22 of this year. All the women lived alone and were home alone at the time. We have dedicated 10 detectives and three sergeants to investigate the case full time. To date, we have received 434 tips, and detectives are looking into every one of them. We also have culled lots of evidence from the scene of each sexual assault, and the scientists at our Crime Lab are busy examining and processing that evidence.

Our Metro Patrol Division officers are conducting extra patrols in the area. Officers who are not on another call or are not geographically far away have been going through the streets of Waldo and Brookside. The Metro Patrol Community Interaction Officer and other CIOs have received hundreds of requests to conduct home security surveys, and we’re training additional officers to help conduct those. Our officers continue to meet with community groups and are assisting the Sex Crimes Section with anything they need.

Now, I wanted to dispel some rumors that have cropped up:

• Rumor: Police are looking for a dark blue Chevy four-door car.
Fact: Police have no suspect vehicle description of any kind. If you see someone in any type of car acting suspiciously, call police.

• Rumor: Police are hiding what they know.
Fact: Once we realized there was a pattern to these rapes, we immediately informed the media, put it on our web site and this blog and took a number of other steps to get the information out there. However, we cannot jeopardize our investigation by disclosing what evidence we have or what exactly the rapist’s M.O. was during his crimes. Disclosing too much information could not only make the suspect harder to catch, it also could make it harder to prosecute him. We are trying to balance releasing information that can keep the public safe (like letting them know the rapist has entered through unlocked doors and windows and reminding them to lock their own) with information that could jeopardize the whole case.

For reliable information on this case, keep an eye on this blog and at http://www.kcpd.org/.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Vigilante justice isn't the answer

As I’ve said before, I know this is a very frightening time for residents of the Waldo and Brookside areas, especially women living alone. But that does not mean it is OK to put yourself at risk and attempt to take justice into your own hands.

Someone did just that last night and almost got killed. The man thought he saw someone who resembled the description of the serial rapist who has attacked five women in the Waldo and Brookside areas. That man followed the person he thought was the rapist into Kansas City, Kan. The man being followed eventually got out of his car and shot at the man following him. Police took the shooter into custody but have no reason to believe he is the serial rapist.

Being a vigilante is not safe for anyone. If you see someone suspicious, CALL POLICE. Police undergo thousands of hours of training and have years’ worth of experience to deal with these situations. The average resident does not. They put themselves at extreme risk trying to deal with suspected criminals on their own. Police will respond to your call as quickly as possible to deal with the situation.

And while we encourage everyone in the Waldo and Brookside areas to be on alert for the rape suspect, we do not want terror and panic to set in. It leads to irrational actions just like what happened last night. If anything, we want the people in these neighborhoods and throughout the city to feel empowered, not afraid. Track crime reports in your neighborhood. Attend a personal safety class. Get involved with your neighborhood association, become acquainted with everyone who lives around you, and look out for each other. Know that you have a highly trained and dedicated police force working around the clock to protect you. These calm actions will lead to real justice.

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Police doing everything they can to catch Waldo-area rapist

I know women living in the Waldo and Brookside areas are terribly anxious and upset right now about what's going on in their neighborhood. No one should have to live in fear in their own homes that they might be the next victim of a serial rapist. I just wanted those women to know that Kansas City police are not sitting idly by and letting this happen. We are devoting as much manpower as we can to this case (while still working thousands of other cases in the rest of the city).

Since the serial rapist resurfaced in mid-January, we have had 10 detectives devoted to this case full time tracking down the 286 tips we'd gotten up through last night (before the latest rape). Every single tip has been investigated. Our crime scene investigators and detectives have spent 12 hours and counting at the home of last night's victim - unusual for even a murder case - trying to find every shred of evidence they possibly can to identify and capture the suspect before he can hurt anyone else. We also spent considerable time at the scenes of the previous assaults. We worked with victims to develop a composite sketch of the suspect and have distributed that sketch as widely as we can.

We have conducted many additional patrols in Waldo and Brookside and have done numerous security surveys for residents who live there. (If you'd like a free security survey, call your patrol division's Community Interaction Officer.) Our officers have met with numerous neighborhood groups to tell them about the investigation.

We've also offered numerous, free, personal safety classes. In fact, one more is scheduled for this week from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Scottish Rite Temple at 1330 E. Linwood. This class will discuss personal safety at home and in public, self-defense techniques, protecting yourself from drug-facilitated sexual assaults, different types of weapons and a question-and-answer session. Crime prevention brochures also will be available.

With your help - the tip that cracks the case (the reward now stands at more than $6,000) - we can ensure justice is served to this despicable criminal and end the fear in this community.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org

Police investigating overnight sexual assault that could be linked to serial rapist

UPDATE: Investigators now say the suspect in last night's rape in Armour Hills is the same as that in the previous four rapes in Waldo. He entered the home of last night's victim through an unlocked window.
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Kansas City Police are investigating an overnight rape that could be linked to others reported in the Waldo area.

A 33-year-old woman who lives alone in the 300 block of East 69th Terrace called police at 2:55 a.m. today, Feb. 22, to report she had been sexually assaulted. The victim said she had been asleep at about 1:30 a.m. when she awoke to a heavy-set black male beside her bed. The man sexually assaulted her until 2:55 a.m. He left, and the victim called police.

Police are investigating the possibility that the suspect is the same man responsible for previous rapes in the same area both because of similar descriptions of the suspect and the similar locations of the crimes. Prior sexual assaults were reported on Jan. 23 and 24 in the 8300 block of Mercier Street and 10 block of East Porte Cimi Pass, respectively. Similar assaults also took place in the 7500 block of Summit on Sept. 29, 2009, and in the 100 block of East 78th Terrace on Oct. 11, 2009.

Police ask residents of the area to ensure their doors and windows are locked. In some of the previously reported sexual assaults, the suspect entered through unlocked windows and doors. Police also are available to conduct free security surveys of residents’ homes to point out possible security weaknesses. Contact the Community Interaction Officer in the patrol division in which you live (for patrol division boundaries and Community Interaction Officer contact information, go to www.kcpd.org) to schedule a security survey.

Victims of previous sexual assaults in the area described the suspect as a black male about 6 feet tall and 250 pounds with a bald head and pitted cheeks. They said he had a deep, smooth voice, bad breath and his clothes smelled like exhaust fumes. He told one victim he is 27 years old, but police believe he is older.

Police also request that anyone who thinks they may have seen anything – a car driving by or person walking – in the area of the assault last night call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). Officers will increase patrols in the area.

Police warn of possible serial rapist

PRESS RELEASE:

Kansas City Police are investigating two weekend rapes that could be the work of a serial rapist.

At 9:50 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, a man broke into a home in the 8300 block of Mercier Street and sexually assaulted the 53-year-old female resident when she returned home from work. Less than three hours later, at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, a man forced his way into the home of a 50-year-old woman in the 10 block of East Porte Cimi Pas when she let her dogs out. He sexually assaulted her and stole her jewelry.

Police believe the same man is responsible for both rapes. They also think the rapist could be the same man who broke into homes and sexually assaulted two women in the Waldo area last fall. Those incidents took place Sept. 29, 2009, in the 7500 block of Summit and on Oct. 11, 2009, in the 100 block of East 78th Terrace.

In the incidents last fall, the victims could only say that they thought the suspect was black, that he had a deep, smooth voice, and one said he smelled like smoke. The man told one of the recent victims that he was 27 years old, but police believe he may be older. He is described as black, 6 feet tall and about 250 pounds. He is bald with pitted cheeks, possibly from acne scars. One victim said the suspect had very bad breath and that his clothes smelled like exhaust fumes.

Police urge anyone with information about the suspect to come forward and contact detectives or call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. Officers will increase patrols in the affected neighborhoods, and police urge residents to take precautions and keep their doors and windows locked at all times.

Update on Waldo rapes

A blog commenter requested an update on the case of the recent Waldo rapes. Unfortunately, there has been little new information. Here's what we know:

The Sex Crimes Section is investigating two rapes in the Waldo area that are very similar. The first occurred on Sept. 29 in the 7500 block of Summit and the second on Oct. 11 in the 100 block of East 78th Terrace. Both happened between midnight and 3 a.m. The victims were awakened by a male suspect and subsequently raped. Detectives are pursuing possible leads and other investigative avenues. Patrol Officers have increased their presence in the area.

The suspect is described as possibly being a black male with a deep voice. One victim thought he smelled like smoke. Please contact the Sex Crimes Section (234-5220) or the TIPS Hotline (474-8477) if you have any information that may help identify the suspect.

We encourage everyone to continue to utilize crime prevention techniques like locking doors and windows, maintaining adequate lighting, and cutting back plants, trees and bushes that might obstruct views and provide hiding spots. Most importantly people need to look out for each other and call 911 if they see anything suspicious. Police can help with security surveys of your property. Please contact your nearest Patrol Division for this service.

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