Johnson County murder trial begins

Olathe Johnson County prosecutors Monday began presenting evidence against a DeSoto man charged in the September murder of a 41-year-old woman.

Juan Crutchfield, 22, is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, aggravated battery, domestic battery and intimidating a witness.

On Sept. 4, 2001, Melanie Oliver was shot and killed as she slept in her DeSoto home.

Last month a jury in Johnson County District Court was unable to reach a decision in the trial of a second suspect. Jesse Guardado, 18, will be retried at later date on a charge of first-degree murder, a spokeswoman with the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office said. A date has not been set.

The trial date for a third suspect, Alfred Arambula, 18, Kansas City, Kan., has yet to be set. He also is charged with first-degree murder.

Bicyclist collapses, dies during ride

A Kansas City, Kan., man collapsed and died Sunday after riding a bicycle to Douglas County from Olathe, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said.

Results from an autopsy Monday were pending in the death of Jesse L. Blancarte, 37, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said.

About 2 p.m. Blancarte was riding with a 28-year-old man from Olathe when he collapsed on County Road 1061 near North 900 Road, about 4 miles south of Eudora, a sheriff’s report said.

Blancarte was suffering from a chest cold, sheriff’s officers were told. He was taken by Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police confiscate suspected marijuana

Lawrence Police arrested five people Friday night after a drug investigation led them to a residence in the 200 block of Alabama Street.

Patrol officers developed information that led them to obtain a search warrant about 6:30 p.m., Sgt. Mike Pattrick said.

The Tri-County Drug Enforcement Unit also assisted, as did a drug search dog from the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office, Pattrick said.

Officers confiscated what they think was marijuana but declined to say how much.

All of the suspects are from Lawrence. They are men ages 54, 19 and 20, and two women, ages 34 and 56. The suspects were taken to the Douglas County Jail and later released on various bonds with orders to appear in Douglas County District Court later this month. Charges could be filed by those court dates.

Adult KU classes to begin this month

The spring 2002 “KU for Lawrence” is set to begin.

The Kansas University Continuing Education offers public classes taught by professors.

For more information, visit www.kuce.org/kufor.

The class lineup for this semester includes “Early Music: Performance of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Music,” “World Religions: The Search for Meaning,” “Art, History and Culture: Understanding the Visual Record,” “On the Air: The Evolution and Influence of Radio,” “Latin American Mosaic: Tango, Magical Realism and the Global Market,” “Law and the Visual Arts: Rights of Artists, Dealers and Collectors,” “The Middle East, Central Asia and the World: Crucibles of Conflict,” and “Lawrence, Kansas: Phoenix in the Ashes.”