A rural Lawrence man mysteriously gunned down at his home more than two years ago was allegedly involved in a massive marijuana distribution scheme that is sending several of his co-conspirators including a Baldwin pilot to federal prison.
Several men convicted of conspiring with Clarence E. Rinke to sell about 220 pounds of marijuana in Kansas and Ohio are going to jail.
But despite successes in the drug case, law enforcement officials say they are no closer to finding Rinke's killer.
"Whether this is going to help solve the case has yet to be seen," said Bill Delaney, a special agent for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The KBI has assisted Jefferson County Sheriff Roy Dunnaway with the homicide investigation. Rinke's farm is near 21st and Republic streets in Jefferson County.
Investigators remain tight-lipped about details surrounding Rinke's slaying.
But federal court documents on file in Ohio and obtained by the Journal-World allege that Rinke was part of a shadowy underworld enterprise and that the day before he was killed, he was in Omaha, Neb., taking part in a $10,000 drug deal.
Baldwin pilot pleads in drug case
With Rinke, then 55, on the drive to Omaha was Duane K. Nevins, a rural Baldwin pilot. Receiving the money was Dennis C. Witte, of South Miami, Fla.
Nevins, 55, 1716 N. 579 Road, and Witte later pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana.
Nevins was sentenced in October to 46 months in a minimum-security federal prison in Yankton, S.D. He did not have to report to prison until this month.
Witte is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28.
Rinke was named posthumously as a co-conspirator in the Nevins case. Rinke, Nevins and Witte were among more than a dozen people charged or named as unindicted co-conspirators in two separate but related northern Ohio drug cases. Most of the suspects were from Ohio.
The group had run a marijuana distribution operation that linked northern Ohio and Kansas since 1996, federal prosecutors said.
Assistant U.S. Atty. Joe Pinjuh, who prosecuted Nevins, Witte and others, said he became aware of the Rinke slaying about the time drug charges were filed. But he said his main concern was the drug case, not a homicide.
Day before slaying
According to prosecutors, Nevins, who owned a single-engine, 1978 Cessna R182 airplane, flew to various locations to collect money from other co-conspirators and for meetings related to marijuana deals.
Witte either delivered or had delivered large quantities of marijuana to Rinke in Kansas.
On Oct. 13, 1999, Nevins and Rinke drove to Omaha to meet with Witte. Rinke then paid Witte $10,000.
At 9:40 p.m. the next day, Rinke dialed 911 from home to report he'd been shot. It was the last time he was heard from alive.
Sheriff's officers responded but had to walk a quarter of a mile to Rinke's house. They were unable to get vehicles around an electronically controlled security gate at the entrance to the lane leading to the house. Once inside, officers found Rinke lying dead in the kitchen area. He had been shot once in the upper chest and shoulder.
Neither Delaney nor Dunnaway would talk about possible suspects in Rinke's slaying. Both also declined to comment about Rinke and Nevins being together the day before Rinke was killed.
"We're aware of who the players are," Delaney said. "It's no secret that Mr. Rinke was involved in the past with drug activity."
'Several possible motives'
Nevins was interviewed several times by investigators in the Rinke case, including at least once after the Ohio federal indictment last year, Delaney said.
"If anything came up in the Rinke case, we looked at it," Dunnaway said.
Delaney and Dunnaway also declined to discuss why Rinke may have been killed.
"There are several possible motives that we are looking at," Delaney said.
There are still people whom investigators would like to interview concerning Rinke's killing, Delaney and Dunnaway said. They wouldn't say who those people are.
The Kansas governor's office continues to offer a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Rinke's case.
Rinke owned River City Replicas in Lawrence. The business dealt with collector items such as knives, guns and toys. He was a gun and knife collector himself.
Before his alleged involvement with the Ohio drug ring, Rinke had a record of drug convictions. Drugs were found on his property the night of the murder, but Delaney and Dunnaway declined to say what they were.
Rinke was twice convicted and sentenced to prison during the 1980s for distributing marijuana.
Nevins' Cessna was forfeited to the KBI in September. Drug laws allow police to seize property used or gained from illegal drug activities. Estimated value of the plane is between $60,000 and $80,000.
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