Conviction upheld in Hutchinson officer’s shooting

The Kansas Supreme Court says there was no problem with jurors viewing a slow-motion video showing a man shooting a Hutchinson police sergeant in the leg after robbing a flower shop.

The court on Friday unanimously upheld the convictions of Willie J. Dale, who is serving a sentence of nearly 63 years in prison in connection with the December 2005 robbery and shooting. The charges in Reno County included attempted first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.

Dale’s attorney objected to the prosecutor showing a show-motion video from then-Sgt. Clay Rothe’s patrol car. Jurors already had seen a regular-speed version.

Dale’s attorney said showing the slow-motion video was repetitive and prejudiced the jury against Dale. But the Supreme Court said the slow-motion video helped the jury determine the facts of the case.