Tension builds between city and county leaders over marijuana ordinance

WICHITA — Tension is building between some leaders in the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County after the Wichita City Council voted Tuesday not to prosecute people who are caught with marijuana. While the district attorney’s office can control how many cases it will prosecute, Sheriff Jeff Easter says he anticipates a major influx in bookings… But criminal defense lawyer Dan Monnat says the system can handle the change, allowing the City to reallocate time and resources to other, more serious cases….

‘Dishonesty is always relevant to credibility’: Pending criminal cases could be dismissed following investigation

Just one day after Wichita leaders announced an investigation into the police department regarding alleged inappropriate and racist messages being shared by officers, the DA dismissed about 50 pending traffic tickets, 10 pending and nonviolent criminal cases, and reviewed 120 criminal cases that had already been resolved by the three deputies who were involved. Attorney Dan Monnat tells KAKE TV, “Motive, interest, bias, dishonesty is always relevant to a law enforcement officer’s credibility….”

Could there be charges in Cottonwood Complex fire?

What started the Cottonwood Complex blaze that claimed one life and destroyed at least 35 homes? Charges are a possibility since there has been a death in the fire. “The person could be liable for, even unintended deaths,” said KSN Legal Analyst Dan Monnat. “There are possibly two homicide charges that could be charged. One is second-degree murder… the other is involuntary manslaughter… (because) there is case law in Kansas that looks at unintentional consequences from a fire.

FF12 investigates inconsistences in records of man who conducted hundreds of autopsies in Kansas

WICHITA – A forensic pathologist who once worked for the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center conducted hundreds of autopsies for murders, suicides…even testifying as an expert witness… but inconsistencies have recently raised questions about his credibility and what should be done about it years after the fact. Dan Monnat suggests authorities should, “Organize a panel to review all the cases in which the suspect expert testified and review them to see if there are convictions that ought to be set aside… it certainly seems like this should be reviewed by a prosecutorial authority….”

So-called tax gap plan could let the IRS look into any account with as little as $600

The IRS wants to increase funding by $80 billion to go after tax cheats, but some say it could open your account and transactions to the IRS if you have as little as $600 in any account. Dan Monnat tells KSNW TV, “For 45 years, Americans have not had much right of privacy in their [they] willingly place in the hands of a third party like a bank,” but Monnat says that may not hold in the future….

Is the federal vaccine mandate constitutional? Local lawyers weigh in

President Biden’s federal vaccine mandate is getting both backlash and praise. “Constitutionally, it is uncontroversial,” attorney Dan Monnat tells KAKE TV…. “The federal government, as employer or contractor, has the same right as private businesses to impose non-invidiously discriminatory conditions upon its employees, particularly where they are designed to promote the public health.”

USD 308 Hutchinson scrambles to recover live stream of BOE meeting after Facebook takes it down

Facebook took down USD 308’s Board of Education meeting from Monday, where the board voted to mandate masks for all schools in the district. The district suggests they have been censored by Facebook, but Wichita criminal defense attorney Dan Monnat says, “So far, the United States Supreme Court has not held that Facebook has come to carry on such a public function that censorship becomes denied to it.”

Could vaccination requirements catch on in Wichita?

A couple of Kansas City bars are now requiring proof of vaccination. Could that idea catch on here in Wichita? KSN Legal Analyst Dan Monnat says, “Generally, businesses may require their customers to demonstrate proof of vaccination, and no one should worry that these requirements somehow constitute a violation of HIPPA.”