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head injuries, broken legFROM PAGE A1Gordon, 29,1103 S. Ninth, who was not wearing a seat belt when he crashed his car into a sport utility vehicle driven by Amanda Meier at the intersection of Bond and Santa Fe streets, remains in Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.He suffered a concussion, injuries to his head and a broken right leg in the crash, Norton said. A hospital spokeswoman said Friday that because he is under hospital protection, no updates w'ere being released on his condition.“I don’t think right now, in his condition, he’s an escape risk,” Norton said. “Otherwise, wfe would have somebody on him.’’Norton said that when the department receives notification from the hospital that Gordon is being released, he will be taken into custody.He said he hopes bond will be set high on Gordon, who faces a charge of conspiracy to distribute more than a pound of meth between Sept. 1 and Nov. 23.“I hope they keep him in custody and don’t let him out on a lower bond because he’s a danger to the public, as far as I’m concerned,” Norton said.Meier and her two children, ages 6 and 3, were not seriously injured when their vehicle rolled once and came to rest on its wheels. Norton said he was elated that Meier and her children, who were strapped into car seats, weren’t hurt.Also served with federal warrants Friday were Jason E. Vermillion, 33; Kacie R. Stimatze, 31; Justin J. Barke. 32; Shawn D. Vermillion. 30; and Jaime R. Pre-ciado-Rivera, 23. Shawn Vermillion and Preciado-Rivera already were in Saline County Jail when they were served. Patrick M. Young.30, who also was federally indicted, arranged to turn himself in, Norton said.Police weigh risksNorton said that when police planned how they wrould serve the warrant on Gordon, they had to weigh the risks associated with a possible gun battle at his house against whatever danger he might pose behind the wheel of his car.Norton said police had information that Gordon wras armed and had told others he “would not go easy” when officers came to arrest him on a federal grand jury indictment issued Wednesday.“We felt it was safer and a wiser thing to take him out by himself,” Norton said. “That seemed tactically more sound than using a SWAT team to hit a house and have a shootout.”Because of the “high probability of problems,” Norton said the task force decided the best approach w’ould be a felony traffic stop. In a felony stop, two officers in a patrol car pull a vehicle over and give instructions to the suspect through a public address system. Drug task force agents armed with the federal warrant watched the stop from nearby.“The goal was to have him step out of the car and give up, Norton said. In felony car stops, 99 percent of the time that is what happens, but this one didn’t happen that way.Gordon initially stopped when police pulled over his car as he drove north on Ninth Street shortly before11 a.m. He turned east on Bond Street and parked along the curb.“He raised his hands, but he didn't get out of the car,” Norton said. “He had a change of heart and took off.”He ran two stop signs before slamming into the SUV. After the crash, he exited his car but didn’t get far because of his injuries, Norton said. Norton said police believe Gordon threw out baggies containing more than a third of an ounce of methamphetamine and a small quantity of marijuana that were found on the street near his car.No weapons foundPolice found no weapons in his car — nor wrere weapons found in a subsequent search of his house, Norton said.Gordon did have guns in his home when he was among 16 people arrested Nov. 23 as the result of a seven-month drug trafficking investigation dubbed “Operation Full Throttle,” Norton said.State charges initially filed against those believed to be primarily responsible for drug distribution were dropped so that federal charges could be filed. In federal court, defendants can receive a substantially longer sentence, Norton said.“When you come across a case of this magnitude to serve justice, you need to do that, Norton said. “1 am very thankful for the federal indictments. Our community will be much better for that.”■ Reporter Erin Mathews can be reached at 822-1415 or by e-mail at emathewsCu salina.com.
Newspaper Details
Salina Journal
Salina, Kansas, US
Sat, Feb 13, 2010
Page 2
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Brianna J.
USA 15 Jan 2024
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