...The girl said the abuse happened “a lot,” sometimes while Mike Akins Jr. was in his police uniform... The girls' mother asked Senior District Judge Ronald Innes to follow the state's recommendation for consecutive life sentences. She recalled how her children trusted Akins, who was in a romantic relationship with the mother when the crimes occurred over a period of six months in 2009. "Children are only children for a short time," she said, noting her girls had experienced two years of "fighting off a coward" who exposed them to sexual abuse... The 14-year-old boy testified Friday he disclosed the abuse after his mother and Akins split up because that’s when he felt safe...
FORMER INMAN POLICE CHIEF GETS 2 LIFE TERMS IN SEX ABUSE CASE
The Hutchinson News
By Darcy Gray
2/22/2011
[Excerpts] A former Inman police chief will serve at least 55 years in prison without parole for molesting three girls in 2009 in the small town southwest of McPherson. Mike Akins Jr., a 39-year-old Hutchinson native, was escorted from a McPherson County courtroom in handcuffs Tuesday after he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences under Jessica's Law, plus an additional five years in prison. A McPherson County jury convicted Akins last month of 15 charges he molested, inappropriately touched and solicited three girls, now ages 10, 11 and 15. He was acquitted of four charges, including allegations he also molested a boy, now 14, in 2009 in Inman... The girls' mother asked Senior District Judge Ronald Innes to follow the state's recommendation for consecutive life sentences. She recalled how her children trusted Akins, who was in a romantic relationship with the mother when the crimes occurred over a period of six months in 2009. "Children are only children for a short time," she said, noting her girls had experienced two years of "fighting off a coward" who exposed them to sexual abuse. Akins took an oath as an officer to serve and protect, but he only served his own "depraved" desires, she said. The mother noted he "still operates" on three social networking websites as if he is an officer, although "he has been removed from that privilege."... Innes said Akins betrayed the confidence of the children's mother and the confidence of the public when he failed to treat the girls as an authoritative figure or police officer. "He treated these children as a pedophile, and he is a pedophile ... any way you cut it," Innes said. "There is no evidence that he is in any way remorseful for what he did."... Akins told the judge the children "meant the world to me." He asked the judge to allow him to remain free on bond pending his appeal of the case... Innes said Akins' continued freedom "does present a danger to children" and denied the request. He ordered lifetime post-release supervision and lifetime offender registration for Akins, and no deduction from the sentence for "good time" in prison. He also ordered Akins to pay more than $6,000 to the Crime Victims Compensation Board. [Full article here]
LAST MONTH:
TEEN TESTIFIES IN FORMER INMAN POLICE CHIEF TRIAL
The Hutchinson News
By Darcy Gray
Jan 14, 2011
[Excerpts] A 14-year-old girl testified this morning she was sexually abused in 2009 by a man who was the Inman police chief at that time. The girl said the abuse happened “a lot,” sometimes while Mike Akins Jr. was in his police uniform... The testimony came during the third day of Akins’ trial in McPherson County on 19 criminal counts alleging he molested, inappropriately touched or solicited three girls and one boy, all between the ages of 9 and 14. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2009 in Inman, where Akins previously served as police chief of the small town southwest of McPherson. The 14-year-old girl was given a minute to stop crying before taking the stand... [Full article here]
KIDS TESTIFY ABOUT CHIEF: FOUR WHO ALLEGE SEX ABUSE DISCUSS FEAR OF SUSPECT; OFFICER SAYS AKINS GAVE ARREST REQUEST.
The Hutchinson News
By Darcy Gray
Published: 1/15/2011
[Excerpts] There were several pauses Friday during trial for a former Inman police chief, as three of the four children called to testify began crying. The four children – three girls, ages 10, 11 and 15, and one boy, 14 – all testified they were touched inappropriately by Mike Akins Jr. in 2009. Akins, 39, is standing trial this week in McPherson County on 19 charges alleging he molested, inappropriately touched or solicited the children in 2009 when he was police chief of Inman, a town of about 1,200 people southwest of McPherso... The four children each testified they told their mother about the abuse in December 2009 after their mom inquired, and the oldest girl later wrote about it in a diary... The 15-year-old girl and the boy, 14, both acknowledged they weren’t happy about their mom being in a relationship with Akins. They described Akins as being very controlling. Vivian Winter, who owns the Inman Ampride, said Akins used to call her when the 15-year-old girl would walk over to the Ampride with friends after school in 2009. Akins always asked who the girl was with and what she was doing. When Akins asked to be called if the girl was talking to any boys at Ampride, Winter refused his request, she said. All four children said they didn’t talk to each other about the abuse, and didn’t disclose the abuse to anyone, because they didn’t want to make Akins mad or were afraid of what he might do. The children’s mother obtained a protection-from-stalking order against Akins in December 2009 after they parted ways. The 14-year-old boy testified Friday he disclosed the abuse after his mother and Akins split up because that’s when he felt safe... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities lethal murder child abuse children kansas state politics accountability]
Someone emailed me:
ReplyDeleteI understand and appreciate what you are doing with your blog, but I felt it important to inform you about some recent events that effect one of the stories featured in your blog. There is an update/correction that should be made in order to provide factual and valid information.
Ex-Inman police chief Michael Akins Jr. has recently had his convictions vacated, and his case was remanded to retrial by the Supreme Court of Kansas. There is a strong possibility that this man is actually innocent.
Child sexual abuse is an extremely serious subject and there is already far too much false/inaccurate information out there that hurts both victims and the falsely accused. It is pertinent that as advocates for these situations we provide people with the most relevant and up to date information.
Here is a link to a news story about eh Supreme Courts decision:
http://www.pitch.com/FastPitch/archives/2014/01/10/kansas-supreme-court-reverses-convictions-life-sentences-of-ex-kansas-police-chief-mike-akins-jr
15 convictions because of "courtroom theatrics" as alleged? I doubt it. What a nightmare for so many people this is.
ReplyDeleteKansas Supreme Court reverses convictions of ex-Inman police chief
ReplyDeleteBy Tim Potter
The Wichita Eagle
Published Friday, Jan. 10, 2014, at 2:48 p.m.
The Kansas Supreme Court, citing prosecutorial misconduct, has reversed child-sex-crimes convictions of a former Inman police chief and ordered that he get a new trial.
In 2011, Michael Akins Jr. was convicted of 15 sex crimes, allegedly committed in 2009 while he was police chief of Inman, a town between McPherson and Hutchinson on K-61. The alleged victims were three girls and a boy, ages 14 and younger. Akins was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus nearly five years.
The high court’s finding was released Friday. Among other things, the court found that the prosecutor made improper comments to the jury. For example, the court found that the prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General Christine Ladner, was wrong to repeatedly refer to “grooming” of victims for future sex abuse when her comments were not based on evidence introduced at the trial. The state had argued that the prosecutor was referring to “grooming” only in its ordinary meaning, but the high court disagreed.
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office said Friday that it is reviewing the court’s decision.
Akins, who testified in his defense, denied the accusations. But the jury convicted him of eight counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, one count of attempted aggravated indecent liberties, one count of indecent liberties, one count of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child, three counts of indecent solicitation of a child and one count of battery.
Akins, now 42, is being held in prison out of state, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records. In the near term, Akins will remain in prison, said Dan Monnat, the Wichita attorney representing Akins in his appeal of his convictions. Monnat said Friday that he would also defend Akins in any future trial and would seek bond so his client would have a chance to go free pending trial.
The Supreme Court also found that the prosecutor improperly “expressed her personal opinion on the credibility of her own witnesses” and was wrong to “offer her personal opinion that the defendant’s testimony was untruthful.” Instead of citing specific inconsistencies in his testimony, she basically told the jury “that Akins could not be believed,” the court said.
The court added: “There was no physical evidence of Akins’ guilt, and he consistently and steadfastly maintained that he was innocent. So the jury was charged with deciding the case based on testimony of witnesses, making their credibility of paramount importance.”
In all, the court found three instances of prosecutorial misconduct. The state argued that the misconduct applied to only a small fraction of the trial, but Monnat contended that each instance of misconduct kept Akins from getting a fair trial.
“We agree with Akins that the prosecutor’s actions denied him a fair trial,” the court concluded.
In a statement Friday, Monnat said: “The court’s message to prosecutors in reversing Mr. Akins’ convictions is simple: If the state wants to send anyone to prison for life on grounds of sexual abuse, it must have the evidence to back up its accusations. Courtroom theatrics are not evidence.”
Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/01/10/3221083/kansas-supreme-court-reverses.html#storylink=cpy
I see no specific allegations of wrongdoing here or anywhere else. Unfortunate that his carrier was ruined with basically no shred of evidence but with mostly opinion from an overzealous prosecutor.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad justice ultimately prevailed.
Sure sounds like he beat the time on technicalities, not innocence.
Delete