KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Topeka man was sentenced Friday in Leavenworth County to 32 months for charges of aggravated battery, driving while a habitual violator and transporting an open container.
In February 2019, an off-duty Leavenworth Police Department Officer was driving home when she saw a black Jeep Renegade speeding and driving erratically, according to a release from Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson.
The Jeep was driven by Dean Edward Conner, 37, whose sentences for driving while a habitual violator and transporting an open container will run concurrently with the aggravated battery sentence.
The officer called the non-emergency dispatch line to get an officer to respond to the Jeep, and she followed Conner giving the dispatchers updates of his location.
Conner stopped his vehicle on Wilson Street and got out and urinated on the side of the road, according to the release.
The off-duty officer approached Conner in her unmarked police car and tried to get his attention.
"Conner got back into the Renegade, and began to reverse at a high rate of speed, towards the officer. The officer had to put her vehicle in reverse to avoid being hit, for over a block," the release said. "She was able to turn around, but Conner continued to follow her in the Renegade, striking the back of her vehicle twice, and causing significant property damage."
LPD found Conner later that day on a nearby VA campus.
“We are lucky to have some of the best law enforcement," Thompson said in the release. "The fact that even while off-duty, they are willing to put themselves in harms way to protect our community shows their dedication to keep all of us safe.”
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