67°F
weather icon Clear

Judge dismisses charges against Kansas water park where boy died

TOPEKA, Kan. — A judge has dismissed criminal charges against a Kansas water park owner and the designer of a 17-story slide on which a 10-year-old boy was decapitated in 2016.

The Kansas City Star reports that Wyandotte County Judge Robert Burns found Friday that state prosecutors showed grand jurors inadmissible evidence in dismissing second-degree murder charges against Schlitterbahn Water Park owner Jeff Henry and designer John Schooley. The judge also dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against operations manager Tyler Miles.

State prosecutors didn’t immediately return phone and email messages. They alleged that shoddy planning and maintenance led to Caleb Schwab’s death on a special day for elected officials. Caleb’s father is Scott Schwab, a state lawmaker who’s now Kansas secretary of state.

Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio says the company is working on a statement.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Hamas accepts proposal for cease-fire in war with Israel

Hours later, Israel launches strikes on Rafah, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says talks on cease-fire agreement will continue.

Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended

The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo after “in-depth and serious discussions,” the Hamas terrorist group said Sunday.

Slow UCLA response to violence questioned

LOS ANGELES — On the morning before a mob attacked a pro-Palestinian student encampment at UCLA, campus Police Chief John Thomas assured university leadership that he could mobilize law enforcement “in minutes” — a miscalculation from the three hours it took to actually bring in enough officers to quell the violence, according to three sources.