- NEWS RELEASE -

Date: February 11, 2006

Subject: Two men charged in "funeral day" burglaries

Two men have been charged in a string of burglaries, at least one of which allegedly occurred in homes whose owners were at funeral services for family members. Dane S. Johnson, 32, and Landon N. Prothro, 30, both of Kansas City, were caught Friday night after a burglary was interrupted by the resident of a home.

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “These two men have been charged with a series of home burglaries, some of which we allege occurred while people were gone to bury members of their families. The burglaries occurred over the past few months, beginning in December.”

According to court documents, Johnson and Prothro were arrested by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department after a home burglary the night of February 10. The home’s resident confronted one of the burglars shortly after 10:00 p.m.

The Platte County Sheriff’s Department had already been conducting a saturation patrol of the area due to a pattern of burglaries occurring there, particularly on Friday nights. A deputy stopped Johnson and Prothro’s pickup truck. They were arrested, and deputies found what appeared to be various burglary tools in the truck’s bed.

A further search of the truck revealed items allegedly taken during the Platte County burglaries.

Platte County Sheriff Richard Anderson said, “We caught these suspects after increasing patrols in Northeast Platte County because we had seen a pattern of burglaries in that area, particularly on Friday nights. We work hard to identify crime patterns that affect Platte County, and that work paid off last night.”

Johnson and Prothro have each been charged with one count of first degree burglary and three counts of second degree burglary stemming from four separate crimes. They are each being held in lieu of $50,000 bond.

Anderson indicated that he believed a number of burglaries throughout the metropolitan area could be linked to Johnson and Prothro. He asked anyone with information regarding the burglaries or anyone who has been victimized by a burglary that occurred while at a funeral or wake to contact the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.

If convicted, Johnson and Prothro face up to 15 years in prison on the first degree burglary charge and up to seven years in prison on each of the second degree burglary charges.

The charges against Johnson and Prothro are merely accusations, and Johnson and Prothro are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.