Manny Abarca’s wife asks judge to rule on alleged violation of protective order
The wife of Jackson County Legislator Manuel “Manny” Abarca IV on Wednesday filed a court motion asking that a judge find her husband in contempt of court for allegedly violating conditions of a protective order, online court records show.
The documents to support the motion had not yet been redacted and were not publicly available. A Jackson County judge on Friday granted a protective order that prohibited Abarca from making contact with his spouse and granted her custody of their 2-year-old son.
Records show Abarca was served with that order around 5 p.m. on Friday. However, Alexis Garcia and her son had not been reunited as of Tuesday evening, according to an update she posted on her Facebook page.
She filed a missing persons report with the Shawnee Police Department on Sunday afternoon and claimed on Facebook that she had not seen her son, Manuel Abarca V, whose nickname is Luca, since Wednesday and had not seen her husband since Thursday.
Shawnee police were called to the home of Abarca’s father that day after someone reported a “domestic dispute” there. Police have released no further details about that call for service, but The Star has requested those records.
Abarca issued a press release in the early hours of Monday morning stating that he and Luca were safe. Later that day, Abarca participated in the county’s weekly legislative meeting via teleconference.
But neither he nor Luca have been seen in public since the missing persons report was filed two days after the protection order was granted. Their whereabouts are unknown, and Abarca, who is normally very active on social media, has not posted anything on his X account since Friday. He did not immediately respond to a reporter’s text message on Wednesday afternoon.
As of Wednesday morning, both were still listed as missing persons on the Kansas Bureau of Investigation website. Abarca was not in his office at the county courthouse on Wednesday, an aide told a reporter as she exited the legislative suite.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the Shawnee Police Department said the missing persons case was still under investigation and that police had been in contact with Abarca and his son but not seen them in person.
“At this time, we have been in contact with individuals connected to the case and have received some information regarding the circumstances,” police spokesperson Emily Rittman said. “Although phone contact has been made, we have not yet had the opportunity to verify the individuals’ (sic) well-being through direct, in-person contact.
“While there is no immediate indication of danger, the investigation remains open out of an abundance of caution until we can independently verify their safety and well-being.”
According to court records, the attorney representing the boy’s mother filed a motion for contempt and show cause order against Abarca on Wednesday, presumably because the boy has not been turned over to his mother in accordance with conditions of the protective order.
Attorney Kristin Kay Jacobs Alexander also asked that the judge hold an expedited hearing to consider the contempt motion. A hearing on the protective order is set for Monday morning.
She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her court filing.
