Manny Abarca issues statement after his arrest on domestic violence charge
Hours after he was arrested and booked on domestic violence charges, Jackson County Legislator Manuel “Manny” Abarca IV issued his first public statement on the situation that put him on the missing persons list for several days.
“This is a matter of current litigation, so, unfortunately, there is not much I can say about this case at this time,” Abarca wrote in an email sent to the news media shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday. “ However, I will say that I love my children more than anything, and I will always put them first. I hope that this issue is decided quickly so that the entire story can be told.”
Abarca was arrested Wednesday afternoon on domestic battery charges after a nearly week-long situation that saw his estranged wife, Alexia Garcia, pleading on Facebook for the return of their 2-year-old son and Abarca’s whereabouts unknown.
Garcia was granted sole custody of the boy on Friday by a Jackson County judge who issued a protective order at her request after an alleged physical altercation with Abarca the day before at his father’s house in Shawnee. The order also barred Abarca from contacting her.
Garcia hadn’t seen the toddler since May 28 and had reported him and Abarca as missing on Sunday. That same day, Abarca issued a statement saying the boy was with him and that they were in no danger.
“My son is now safe and home with me,” she said Wednesday evening after news of her husband’s arrest broke.
Charges filed against Manny Abarca
Johnson County prosecutors filed charges in connection with the alleged altercation last Thursday afternoon in Shawnee.
“Manuel Ray Abarca IV did then and there unlawfully and knowingly cause physical contact with (Garcia) in a rude, insulting, or angry manner,” the charging documents said.
Abarca’s father witnessed the incident, according to the documents. Shawnee police crime mapping data shows that police were called to Abarca’s father’s house in response to what was described as a domestic dispute.
Earlier Wednesday, Garcia filed a motion in Jackson County Circuit Court asking a judge to rule Abarca in contempt of court for not returning their son to her.
Kansas City’s prosecutor also filed charges against Abarca in municipal court Wednesday, accusing Abarca of knowingly violating the protective order by failing to return the boy to Garcia as of Monday night.
Abarca posted a $1,500 bond and was released from the Johnson County Adult Detention Center Wednesday evening, according to a spokesperson from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Abarca is in his first term as a member of the Jackson County legislature, representing the 1st District.
A hearing on the protective order is set for Monday.
