Belton man is accused of attempting to murder Johnson County deputy
Johnson County prosecutors on Wednesday accused a Belton man of firing shots at a sheriff’s deputy investigating a theft at a construction site.
Richard Dean Bird, 33, was charged in Johnson County District Court with attempted first-degree murder and theft. Bond was set at $1 million.
According to the Johnson County sheriff’s office, deputies were called early Monday to the area of 191st Street and State Line Road on a reported theft in progress.
When a deputy arrived and saw a man, the man fired multiple shots from a rifle at the deputy, who was not hit.
The man fled, and authorities scoured the area Monday morning.
Early Monday afternoon, after obtaining a photograph of the man from surveillance cameras, the sheriff’s office arrested Bird in the area of 175th Street and Nall Avenue.
| Tony Rizzo, trizzo@kcstar.com
This story was originally published September 24, 2014 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Belton man is accused of attempting to murder Johnson County deputy."