Johnson County officials are ‘witnesses’ in mayor’s perjury case, with ‘no idea why’
More than 30 officials and residents in Johnson County are listed as “witnesses” in a felony perjury case brought against Shawnee Mayor Michelle Distler.
But of those who commented to The Star on Thursday, none can say why they were named or where the perjury charge stemmed from.
“I have no idea why I was listed as a witness or what I witnessed, or why my name was made public without me even being aware of what the issue was,” said Kevin Straub, a former Shawnee City Council member. “No police have contacted me. The sheriff hasn’t contacted me. I’m curious how my name got out as a witness to something.”
“I’m just puzzled. I really have no idea what this is all about and it’s very strange,” Councilwoman Tammy Thomas said. “It makes you scratch your head and wonder what in the world is going on. I have no idea.”
The Star spoke to six people on the witness list. Several others declined to comment or could not be reached.
The Star has requested the affidavit in the case, but it was not immediately made available.
And for now, the Johnson County District Attorney’s office — which brought the felony perjury charge against the mayor — has refused to provide details. District Attorney Steve Howe was also listed as one of the witnesses.
Distler, 47, was released on a $2,500 bond from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday. According to the criminal complaint, the Johnson County District Attorney’s office alleges that on March 7 — a Saturday — Distler did intentionally and falsely “subscribe as true and correct under penalty of perjury any material matter in any declaration, verification, certificate or statement.”
Her first court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Jan. 5. Distler has not returned requests for comment. But her attorney, Robin Fowler — who is named as one of the witnesses — said in a statement that the mayor “has cooperated fully in this investigation, and is disappointed that charges have been filed.”
Among the apparent witnesses listed in the criminal complaint are former Republican Kansas state Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, Shawnee City Attorney Ellis Rainey, plus personnel from 911 dispatch, the Johnson County crime lab and the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.
Shawnee Councilman Kurt Knappen and former councilwoman Tracy Thomas also said they are unsure why they are named as witnesses. Tracy Thomas argued that the taxpayers deserve to know more about the case.
“This hurts Shawnee,” she said.
Some others on the list did not immediately return The Star’s request for comment, including Councilmen Eric Jenkins and Mike Kemmling, City Manager Nolan Sunderman, Pilcher-Cook, and Pilcher-Cook’s campaign treasurer, Sheila Wodtke. Wodtke also served as treasurer for Republican state Sen. Mike Thompson, Pilcher-Cook’s appointed successor who recently won his election bid.
Thompson, who is not listed as a witness, also told The Star he is unaware of how the perjury charge came about.
Another apparent witness, Ray Erlichman, the author of the blog Shawnee Ray’s Ramblings, declined to comment on the case.
Distler has served as mayor of Shawnee since 2015 and was reelected to a second term in November 2019. She had previously served on the City Council.
While Distler has not responded to requests for comment, she has posted on her Facebook page this week, sharing quotations as she often does. On Thursday, she wrote, “The best way to succeed in this world is to act on the advice you give to others.”
City spokeswoman Julie Breithaupt said in a statement Wednesday that “The city was notified that the Johnson County District Attorney filed a charge against Mayor Michelle Distler on December 2, 2020. We want to reassure our community that city services and programs will not be impacted.”
The Star’s Luke Nozicka, Steve Vockrodt and Katie Bernard contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 5:23 PM.
