Decade of crime: Suspect in Kansas City, Kansas, officer’s death has long record
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- Dennis Mitchell’s decade-long criminal history includes drug crimes and fleeing police.
- Mitchell faces suspected murder charges in Officer Simoncic’s vehicular death.
- Repeated probation violations, missed court dates marked Mitchell’s legal record.
For more than a decade, Dennis Edward Mitchell III’s record of drug convictions, missed court dates, probation violations and repeat arrests followed him through the Kansas justice system.
That pattern ended in tragedy this week with the death of 26-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, police officer Hunter Simoncic. Mitchell, 31, now sits in jail awaiting formal charges for Simoncic’s killing.
Mitchell is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft, criminal possession of a firearm, and aggravated failure to appear.
The Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office scheduled a news conference for Wednesday afternoon — just one day after the officer’s killing — to discuss charges related to Simoncic’s death.
Investigators say Mitchell was the driver of a stolen pickup that allegedly swerved intentionally and struck Simoncic early Tuesday, who was outside a police vehicle deploying tire-deflating devices.
A gunshot detection system had alerted police to shots being fired near the 7700 block of Everett Avenue, which is close to the Kansas City, Kansas Community College, according to the Kansas City Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating Simoncic’s death.
Officers found Mitchell unconscious in a truck. Mitchell woke as police approached and fled, as officers pursued. During the pursuit, Simoncic was one of two officers in the 7200 block of State Avenue, setting up tire-deflating devices.
Mitchell allegedly veered toward Simoncic, striking him. Mitchell sped away and was arrested after crashing in the 6400 block of Kaw Drive, according to the KBI.
Simoncic was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. He did not survive.
Previously convicted of drug crimes
Court records show that Mitchell has previously been convicted of drug crimes and is awaiting trial in Wyandotte County court on drug-related charges.
The district attorney’s office charged Mitchell in December with one felony count of possession of methamphetamine and two misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Mitchell was released on $5,000 bond shortly before Christmas. After he failed to appear in court in late February, a bench warrant was issued but was set aside when Mitchell appeared in early March.
After Mitchell failed to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 1, his bond was forfeited and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested in early June and posted a new bond of $7,500.
Mitchell failed to appear for another hearing on July 1. His bail bonds company notified the court that Mitchell was being held in Fremont County jail in Iowa. The bail bonds company requested that the bond be released, and the request was granted, according to court records. A bench warrant was issued for Mitchell, and his bond was raised to $10,000.
Previously, in the fall of 2014, he pleaded guilty to felony drug possession in two cases and was granted probation in lieu of a 15-month prison sentence.
Mitchell, however, violated his probation several times. Judges revoked his probation in both cases and ordered him to serve his prison time in December 2018 for the Wyandotte County conviction and in March 2019 for the Johnson County conviction. He was granted supervised release the following year, and his sentence expired in June 2020, according to the Kansas Departments of Corrections records.
Repeatedly granted probation in lieu of prison
Court records show that Mitchell has also been charged in the past with fleeing from police, fleeing from an accident, and reckless driving.
In March 2020, Mitchell was charged in Wyandotte County with fleeing or attempting to elude an accident, interference with a law enforcement officer, failing to provide required information/aid at an accident scene, and reckless driving.
He pleaded guilty in October 2021 to the charge of fleeing an accident. The other charges were dismissed.
He was granted probation in lieu of a 13-month prison sentence. His probation expired in April 2023, and the case was subsequently closed, according to court documents.
In December 2021, Mitchell was charged in Ellsworth County with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, a felony, and reckless driving and driving while suspended, both misdemeanors. He was also cited for speeding.
He pleaded guilty to fleeing a police officer and driving while suspended in January 2022. He was granted intensive supervised probation in lieu of 12 months in prison on both convictions, which were to run concurrently.
In December 2022, he pleaded guilty in Jackson County court to one felony count of resisting arrest, detention, or stop by fleeing a police officer, creating a substantial risk of serious injury or death. The charge stemmed from an incident in March 2020.
He was sentenced to six days in jail to run concurrently with the cases in Wyandotte and Ellsworth counties.
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 1:52 PM.
