How a UG Commissioner was cleared of 2019 felony after taking office years later
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- Judge dismissed 2019 felony charge against Commissioner Lopez in 2024.
- Court ordered $4,203 wage garnishment to satisfy Lopez’s 2019 state tax debt.
- Lopez faces multiple civil suits and a pending court date amid 2025 elections.
An ongoing civil lawsuit accusing Wyandotte County 6th District Commissioner Philip Lopez of committing political bribery isn’t the only legal dispute he’s faced in the two years since taking public office.
Court records show that since he took office in 2023, a Wyandotte County District Court judge cleared Lopez of a criminal charge dating back to 2019 on the grounds of prosecutorial discretion, which is a when a prosecutor has the authority to decide whether a case will move forward or not.
In that same year, another judge ordered the Unified Government to garnish $4,203 from Lopez’s salary as a commissioner to pay off a state tax debt from 2019.
In 2024, when the court ordered the wage garnishment, Lopez earned an annual salary of $28,419 for serving as a Unified Government commissioner, according to the Kansas Policy Institute.
In August, Lopez was also sued separately by Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC, for failing to pay $835 for credit card charges. He is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 3.
Lopez did not return phone calls from The Star for comment.
In two weeks, Wyandotte voters will decide who will serve in five of the 10 commissioner seats on the Unified Government Board of Commissioners. They will also select a new mayor.
In one of those races, voters will choose between two at-large candidates to represent Wyandotte County.
Lopez will face newcomer Andrew Kump for the seat currently held by outgoing 2nd District At-Large Commissioner Tom Burroughs. In the August primary election, Burroughs sought the mayoral seat but lost to Rose Mulvany Henry and Christal Watson.
Criminal charge dismissed
In 2019, Lopez allegedly wrote a check for $2,100 to Croft Rental despite knowing he did not have the money in his bank account, which is a felony offense, according to court records.
An arrest warrant was issued for Lopez in July 2019; however, he was not taken into custody until January 2024, five years later, court records show.
At the time of his arrest, Lopez had already served as a commissioner for about a month.
Lopez posted bond shortly after his arrest and appeared in court on Feb. 6, 2024. On that day, District Court Judge Renee Henry signed an order dismissing Lopez’s case due to “prosecutor discretion.” However, the criminal charge could be refiled at a later date, because it was dismissed without prejudice.
Prosecutors dismissed the case because the company that Lopez allegedly wrote the check to, Croft Rental, no longer exists, Jonathan Carter, a spokesman for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office, told The Star in an email.
“Due to the length of time in the execution of the warrant and the fact that the named business no longer existed in 2024, the case was dismissed,” Carter said.
Ongoing dispute
In August, a Kansas City, Kansas, woman filed a lawsuit against Lopez and his tree trimming business for attempted bribery, child endangerment, personal injury, property damage and interference with the insurance process, among other allegations.
Amanda Watson, who runs a dress-making business, is alleging that Lopez’s company, Arboles Tree Trimming, damaged her home’s rooftop after dropping branches on it earlier this year.
Lopez refused to provide his current insurance information to her and one of his workers endangered her son by showing him how to feed branches through a wood chipper.
That lawsuit will not be resolved until after the Nov. 3 election, a district court judge decided.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 4:29 AM.
