For those who didn’t follow the story back in May – either on KCC or local news – Leawood teen Eric Kaplan is a Blue Valley North graduate accused of stalking two women…
He followed one woman from an Overland Park grocery store. As she was leaving the store, Kaplan was walking in, made eye contact with her, turned and went back to his car. She thought that odd and, within moments realized she was being followed.
Smart enough to not drive down the street to her home, she intentionally turned down a cul-de-sac to determine if her suspicion was correct. When doing the requisite U-turn at the end of the street it gave her not only confirmation she was being followed but also his alleged intention as she could see he was wearing a ski mask while driving a late model BMW.
This might be considered normal behavior in Raytown, not so much in Joco.
The woman called police and they stayed on the line with her asking that she drive by the police station where officers were waiting in their cars. Kaplan was stopped, arrested and they found condoms, lube, rope and gloves in his back seat. I dunno, but think that’s what they sometimes call probable cause.
I wrote a couple of stories on the topic and promised to stay on the case.
I have gotten several comments lately – mostly negative – asking when I would follow up on the Kaplan story. I can’t count the emails I’ve gotten from people who live in Kaplan’s neighborhood providing information and coworkers of victims as well. Even one from a third alleged victim. All of them asking me to please not drop this story.
I should have written something sooner but was prompted to do so today after yet another email request.
First, let me assure you that I’ve been on the story and haven’t forgotten it. However, to date it’s been like watching paint dry.
Let me explain how the court works in cases such as this.
There are two cases, one with multiple charges from the first incident; Reckless Stalking, Misdemeanor Possession and Drug Paraphernalia. The second case is for one count of Reckless Stalking.
Mr. Kaplan was arraigned on the first charges May 29th. A few days later, rumors surfaced about a second potential victim. She talked to police, told her story and on June 11th, young Kaplan was arraigned a second time for the girl behind door number two on a single count of Reckless Stalking.
Since that date, there have been a total of six hearing dates for the two cases. Two hearings each for the initial arraignment, two for “No Go Trial” hearings and two for Scheduling Conferences. Your Scribe has been there for 2 of them and will continue to be going forward.
On August 22nd and 23rd, Kaplan is slated to appear for two more Scheduling Conferences, two different days, two different female Judges.
Scheduling hearings last seconds and achieve nothing but kicking the can down the road.
The real meat and potatoes of the case will be coming up in 30-90 days when an actual trial date is set.
So rest assured, I’ve been there and I will continue to be there, because I think this is going to get really interesting before it’s done.
Meanwhile Kaplan is under house arrest.
Just wanted you to let you know, I’m still on the case, so stay tuned.
good…nothing like a blood hound reporter like you staying on this
very important case.
keep up the good work! We’re relying on you!!!!!!
Oh, Harley, we live for your next schizophrenic syntax. You contribute so much to this blog. Your greatest contribution, however, takes place in those gaps of time when you don’t comment at all.
“normal behavior in Raytown” Ouch.
I kid, I kid….come on, it’s just a little geographic humor! I live in Olathe, clearly Kansas’ version of Raytucky!
are either of those locations anything like what dana wright would call “banjoland”?
Mike; Dana Wright, now there’s a girl that would push you over the edge!
her laugh sure as hell does. but i’d hit it.
Mike, being happily married to a stunningly gorgeous girl and a totally monogamous relationship, I can’t comment on that. Other than to say, however (this isn’t a comment, just an observation, they are DIFFERENT), I bet you’re not alone in your assessment. One of the few guys who may disagree would be her man servant, Parks.
I bet she beats him like a red headed step child from Raytown!
Take that, red heads, step children and Raytownians!
lolz… oh that’s good. very good.
isn’t roeland park, where parks lives, a little raytown-ish?
but, lest we beat on parks too badly, he IS a member of Almost Kiss and apparently is quite accomplished on the drums.
I won’t be baited with your insults. Except to say that there is a lot of subversive behavior in wealth and the attempts to gain wealth. And to wrongly associate a primarily blue collar community shows a total lack of impathy for other people. A total lack of impathy is a symptom of a sociopath. Where do you keep you ski mask?
Wow, you really took that a little too far, Raytownian!
I said, making fun of myself, that I live in Kansas’ version of Raytown, Olathe. It’s pretty blue collar; and illegal Mexican. There’s geographic humor everywhere, nothing was meant insulting by it.
Sorry you saw that as sociopathic behavior as that sure wasn’t my intent. And, back when I was an avid skier, I didn’t even own a ski mask then, so my apologies.
I have empathy for a great deal of people, places and things. And “E”mpathy is spelled with an “E”. See? I even care about that!
Yeah, wrong to diss Raytown there, Paul. Independence would be more appropriate.
Geeesh, Still at Moms, I just can’t win today. I wrongfully tie in Grandview, even though I know 63rd doesn’t QUITE make it there, just to save Raytown’s feelings.
Then Raytownian wants a piece of my sociopathic ass for saying Raytown, even though I picked on my own town, Olathe, in the process. Now you want to bust my chops for not saying Independence, even though I agree with you. Most crack whores don’t have laptops out there while they are workin’ the stroll, so I wouldn’t have likely gotten any complaints.
Next it’s going to be SUTHERLAND ragging on me about saying “butt crack of Mission Hills!”
Chris Rock makes millions and can say “I’m not RACIST, I hate ALL you cracker ass cracker white people!”
I make less than half that writing for KCC and look at what I put up with by just picking on a town by name for the sake of humor!
Could you join me in the first verse of “Nobody Knows the Trouble I See?”
we’re starting to see the real Wilson with his comments.
the jackal is not made of the stripes we though it was.
very interesting!!!!
the comments on his stories are starting to reveal a pattery.
very interesting.
I thought it was hilarious and spot-on. You could have substituted the name of pretty much any ‘burb in MO or KS and it would have worked. But hey, what do I know, I live in Brookside.
Thank you, Andrew, I appreciate that. But in line with how comments towards me have gone lately, let me blow off some steam on you, you’re a big boy, you can take it. Your Scribe needs to vent……..
“Andrew, I’m not interested in the comment of a lily white white-man who wants to live in the sanitized confines of Brookside….. You are clearly a white separatist racist. Go comment with Harley and the other reprobates on TKC, you’d fit right in there.
Stop reading now and repent of your sins. You’re likely not even green enough to live in Brookside. I’m willing to be you slip some regular trash in your hoity toity Brookside recycle bin and laugh as the truck drives away.”
Thank you, I feel better now.
Yep, spot on! You’re pretty good at this. Much too smart to live in Olathe.
I know…. our REAL home is in Pensacola. I just dont get to “live” there yet. We are shopping for a place with a pool so we can “fake” water front in the mean time. I think you’ve convinced me, we’ll broaden the search…..
I do have one concern, would I have to fight harder at not being a racist if I lived somewhere that secluded? I would like to be within walking distance of Celina’s place, however… love love love it there!
Hmm, not sure. We actually do have a some (gasp!) black people here in Brookside and in Waldo as well. Latinos too. I know, I know, hard to believe. I am indeed lily white, so there’s that.
One time last spring, a door-to-door salesman ignored our “no soliciting” sign and tried to sell some carpet cleaner to my wife. She politely declined, and the guy offered to tell our neighbors that she was racist for not wanting to buy from a black man. He also suggested that she had told him to eat some watermelon or something; I was there but don’t remember his exact words. (Seriously, has there ever been a more delicious fruit dogged with so much racial tension?) She was all, “Sure, go ahead.” He seemed genuinely shocked that we weren’t excited about denying his ridiculous claim. (I guess we’re supposed to feel so guilty about being white and having a nice house in a nice neighborhood that we give money to every non-lily-white person we see. I mean, sure, we do have some liberal white guilt, but not that much.) He tried the same thing on a neighbor down the street, a woman who is married to a black man (who was not at all amused at this sales tactic), and she called the cops. And because it is Brookside, they showed up in about two minutes and told the salesman that he wasn’t welcome there. So make of that little anecdote what you will; hope it helps.
Andrew, what a great story. And never, ever feel an ounce of white guilt, that’s just the man trying to keep you down!
You think I sit on the balcony overlooking white sand, blue water and worry about not deserving that??? Not for a minute. I’ve killed myself to get where I was or am.
Unlike your “No Soliciting” sign, I have one on the front door, that I painted, which simply says “GO AWAY”, then in a tiny border around the sign, it lists specific groups of people its directed at; sale people, people I don’t know, you if I don’t know you, LDS, etc.
Thanks for keepin’ it real on the mean streets of Brookside, you are my hero. Any pools in Brookside…….?
Let’s meet down at Celina’s and have a drink some time!
I work in Raytown and used to work in the west end of Olathe. Culturally, Raytown about splits the difference between west Olathe and east Olathe.
Mike, hence me making fun of my own town! I wasn’t kidding!
Thanks again.
i’m from pv. but in my own little world, much to the displeasure of at least one of my neighbors (who really kinda deserves to be tweaked), i’m in Banjoland.
Mike T, its funny how people take offense to things, isnt it? Every area has towns they make fun of and you know what, good and decent people live everywhere!
Equally funny, you get people, mostly anonymous, one who is a regular, who decide they can pin down who you are as a person based on what you write. They could not be any more off base than when you make grand, sweeping statements about a town, like Raytown……
Some people claim to have J-school degrees but can’t even get a decent comment published, let alone actually… ahh….. “write” something.
Losers have to tear down those who are doing something, and its sad.
Doesnt matter where you’re from or what you do, its who you are when it comes to those you love and those who love you.
+1… hear, hear!
the really sad part paul is that it’s getting worse.
Indeed, you are correct.
no pugsley…they take offense to off color/snickering bad
jokes about other human beings.
now go back to selling boxes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and hearne can go back to counting his money in Lawrence
with his beautiful oriental wife.
Jesus, only an illiterate, uncultured dumb ass with positively no world view uses the term “oriental”. No one needs to insult you, you make yourself look worse than anyone else could with each new comment.
Lighten up Paul. You are only a victim of your own baiting. I’m glad to hear you retired the ski mask though.