Robert Larry Pepper Arrested for Child Abuse

A Kannapolis man has been charged with child abuse after EMS paramedics found a 12-year-old girl in a home with two drunken men.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office charged Robert Larry Pepper, of 2685 China Grove Road, Kannapolis, with misdemeanor child abuse and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Capt. John Sifford said EMS paramedics responded to the 2695 China Grove Road address to answer a call related to a fall around 1 a.m. Saturday.

Sifford said the paramedics found Tony Lavon Grimes, another resident of the single-wide mobile home, on the floor, apparently passed out.

EMS and deputies found Pepper drinking beer, unstable on his feet and the home "smelled horribly of beer," according to the report.

Pepper told paramedics he was plastered and needed an ambulance to go to the hospital.

Pepper’s 12-year-old daughter, who was also there, was described as upset and crying.

Deputies contacted the Rowan County Department of Social Services and stood by until a staffer arrived.

Sifford said the parents are divorced and the mother has custody during the week and the father has custody on the weekend.

Sifford said the child told officers that she slept in a recliner during weekend visits.

James Thomas Arrested for the Death of his 4-month-old Son

Update: The man arrested in connection with the death of his four-month-old son is now formally charged.

James Thomas made his first appearance Friday afternoon in Sedgwick County Court. A judge charged him with First Degree Felony Murder. That means that the death happened during the commission of a felony. The felony the DA accuses him of committing is child abuse.

His preliminary hearing is set for August Sixth.

Wichita police identify the four-month-old boy who died at Wesley Medical Center Tuesday evening as Zereon L. Thomas. The boy's father is now in custody, booked on charges of child abuse and felony murder.

Police tell Eyewitness News the father dropped the baby, then intentionally waited to bring him to the hospital. When the boy arrived at the hospital, he had several bruises and contusions.

"There's injuries to the head and to the torso of the child that are different ages," said Wichita Police Lieutenant Ken Landwehr. "We do not know at this time if there are any broken bones."

The boy was staying with his 31-year-old father in an apartment building in the 1000 block of N. Madison. Officers have been at that scene collecting evidence. Police say the father has five other children, many of them in other states. The father has never been charged with child abuse, but Lt. Landwehr says there are indications that injuries were inflicted upon children in his care.

The man's 12-year-old son was at the home at the time of the incident. That boy is now in the custody of family members.

"Any child injury, of course, is very difficult for everyone because they are our most precious commodity," Lt. Landwehr said, "Our children are what we do everything for as parents, and of course, as law enforcement officers."

An autopsy will be performed determine the exact cause of death.

The boy's mother was in police custody on unrelated charges when the boy died.

This is the 19th homicide for Wichita in 2009, the first involving a child.

David Eaton Jr Arrested for Sexual Exploitation

A 37-year-old Salina man was arrested Saturday on multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a child after police say child pornography was found on his computer.

Salina Deputy Police Chief Carson Mansfield said police investigated after receiving information that a computer belonging to David L. Eaton Jr., 811 Willis Apt. B, contained images of child pornography. Mansfield said police found 15 pornographic images on the computer that had been downloaded from the Internet.

Norman Kidd Sentenced for Distributing Child Porn

An Emporia man has been sentenced for distributing child pornography.

41 year-old Norman S. Kidd will spend 80 months in federal prison.

In March of 2009 he pleaded guilty to distributing the child pornography.

The investigation began in July of 2007 after the FBI found images of child pornography on Kidd's computer. They searched for the images through Limwire, a peer-to-peer file sharing program.