Atchison police handle weekend of disturbances, theft and drug arrests

Atchison police spent a weekend moving from a disturbance call to theft allegations and then to two more drug arrests, a run that left three separate cases in jail and showed how quickly public-safety problems can spread across town. Chief Mike Wilson said the calls began Friday and continued into early Sunday, with officers dealing with disturbances, a retail theft investigation and multiple fentanyl-related arrests.

The first major confrontation came shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday in the 600 block of South 7th Street, where officers took 50-year-old Sarah Crawford of Atchison into custody on a criminal trespass allegation. Wilson said Crawford allegedly tried to bite an officer while being arrested and resisted officers, which added assault on a law enforcement officer and interference with law enforcement to the case. She was booked into the Atchison County Jail, and bond was set at $2,500.

Friday evening brought police to Walmart at 1920 U.S.-73 in Atchison for a theft complaint that widened into a drug case. Officers arrested 34-year-old Christian Chavez of St. Joseph, Missouri, on a requested theft charge. During the investigation, police also found 43-year-old Mindy Kay, also of St. Joseph, in a vehicle outside the store and allegedly discovered fentanyl and drug paraphernalia, leading to drug-related charges. Both women were booked into the county jail and later released on bond.

The weekend’s final major call came around 5 a.m. Sunday at Dam 1 at 3rd and Harper Drive, where officers checked on a parked vehicle and arrested 26-year-old Sidney Darrenkamp and 44-year-old Marsoleno Ryland. Police allegedly found fentanyl, additional drugs and paraphernalia in that case, and both men were booked into jail and remained in custody Sunday night.

For Atchison, the pattern matters as much as the individual arrests. The city’s police department, led by Wilson, handles patrol, investigations, proactive community service and specialized units including K-9, Special Response Team, motorcycle patrol and bicycle patrol. In a county of more than 16,000 people, the weekend’s calls showed officers juggling disorder, theft and narcotics issues in commercial, residential and public spaces at nearly the same time.