KANSAS CITY, Kan. — An officer with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department is facing charges following an alleged incident in November 2019 in which he’s accused of lewd fondling or touching a child under the age of 14.
Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree announced Wednesday that 36-year-old Nicholas J. Schafer has been charged with two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
Dupree said the incident happened between November 17, 2019 and November 18, 2019.
Schafer was not on duty at the time of the incident, according to Dupree. He said Schafer and the victim knew each other.
He has been with KCKPD over a decade.
“Every crime concerning a child, it makes it even worse and then you add the layer of being someone who is supposed to provide that protection,” Dupree said.
Schafer remains in the Wyandotte County jail at this time on a $250,000 bond.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Dupree mentioned how the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis has caused many to reevaluate how things are run in the criminal justice system.
The news of Schafer’s arrest is unbelievable to people who know him.
“That’s just a dirty joke,” said neighbor Dale Miley. “That’s completely out of character for him and I would laugh in anybody’s face that would come up and tell me that happened.”
Clearly rattled by the news, Miley says the neighbor he knows is a nice, hard-working, considerate man, who not only protects the public, but also his neighbors.
“Nick and his girlfriend came over to the house and wanted to know if we needed anything when the virus broke out,” Miley said. “And I invited them in and they came in and set down and we visited for probably about 10 or 15 minutes.”
No one but dogs were home when FOX4 Reporter Shannon O’Brien wnet by Schafer’s house.
Dupree would not say if the victim is a relative or if officer Schafer met the girl through his position in the KCK Community Policing Unit, but says the alleged crime did not happen while the officer was on duty.
In response, KCKPD Chief Michael York issued the following statement:
“The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department was made aware of an incident involving one of
our police officers. The allegations were immediately forwarded to the KCKPD Internal Affairs
Division for investigation. As a result of that investigation, the Wyandotte County District
Attorney’s Office has filed charges against that officer. The officer has been placed on un-paid
administrative leave. As Chief of Police, I hold myself and my employees to the highest
standards. All complaints against members of our Department are investigated thoroughly.
Complaints about police conduct can be made by calling the Kansas City, Kansas Police
Department at 911 or 913-596-3000; or directly to the Internal Affairs Hotline at 913-573-
6373.”
This case is continuing to be investigated by the Wyandotte County District Attorney.
