LARNED, Kan. — A Larned man arrested May 12th after getting into an altercation with a Larned Police officer was sentenced to 12 months probation Wednesday after entering a plea to reduced charges. Dustin Barnes pled no contest to misdemeanor battery of a law enforcement officer in return for dismissal of a felony interference charge and reduction of the battery charge from a felony.
According to Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett, Barnes had previously been convicted of disorderly conduct involving two incidents at Pawnee Plaza, at which time he was given a no trespass advisory. The morning of May 12 Barnes had been beating on the door of the Pawnee Plaza manager’s home and asked law enforcement to notify Barnes not to come back.
When the officer attempted to contact Barnes later that morning as he was walking west of the Edwards Park Public Golf Course, Barnes repeatedly punched the officer through the open window of a patrol car, which led to his being tased twice, the second time after he tried to walk away from the officer.
All of this was captured on in-car and body cameras, video from which has been posted on the County Attorney’s Facebook page.
Pawnee County Magistrate Judge Julie Cowell gave Barnes an underlying 12-month jail sentence and gave Court Services the discretion to order a drug and alcohol evaluation and made no contact orders against all named witnesses, directly or indirectly, part of the probation order.
