On December 28, 2016, a detention deputy reported being the victim of a sexual assault and the suspect was a detention deputy. Upon receiving the report, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office conducted a full criminal investigation. The case was presented to the District Attorney’s Office for charging. No charges were filed in this case.
Subsequently, a Professional Standards investigation was conducted into this matter and both deputies received discipline for policy violations. The violations were not related to the sexual assault allegation.
In early 2020, the deputy that reported the sexual assault applied to be a commissioned deputy with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. Part of the hiring process is an interview with a background investigator. On June 23, 2020, a background investigator conducted the interview with the applying deputy. During the interview, the deputy admitted to filing a false police report to detectives about the December 2016 sexual assault report.
Because making a false report is a crime, a criminal investigation was initiated on June 25, 2020, for Interference with LEO under K.S.A 21-5904, which is a felony crime. Interference with law enforcement. K.S.A. 21-5904 subsection (a)(1)(C) states: “Interference with law enforcement is falsely reporting to a law enforcement officer, law enforcement agency or state investigative agency any information, knowing that such information is false and intending to influence, impede or obstruct such officer’s or agency’s duty.” The deputy, LeAnn Schlicher, was booked into the Sedgwick County Detention Facility on June 26, 2020 and has been relieved of her duties. Ms. Schlicher has served as a detention deputy with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office since 2015.
Due to recent national issues being raised about law enforcement protecting their own or not investigating their own, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office believes it is important to show the Sheriff’s Office has consistently taken every report seriously and completes full investigations made against its employees. Upon receiving the December 2016 report, a criminal and internal investigation was conducted on the sexual assault claim. The victim of that claim has now admitted she did not tell the truth when she initially reported a felony crime had been committed.
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is a professional organization that honors our core values of Integrity, Duty, Ethics, Attitude, Leadership and Service. The Sheriff’s Office takes pride in demonstrating these values on a daily basis. Every alleged complaint is taken seriously and is investigated either criminally or internally, including false complaints of misconduct.
Deputies are not above the law and the Sheriff’s Office will always investigate any crime with the due diligence that the public entrusts in us.
No more comments will be made by the Sheriff’s Office and all other inquires will need to be made to the District Attorney’s Office.