Officer James Muhlbauer of the Kansas City Police Department was killed in a car accident along with his K9 Champ on 2/15/23 while on duty after a vehicle crashed into the K9 handler’s patrol unit. The accident happened at approximately 10:15 p.m. near the area of Benton Blvd. and Truman Road. A vehicle driven by Jerron Allen Lightfoot,18, of Tonganoxie smashed into the police cruiser, then subsequently struck a pedestrian, Jess Eckes, 52, who was pinned under the police vehicle who was killed walking nearby. Police K9 Champ died inside the back of the cruiser and the pedestrian died at the scene, while the officer was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the striking automobile suffered minor injuries. Jerron Lightfoot was taken into custody for questioning. Court records found that 5 seconds before the impact Lightfoot had been speeding at 84.9 mph, 2 seconds before he was clocked at 89.7 mph before he slammed on his brakes and hit the patrol vehicle at 62.3 mph. Lightfoot’s brakes were working when he ran through a red light southbound on Benton Boulevard and crashed into Muhlbauer’s vehicle as it drove east on Truman Road. K9 Champ, a three year old Dutch shepherd had been in service for about one year. Muhlbauer was a 20-year police veteran and had been a K9 handler for the past three years. Muhlbauer was married and leaves behind his wife of 12 years, Cassie, two sons Ayden and Christian and a daughter Mckenzie. Memorial contributions can be made to The Officer James Muhlbauer Family Memorial Fund set up by KCFOP Lodge 99: htts://unionly.io/o/kcfop/honoring-k9-officer-james-muhlbauer
Jerron Allen Lightfoot, 18, of Tonganoxie, was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. After Judge Caine read the charges against Lightfoot, two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, he responded that he planned to hire his own attorney. At the end of the initial appearance, Caine set Lightfoot’s bond at $30,000/10%. Lightfoot has posted a $3,000 bond. Judge Caine set house arrest as a condition of his bond and Jackson County requires house arrest to take place within county limits for monitoring purposes. Lightfoot will not be allowed to return to his home in Tonganoxie to stay during his house arrest. He also can’t drive or have contact with Muhlbauer’s family or any witnesses if and when he’s released on bond. Lightfoot is set to appear back in court on Feb. 27 for a bond review hearing. Lightfoot told officers he tried to stop but his car’s brakes did not work, prosecutors said. Lightfoot said he felt “a lot of vibration” when he applied the brakes. A check of Lightfoot’s vehicle showed the vehicle’s brakes were working. Missouri law defines involuntary manslaughter, a class C felony, as “recklessly” causing the death of a person. It is punishable by three to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. His court appearance on 4/11/23, He waived his right to a preliminary hearing. His next court appearance is 4/21/23. Eckes’ children filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lightfoot. A Jackson County Circuit Court judge approved a settlement awarding the family $100,000. On 2/23/24 Lightfoot pleaded gulity that killed Officer Muhlbaurer, pedestrian Jesse Eckes and police dog Champ. Jerron Lightfoot pleaded guilty to two counts of felony first-degree involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of Muhlbauer and Eckes. On 4/24/24 Jerron Lightfoot, was given a 10-year prison sentence for the deaths of Kansas City Police Officer James Muhlbauer, K-9 Champ, and victim Jesse Eckes.
