Kansas City Man Who Caused Panic in April on KU Campus Pleads Guilty

05/27/2010
CONTACT INFO: Charles Branson Douglas County District Attorney 785-841-0211 cbranson@douglas-county.com Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson announces today Mr. Samuel L. Moore, 20, pleaded guilty to Obstructing Legal Process or Official Duty (Level 9/Non Person/Felony) and Criminal Trespass (Class B/Non Person/Misdemeanor). He will be sentenced on June 25 at 11:00 a.m. He faces five to 17 months in custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections for the obstruction charge and six months in the Douglas County Jail and a fine of up to $1,000.00 for the criminal trespass charge. Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines the felony charge will be a presumptive probation sentence. The charges in the case stem from the April 30 scare at the University of Kansas when it was reported a gunman was in a residence hall. A female resident of McCollum Hall reported to law enforcement she heard a male and female arguing in the room next to hers and she heard the male make a statement about, "Where's my gun1/2" Law enforcement was dispatched and made contact with the involved parties. When questioned, Mr. Moore gave law enforcement a false name and reported he witnessed a black male attempting to drag the female party out of her room. With that information, law enforcement locked down McCollum Hall and started a room by room search for the reported gunman. As the investigation continued, law enforcement learned it was actually Mr. Moore who gave them the story about the kidnapping. He had previously been banned from campus and was trying to deceive officers to avoid a criminal trespass charge. His lie to officers was the factual basis for the obstruction charge. The Judge also revoked Mr. Moore's probation in 2008CR1820 and 2009CR316. Those cases involved a misdemeanor theft charge and a felony theft charge. Both the cases occurred on the University of Kansas campus. Disposition on the two cases was continued to the June 25 hearing. A report involving falsely reporting a crime by the woman Mr. Moore was arguing with is under review. Today's hearing was heard in the Division Two Courtroom of the Honorable Sally D. Pokorny. The case was investigated by the University of Kansas Public Safety Office and the Lawrence Police Department. Assistant District Attorney Greg Benefiel prosecuted the case. -30-

Media Contact:
Cheryl L. Wright - Assistant to the District Attorney
District Attorney's Office
785-841-0211
cwright@douglas-county.com