Man accused in police officer’s death had numerous prior arrests, court records show

By Andy Alcock

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    KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KMBC) — The man accused of killing Kansas City, Kansas, police officer Hunter Simoncic while fleeing police has a long criminal history.

Wyandotte County court records show Dennis Mitchell, 31, has been arrested 17 times since 2014.

That first arrest in 2014 was in a drug case.

Bench warrants for failing to appear in court and probation violations followed over the next few years.

In 2020, Mitchell was arrested for interfering with a law enforcement officer.

Court records show he pleaded guilty in 2022 in an Ellsworth County case for fleeing police while engaging in reckless driving.

In 2021, Mitchell was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder.

A spokesman for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office said prosecutors declined to charge him in that case because of a lack of evidence.

This past December, Mitchell was charged in a felony meth possession case and was free on a $7,500 bond.

“I would not have recommended that he be back out on the streets,” said Henry Service, a former prosecutor and current private criminal defense attorney in Kansas City, Missouri, who has no involvement in Mitchell’s case.

“It’s surprising, but it’s also not a surprise at the same time based on what I know of the Wyandotte County District Attorney and how things are managed,” said Kiann Caprice, a criminal defense attorney who practices in Wyandotte County and a longtime critic of Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree.

When asked if Simoncic would be alive if Mitchell’s cases had been handled differently, she said, “One hundred percent.”

A spokesman for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office said judges ultimately make decisions about bonds.

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