Big news in the world of guys dressed like animals and acting goofy.
On Tuesday – National Mascot Day – Dan Meers, the Kansas City Chiefs franchise’s original KC Wolf, announced his retirement after 35 years as the team’s mascot and director of shenanigans. “Dan Meers has been the heart and soul behind KC Wolf for 35 years,” Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “Since joining the organization in 1990, Dan helped establish KC Wolf not only as a source of energy and enthusiasm on game days, but as a symbol of pride and passion for all of Chiefs Kingdom. He ensured that his alter ego brought joy to people young and old, and his deep connection to the Kansas City community has made him a beloved figure to generations of Chiefs fans.”
That’s the major wolf news. Here’s a local angle. Did you realize there are multiple people who fill the role as KC Wolf, representing themselves as KC Wolf at private and public events? Think about it. There would almost have to be multiple wolves, with as many places as KC Wolf pops up these days. It’s like the shroud of mystery behind Santa Claus popping up in multiple malls at the same time.
Here’s the local connection. He no longer serves in that role, but one of the substitutes who used to serve as a backup KC Wolf is a Platte City resident. His name is Brady Testorff, pastor of The Calling Community Church based in Platte City. Brady, in fact, is a former member of The Landmark press day mailing team. He was doing the KC Wolf gig in the same period of time he was helping us here, which I want to say was 2014 through, well, I don’t recall for certain how long Brady/Backup Wolf was part of our mailing and delivery team.
Anyway, just a little KC Wolf factoid you can pass on to your family and friends next time you’re desperate for conversation.
I should tell you that the Chiefs say the search for the next KC Wolf is underway, with top candidates having already completed interviews with the club. I feel confident that Brady is not one of the folks vying to become the next full time Wolf.
Our story on the suspect in the I-29 fatal shooting of Dennis Sharkey is worth your time. You’ll probably learn some things you haven’t heard/seen reported anywhere else. As you know by now, Sharkey most recently had been working as a high school sports reporter for the Platte County Citizen. Many years prior, in 2009-2010, he had worked for us here at The Landmark as a news reporter.
Here’s an inside look at how The Landmark stayed in tune with the story in recent months, even after the Jan. 10 shooting for the most part had dropped from public consciousness. On April 11, I received a call out of the blue from a source who had secondhand information that authorities were narrowing in on a suspect. The suspect had ties to the liquor store (Worlds Liquors) located in a strip mall near Price Chopper in Platte City, the source told me. This source said word on the street was charges would be coming any day.
Again, that was April 11, two months ago. Weeks went by and I was hearing nothing from folks in a position to know about the investigation getting close to any type of conclusion, so I had pushed the topic to the back of my mind, which can be a dark and scary place. Must have been some sketchy info, I was starting to surmise.
That was until last Monday afternoon when a different source called with Jackson County information for me. This source said a search warrant was being sought/had been issued in Jackson County, and the search warrant was tied to the Sharkey case. That’s when I called Platte County Sheriff Erik Holland, and the sheriff confirmed that detectives were at that moment speaking with ‘a person of interest’ in the Sharkey case.
The search warrant was served that evening at the suspect’s residence in Jackson County, and it proved productive, as court documents indicate it was that search in which authorities found what they believe to be the weapon used in the I-29 shooting of Sharkey.
And if you read the details of our front page story, you know that the suspect–Ruslan Huseynov–does indeed have ties to Worlds Liquors in Platte City.
Authorities had originally hauled Huseynov in for allegedly stealing from Price Chopper in Platte City. On April 28, the Platte County Sheriff’s Office received a Metro Share email dissemination from the Platte City Police Department. In the email PCPD was attempting to identify two suspects. “I immediately recognized one of the suspects as Ruslan Huseynov,” writes Platte County Sheriff’s Department Det. Sgt. Jason Penix in court documents in the shoplifting/stealing case (twice Huseynov loaded a carryout type container with food from the buffet and left without paying, authorities say). Penix asked PCPD permission to assume the investigation into Huseynov and obtained the PCPD police reports along with surveillance footage of one of the thefts. That’s when things started to unravel for Huseynov. Get more info on this angle in our front page story.
In the initial part of the shooting investigation, detectives were granted a search warrant for the three main cell phone carriers who operate in the KC area. Time frame sought was from 6:50-7:10 p.m. the night of the I-29 shooting, which was reported at about 7:03 p.m. on Jan. 10. Detectives selected two locations for cell phone tower records, one tower at I-29 and 72nd Street and the other at I-29 and Barry Road. A source close to the investigation told me there were 250,000 cellular devices pinging off those two tours in that timeframe. Keep in mind that doesn’t mean there were 250,000 people–it means 250,000 devices, which includes things like cell phones, Apple Watches, iPads and the like. Detectives noticed several data sets from Verizon were highly suspicious, based off their plotted locations and time stamps.
Detectives say they were able to determine that Huseynov’s cell phone spent 62 seconds in a distance of 900 meters in the area of the shooting. Authorities allege based off the cell tower records combined with viewing multiple views of traffic patterns on I-29 during that timeframe that Huseynov’s phone was in a vehicle which came to a stop on the interstate at that location during that time.
It’s fascinating stuff and outstanding investigative work by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department’s, in particular their cyber crimes unit.
I have some additional tidbits coming in future columns, including words from area casino workers who are familiar with Huseynov.
(Foley occasionally brings you NFL mascot news. Email ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)
