Last Monday, the Platte County Sheriff’s Department received an anonymous tip that a convicted felon and suspect in a recent rape case was hiding at a home near the North Platte Middle School in Edgerton. Platte County officers, with assistance from the Edgerton police began a surveillance of the home around 7 a.m. According to a next door witness, Paul Traw, at around 11:30 a.m. eight officers armed with rifles surrounded the home. Meanwhile, one block away, some students were on the school playground for recess. One of them was Traw’s son, Wayne. The officers entered the home but the suspect was nowhere to be seen.
Another in what has become a long line of escape attempts at the Platte County Jail took place about 9:30 Friday night. Major Greg Crader said two inmates pried away some plaster and kicked their way through the ceiling, forcing a hole into a crawl space. The crawl space contains an alarm system, and deputies were able to quickly respond to the area. The escape attempt did not take place in the maximum security area, where steel plates are welded in the ceiling.
A project first begun five years ago is now taking shape at the intersection of I-29 and Main Street in Platte City. This “Welcome to Platte City” sign has gone up in recent days. Shown with the sign are Keith Moody, city administrator, Jack Coots and Patsy Baber.
