In an article published today, the Shawnee Mission Post did a bunch of rah rah for outgoing Mayor Distler, and just glanced over her perjury arrest.
Yes, she may have been the first female mayor elected, but she was also the first mayor ever to be arrested and charged with a felony. By performing certain acts (and refraining from others) under a diversion agreement, charges were dropped and prosecution was not pursued.
This is what the SM Post had to say in their long, rah rah article:
That inclination ultimately may have gotten her in legal trouble in March 2020, when Distler reported an alleged violation of the Kansas Open Meetings Act by some city councilmembers in an email thread.
In doing so, she was charged with felony perjury in Johnson County District Court because she used a blogger’s name instead of her own in filing the complaint. The case was dismissed after Distler completed 150 hours of community service.
Here's a real kicker. In the SM Post's link to their original article about the community service, this is what they wrote:
Distler’s case stems from a March 7 email thread that included four council members as well as others. Distler told an investigator she was concerned that the discussion violated open meetings laws, but reluctant to put her own name on it for fear of repercussions from some political opponents. She said she tried to file anonymously, including identifying information from another person and that the complaint was filed accidentally. Investigators disputed that.
What a bunch of nonsense. She claimed it was filed accidentally and that investigators disputed that. What a joke. If you read the affidavit for the arrest warrant you can count how many different stories she told investigators. Including the possibility that her daughter transmitted the complaint. What is ironic, is that all of those stories emanated from the mouth of an individual that works in cyber security.
Well, in a couple of days you will have a chance to read those different stories she told as the arrest affidavit will be republished here. It had been previously published in other local KC area media outlets. And we'll also publish the diversion agreement. They both make for good reading.
Maybe she'll finally get around to apologizing publicly to the people of Shawnee for her actions,since she cares sooooooo much for the city.
