KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City business owner tried to strike deputies and their vehicles with an 85,000-pound crane while they executed a court order Thursday morning.
August J. Baanders, 64, is now charged with interference with a legal process, a misdemeanor, according to the Clay County Sheriff.
The Clay County Circuit Court issued seven levy orders for all businesses under the LPG umbrella, owned by Baanders and his wife. (ref. case No. 23CY-CV01643) In a levy, the Sheriff’s Office is ordered to seize property so it may be sold to pay judgment in a civil case when the defendant fails to pay.
Just after 6a.m. Thursday, dozens of deputies arrived at LPG at 971 N. Jefferson Street in Kearney, Mo., at about 6 a.m. today to execute the levy. They blocked all of the entrances to the property. Evidence – to include footprints in the snow – showed the suspect parked a distance away and snuck onto the property.
At 6:55 a.m., three deputies blocking a gate saw a large construction crane driving toward them. (LPG manufactures propane tanks and had several items of heavy equipment on site.) All of the deputies were on foot outside of their vehicles. Deputies ordered the driver to stop multiple times, including flashing lights at him. Fearing for their safety, the deputies drew their weapons, at which point the crane stopped. It came within six inches of striking a patrol vehicle.
Baanders initially began to exit the crane, then he refused to come down the ladder. Deputies had to pull him off the ladder to take him into custody.
No one was hurt in the incident. Baanders is being held on a $2,500 bond. If he posts the bond, one of its conditions is that he cannot interfere with law enforcement executing the levy of his property.