A Parsons man accused of aggravated robbery waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Nov. 7. He will enter a plea in the case next month.
Travis W. Wolverton, 32, is charged in Labette County District Court with aggravated robbery, a high-level felony, aggravated assault, criminal discharge of a firearm, aggravated escape from custody, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and criminal threat, all lower-level felonies, and criminal use of a weapon, a misdemeanor.
The robbery happened just before 5 a.m. on April 6 at Pete’s, 1430 Main.
Parsons police responding to the call heard that a white male, concealing his identity under a face mask, entered the store wielding a semi-automatic pistol. The man demanded that the clerk open the cash register. When the clerk couldn’t comply, the man discharged a single round from the firearm into the cash register, according to a release from Parsons police.
During the robbery, the man grabbed lottery tickets, Marlboro Red and Newport cigarettes and the clerk’s purse. He placed these items in a white 13-gallon trash can and ran off, police said.
On April 11, Parsons police arrested Wolverton on suspicion of possessing stolen property related to the robbery. After police handcuffed Wolverton, he ran a short distance before police subdued him. Wolverton reported that he had been injured before his arrest and was taken to the hospital for treatment. He didn’t return to law enforcement custody until Sept. 7.
See HEARING, Page 8.
On Nov. 7, a preliminary hearing was to take place. Amy Ross, Wolverton’s attorney, announced that her client would waive his right to a preliminary hearing. Based on the waiver, Judge Steven A. Stockard ordered Wolverton to stand trial on the charges.
Arraignment will be Dec. 20. Wolverton remains jailed. Wolverton faces an attempted robbery charge in Clay County, Missouri, and a drug possession charge in Wabaunsee County.
The Missouri case results from an attempted robbery at a Sutherland’s store in Liberty, Missouri, on Sept. 2, days before he was arrested on the Labette County case. Wolverton placed various tools in a shopping cart that day and rammed the cart into an exit door in the garden center in an unsuccessful attempt to leave the store, according to a complaint filed in Clay County, Missouri. Wolverton then pushed the cart toward the front of the store. Employees confronted him and Wolverton allegedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at one of the employees, according to an affidavit filed in the case, which cited witnesses and the store security video. Wolverton then ran out of the business without the shopping cart of goods.
Wolverton got into the driver’s seat of a minivan that had someone in the passenger seat. The van was registered to Cross-Roads Restoration in Topeka, according to the affidavit.
CrossRoads, according to its web page, offers housing, training and restoration for at-risk youth and adults. When Liberty police sent out a be on the lookout message, police departments in Kansas City, Missouri, Merriam, Lenexa and Olathe responded and reported the attempted robbery suspect could be Wolverton.
Wolverton recently requested a public defender on the Missouri case. No court date is listed in the electronic case file.
