The holidays can be extra busy for first responders. Great Bend Police Department officers made a pair of arrests on Thanksgiving.
At approximately 5:42 p.m., officers with the Great Bend Police Department were dispatched to the 400 block of Evergreen in reference to shots fired. Upon arrival, Officers contacted the victim, who advised he had been involved in an argument with the mother of his child, and that during the argument, the suspect, Melissa Sanders, 39, produced a handgun and fired in the direction of the victim. The victim left the scene and contacted the police department.
Officers were able to locate Sanders driving east of Great Bend and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The officers were able to locate the firearm used in the incident inside of the vehicle. Sanders was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Barton County jail for Aggravated Assault in lieu of bail.
At approximately 10:19 p.m. last Thursday, an Officer from the Great Bend Police Department contacted Laveta Elam, 41, in the 200 block of Main St. in Great Bend. Barton County Communications confirmed Elam to have an outstanding warrant for failure to appear. While being taken into custody, Elam refused to comply with the officer's directives, and actively resisted arrest.
Elam was arrested and transported to the Barton County Jail. While at the Barton County Jail, narcotics were located, hidden on Elam's person. She was charged with Resisting Arrest, Trafficking Contraband into a Correctional Facility, and the Failure to Appear warrant and booked into the Barton County Jail in lieu of bond.
Anyone with information on these cases or any other case are encouraged to contact the Great Bend Police Department at 620-793-4120 or the Barton County Crime Stoppers at 620-792-1300 or online at p3tips.com.