A preliminary hearing is coming in December for a Georgia man charged in Lyon County with conspiracy and other charges.
Demetrius Odom will return to court Dec. 10 after the Kansas Attorney General’s Office asked for a delay during a hearing Monday due to scheduling conflicts and the “extensive” discovery process expected as court proceedings advance.
Attorney General Kris Kobach says the Odom case is notable because it marks the first organized retail crime prosecution by his office since a change in state law passed last year. Action by the Kansas Legislature lets prosecutors seek felony charges in retail crimes, including organized crime cases, instead of pursuing minor theft cases.
Odom is charged with seven counts, four involving identity theft, two for criminal use of a card and one for conspiracy, after allegedly stealing from an unlisted number of liquor stores across Kansas, including four in Emporia: Carlos Liquor, Emporia Liquor & Wine, Liquor Locker and The Liquor Store.
Co-defendant Dwayne Rhoden was arrested in Kentucky on unrelated felony charges in July. Kobach says Rhoden is refusing to waive extradition and Kansas charges have not been filed in this case.
