IOLA – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) arrested a former Kansas sheriff’s deputy for sex crimes following a missing persons case investigated with the Hays Police Department.
On Friday, March 29, at approximately 7:15 p.m., KBI agents arrested Michael Tennyson, 24, of Iola, at the Allen County Sheriff’s Office. Tennyson was arrested for aggravated indecent liberties with a child. In January, Tennyson had been newly hired as a deputy for the Allen County Sheriff’s Office. His employment was terminated Friday when the allegations became known.
On Friday, around 3:30 p.m., the Hays Police Department requested KBI assistance to help locate a 15-year-old runaway. The juvenile had been missing since March 22. Hays police officers believed the teen was with Tennyson in Iola, Kansas. The Allen County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the situation at 4 p.m. They quickly located the juvenile at Tennyson’s residence, and placed her into protective custody.
The age of sexual consent in Kansas is 16.
KBI agents gathered additional evidence in the case, and interviewed the parties involved. The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, the Iola Police Department, and the Ray County Missouri Sheriff’s Office also assisted in this investigation. After his arrest, Tennyson was booked into the Allen County Jail, but he will be housed at the Bourbon County Jail.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Anonymous tips can be submitted online at https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar. The investigation is ongoing.
Dane Hicks is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He is the author of novels "The Skinning Tree" and "A Whisper For Help." As publisher of the Anderson County Review in Garnett, KS., he is a recipient of the Kansas Press Association's Boyd Community Service Award as well as more than 60 awards for excellence in news, editorial and photography.
