Man wanted for KC murder caught in England

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For six years, Kansas City police Sgt. Dave Bernard has kept a wanted poster of Ralston Wellington taped to his office wall. Now, he finally can take it down.

London police last week caught the fugitive, who allegedly took part in shooting a man and a woman in Kansas City in 1997 and, authorities say, was an international drug dealer who traveled between the United States and Great Britain.

Kansas City authorities offered this account of how British police nabbed Wellington:

After Wellington drove his BMW away from a London pub, eight police officers in two cars shot his tires with plastic bullets, fired a smoke grenade into his car, reached in and arrested him.

Then about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, they called Bernard with the news.

"We really wanted to catch this guy," Bernard said.

The poster in Bernard's office said Wellington -- 29 and also known as "Jamaican Dave" -- was "armed and dangerous" and may wear body armor.

Wellington and co-defendant Warren Price, 25, are accused of killing John E. Bonner, 33, and LaKesha N. LaMaster in February 1997, as well as wounding a woman who was 18 at the time.

Bernard said the victims were innocent -- mistaken targets of retaliation after $70,000 was stolen from a drug house allegedly run by Wellington and two others.

Wellington eluded authorities for years, but on Jan. 21 London investigator told Bernard that police there were pursuing a case of conspiracy to commit murder against Wellington and heard he was wanted in Kansas City for the double killing.

The London detective told Bernard they had verified Wellington's identity, though he was using a false name. The detective said they had Wellington under surveillance and planned to arrest him soon on their conspiracy case.

A month to return

Bernard said Jackson County got a provisional warrant that would keep Wellington behind bars, in case Wellington tried to bond out on the conspiracy charge. And London police closed in, arresting Wellington and holding him for extradition.

Kevin Pose, chief investigator for the Jackson County prosecutor's office, said it will take a month or more to get Wellington back to Jackson County.

Wellington and Price each are charged with first-degree assault, two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of armed criminal action.

Price remains a fugitive after New York authorities mistakenly released him about four years ago, Pose said.

In 1998, Pose said, a New York judge sentenced Price to prison for a year on a weapons charge and Jackson County informed authorities he was wanted for the slayings. But New York soon released him to immigration authorities, who deported him to Jamaica, Pose said.