Ness Co. Sheriff facing federal charges

(KWCH) The Ness County Sheriff has been charged in federal court, months after a pair of arrests.

The U.S.Attorney’s Office says Sheriff Bryan Whipple is charged with three counts of wire fraud and one count of selling a firearm to a convicted felon. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2013, 2016 and 2017.

An indictment accuses Whipple of faxing reports to the Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (CPOST) falsely certifying that deputies had received training. The indictment also alleges he sold a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition to a man he knew was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a prior felony conviction.

If convicted, Whipple faces up to 20 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each wire fraud count and up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.