DONE DEAL ON HENRY? HEARING IN KANSAS ON THURSDAY

(Ed.'s Note: We still don't know whether Kansas authorities will pick up Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry by Tuesday when 107th District Magistrate Luis Sorola is set to hear motion for habeas corpus from his attorneys in district court. However, a story in the Kansas City Star asserts that he will appear in court there next Thursday to face arraignment on charges stemming from the death of a 10-year-old child and other injured victims of the Verruckt water slide he helped to design and build.)   

By Steve Vockrodt
Kansas City Star
The Kansas Attorney General's Office on Thursday announced that Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry will make his first court appearance in Wyandotte County on April 5.

A grand jury indictment unsealed on Tuesday accused Henry of second-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated child endangerment in the 2016 death of a 10-year-old child on the 17-story Verruckt water slide in Kansas City, Kan.

Caleb Schwab was killed when he rode the thrill ride on Aug. 7, 2016. His raft went airborne and he hit a metal brace that supported a netting system atop the ride.First appearances take place in front of a judge. The hearing will discuss the charges against a defendant, and both prosecutors and defense counsel will discuss if and how much bond should be set.

The Kansas Attorney General's Office has previously requested a $500,000 bond for Henry.

Henry was arrested Monday by U.S. Marshals and has since been held in a jail in Brownsville, Texas, without bond. Henry waived extradition at a hearing on Wednesday, but remains in custody.

Also facing charges is business partner and lead Verruckt designer John Schooley. Schooley was out of the country working on a project when the indictment was unsealed, and his current whereabouts are not clear.

The indictment accuses both of men of creating the idea for Verruckt on a whim to get publicity from a television show and sidestepping warnings and industry safety norms in rushing the slide to completion.

To read rest of article, click on link: http://www.kansascity.com/news/article207279659.html