Councilman Jonathan Schumm, who faces felony charge, announces upcoming crime summit

Schumm, who has held onto seat despite ouster attempt, says he looks forward to summit

By Tim Hrenchir

tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com

Topeka Councilman Jonathan Schumm, who faces a felony charge linked to an alleged violent crime, announced Tuesday evening the city’s plan to hold a summit to address crime issues in the southeast Topeka district he represents.

Schumm, who has held onto his District 4 seat despite an attempted ouster action, told fellow city council members near the end of Tuesday’s meeting that he looks forward to the summit. He said: “I’m excited to announce we’re going to have an anti-crime summit coming at the end of April in District 4. Though as more information comes out, I’ll be glad to get that to my fellow council members. I’m very glad that Deputy Mayor Hiller held one last year and kind of set the bar. Hoping that District 4 can surpass that. I’ve been assured by our police officers that it will be something that will surpass it, just because they learned so much from doing it in District 1 last year, so looking forward to that.”

Nearly 20 police officers and 100 residents and business owners from central Topeka’s council District 1, which Councilwoman and Deputy Mayor Karen Hiller represents, took part last June at Topeka High School in the city’s first summit focusing on crime concerns in a specific council district.

Schumm was elected last April to represent District 4 on the council. He received 793 votes to the 590 votes cast for opponent Les Parrish.

Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor on Nov. 19 charged Schumm and his wife, Allison Nicole Schumm, with one count each of aggravated battery and, as an alternative, abuse of a child (torture or cruelly beating a child younger than 18), which is alleged to have occurred between Oct. 7 and Oct. 11.

Taylor additionally charged the Schumms with four counts of endangering a child, which is alleged to have occurred Oct. 31. Allison Schumm was charged with aiding Jonathan Schumm. Both cases remain pending.

The Schumms have 17 children ranging from less than 1 year old to about 20 years old, with five being biological, two in foster care and 10 adopted.

Taylor last year additionally initiated an ouster action seeking to remove Jonathan Schumm from his council seat, alleging he “willfully engaged in misconduct” while serving as a councilman.

Taylor alleged Jonathan Schumm between Oct. 7 and 11 took the alleged aggravated battery victim into his bedroom, forced the boy onto a bed face down, then retrieved a leather and metal belt to repeatedly strike the child, “causing lacerations to (the boy’s) eye and hand,” a court record said.

After that, prosecutors alleged, Jonathan Schumm rolled the child from his stomach onto his back and began choking him with both hands.

“While he was being strangled, (the boy) heard the defendant say that the next time he strangled (him) he would kill (him,)” court records said.

Shawnee County District Judge Franklin Theis dismissed the ouster action Jan. 8 at the request of the district attorney’s office, which indicated it planned to refile the ouster action after the criminal case against Schumm was resolved.

Tim Hrenchir can be reached at (785) 295-1184 or tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com.
Follow Tim on Twitter @timhrenchir.