PAWNEE COUNTY—A Kansas man accused of burglary and numerous other crimes following a traffic stop last week made his first court appearance in the case on Tuesday.
Payton L. Klaus, 23, Hays, is charges with Endangering a Child; Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor; Possession of a firearm while under the Influence; Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol; Transporting an Open Alcoholic Container; and Failing to Use a Turn Signal, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.
During a police traffic stop on October 5, Klaus had a teenage boy in the vehicle with him. In addition to the the traffic stop, the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a burglary of a Larned Township Building in which a firearm was stolen sometime during the night of October 4-5, 2023. The missing firearm matched an item retrieved from the Klaus vehicle incident to his arrest.
A search warrant was then secured to search a location for additional items. Throughout the day on October 5, 2023, the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department and Larned Police Department received multiple reports of possible burglaries and thefts. Those investigations remain ongoing.
In connection with the burglaries, Klaus is also charged with two counts of Burglary of a non-dwellings, two counts of felony theft of firearms, felony criminal damage of property, misdemeanor theft, and misdemeanor criminal damage to property, according to McNett.
Klaus is being held in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff on a $15,000 bond. A juvenile has also been charged in connection with the ongoing burglary/theft investigations.