Two Ark City men arrested in connection with separate crimes

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Arkansas City Police Department has arrested two suspects in separate crimes after previously having requested citizen assistance to locate the two men.

James Henry Fitch V, 28, of Arkansas City, was arrested Aug. 2 and Stony Lee Graham, 43, also of Arkansas City, was arrested Aug. 6. Both men were taken into custody without any incident.

“We thank the public for paying attention to the releases we sent out and staying vigilant for the whereabouts of these suspects, as well as for assistance rendered,” said Police Chief Dan Ward.

Fitch was arrested on suspicion of one felony count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery. He was transported to and booked into the Cowley County Jail in Winfield in lieu of $30,000 bond through Cowley County District Court in Arkansas City, plus an additional $2,000 misdemeanor bond revocation through Cowley County District Court in Winfield.

Graham was arrested on suspicion of one felony count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threat, as well as one misdemeanor count of criminal discharge of a firearm. He was transported to and booked into the county jail in lieu of $15,000 bond through Ark City district court.

Both Fitch and Graham remained in custody at the time of this release. A defendant’s guilt or innocence is to be determined by a court of law.

James Henry Fitch V

Fitch was wanted on suspicion of aggravated assault and aggravated battery in connection with a knifing incident last month in east-central Arkansas City.

Officers were dispatched at 6:45 p.m. July 26 for a report of a disturbance in the 400 block of North A Street. Police found a 22-year-old Arkansas City man had sustained a cut to the side of his face.

Investigators worked quickly to identify Fitch as a suspect in the case, but he had fled the scene prior to their arrival. He allegedly cut the victim in the face with a knife as a result of a disagreement.

The Arkansas City Fire-EMS Department provided emergency medical assistance to the victim.

Stony Lee Graham

Graham was wanted on suspicion of aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a firearm in connection with a shooting incident last month in the 500 block of North B Street.

Officers were dispatched at 10:04 p.m. July 13 for a report of shots fired. They did not find anyone at the location, but numerous witnesses confirmed that a man had fired one shot toward a local residence.

The witnesses reported a man driving a blue Dodge pickup truck had driven into the front yard of a residence at 525 North B St., exited the truck and begun arguing with unknown persons at that location.

After the gunshot, witnesses observed the truck leaving the area northbound on B Street.

Officers worked through the night to process the scene and attempt to locate the persons present at 525 North B St. at the time of the incident. One victim was found that night and two others the next day.

Based on statements gathered from the three victims and video surveillance from a local business, officers applied for and received an arrest warrant for Graham through Cowley County District Court.

Also, an officer spotted the suspect’s vehicle at 3:25 p.m. July 16 at the Agri-Business Building, which is located at 712 W. Washington Ave. Graham was not with the truck, which was seized as evidence. Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the vehicle in connection with the shooting.