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Arrest warrant issued for BEU intern accused of vandalizing Lincoln Building

Takishia Ford failed to appear in court
LincolnBuilding.JPG
Posted at 3:50 PM, Dec 05, 2019
and last updated 2023-10-24 10:41:45-04

EDITOR'S NOTE, Oct. 24, 2023 | Charges against Takisha Ford were dropped on Jan. 30, 2023 by the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

ORIGINAL REPORT | An arrest warrant has been issued for a Black Economic Union intern accused of vandalizing the historic Lincoln Building in Kansas City's 18th and Vine District.

Takishia Ford, 39, failed to appear in court Thursday morning to face a felony property damage charge.

Jackson County Judge Janet K. Rodecap issued the warrant at 11 a.m. Thursday for Ford's arrest at the end of the morning docket.

Ford was supposed to be in court by 9 a.m., but never showed up.

Rodecap issued a new bond of $1,500 for Ford. If she is arrested on the bench warrant, Ford would have to post 10%, or $150, to bond out of jail.

Court records show the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office filed the felony charge against Ford on Nov. 1. A summons to appear in court was sent to her last known address on Nov. 4 after police arrested Ford earlier this year.

However, court records show the summons was returned as undeliverable mail on Nov. 12.

As the 41 Action News Investigators first reported last month, Ford was captured on surveillance video in June repeatedly coming in and out of a women's bathroom in the Lincoln Building.

In a couple of instances, she's seen opening the door slightly, looking inside and then leaving.

Another tenant is seen on video noticing water coming from under the door to the bathroom after Ford had been there three times.

The motion-detecting surveillance camera didn't pick up another person coming in or out of the bathroom, other than Ford, before the other tenant found the flooded restroom.

According to building owner Henry Service, that tenant took out paper towels jammed in the sink and turned off the water.

In an exclusive interview with the 41 Action News Investigators prior to the felony property damage charge against her, Ford denied vandalizing the bathroom.

Service said he decided to install surveillance cameras in the Lincoln Building after several unexplained issues with vandalism.

Service and the Black Economic Union have been in a bitter ownership dispute involving the Lincoln Building, resulting in a settled lawsuit with undisclosed terms.

BEU maintains an office in the Lincoln Building. But according to Service and other tenants, it's mostly empty, even during business hours.

As the 41 Action News Investigators first reported in September, BEU is currently under federal investigation based on claims from a former BEU board chairman that organization associates funneled the nonprofit group's funds for their own personal gain.