Federal Lawsuit Accuses Salina Police, Former County Prosecutor of Retaliatory Perjury Case
A former Salina police officer and current public defender investigator has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing Salina police personnel and a former Saline County prosecutor of pursuing a retaliatory and allegedly false perjury case against him.
Micah L. Bunce filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas against Salina Police Department Captain James Feldman, Evidence Technician Evan Londo, Andrew Zeigler, former Saline County Deputy County Attorney Richard James, the City of Salina and the Saline County Board of County Commissioners. The complaint was filed May 19 in federal court.
The lawsuit centers on testimony Bunce gave during a November 2024 preliminary hearing in a Saline County criminal case involving Ashley Dempsey. According to the complaint, Bunce testified that during his time as a Salina police officer from 2015 to 2018, the department had NARTEC brand test kits that could be used to test for bath salts.
The lawsuit alleges that testimony later became the basis for a perjury investigation and criminal charge against Bunce. The complaint claims the defendants pursued the case based on the theory that Salina police did not use NARTEC test kits before 2019 and did not have the ability to test for bath salts. Bunce alleges that claim was false.
According to the filing, Bunce claims Salina police records, a memorandum from Londo and testimony from NARTEC President Jeffrey Ware showed SPD had used NARTEC-related testing supplies since at least 2015 and had the combination of kits needed to test for bath salts.
Bunce alleges the perjury case damaged his reputation, resulted in his arrest, booking, fingerprinting and mugshot, and led to approximately four months of administrative leave from his public defender investigator position. The complaint states the criminal case was eventually dismissed.
The lawsuit brings several federal and state claims, including malicious prosecution, unlawful seizure, fabrication of evidence, First Amendment retaliation, abuse of process, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy. It also seeks to hold the City of Salina and Saline County responsible under municipal liability and Kansas tort law theories.
Bunce is seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney fees and a jury trial. The complaint asks for damages in excess of $75,000 under both the federal civil rights claims and state-law claims.
The allegations are contained in a civil complaint, which represents Bunce’s claims at the beginning of the lawsuit. They are not findings by the court. The defendants will have an opportunity to respond through the federal court process.
Salina311 has reached out to both the City of Salina and Saline County for comment on the lawsuit and the allegations contained in the complaint. Any response received will be published or added to this story.