Savannah Cole, Kenneth Cade Charged in Wichita Armed Robberies

Armed and dangerous, Savannah Cole, 20, Wichita, Kan., and Kenneth W. Cade, 28, Wichita, Kan., were hit with a federal indictment Tuesday over a string of violent stickups at Wichita-area businesses. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister confirmed the charges, which include four counts of robbery and four counts of using firearms during robberies—crimes that terrorized cashiers, customers, and entire neighborhoods.

The indictment lays out a brutal spree: the Dollar General at 915 S. Glendale in Wichita on Nov. 22, 2017; the C-Store at 837 S. Oliver on Feb. 7, 2018; and on the same day—Feb. 14, 2018—Arby’s at 4308 E. Harry and the Circle K at 515 N. Seneca. Each location was hit hard, with suspects brandishing guns, demanding cash, and fleeing before law enforcement could respond. Witnesses described the duo as cold and methodical.

Cade faces additional charges: two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. With a prior felony record, every gun he touched is a federal crime. If convicted, he could spend up to 10 years on those counts alone—stacked on top of the rest. Each robbery count carries up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine. Each firearm charge adds no less than seven years and another $250,000 fine. The math spells decades behind bars.

The FBI and Wichita Police Department spent months piecing together surveillance, witness statements, and ballistic evidence. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a DOJ initiative aimed at dismantling violent crime networks before they spread further.

The indictment against Jazmin Manuel, 21, Wichita, Kan., in a separate but previously linked sex trafficking case involving a 16-year-old minor, was dismissed by a federal judge. Manuel had been charged alongside Johnell Carter, 22, and Christian L. Dixon, 27, in a scheme that allegedly included transporting the victim to San Antonio, Texas, where she was sold for sex in roughly 50 encounters. That case proceeds without her.

Other federal actions in Kansas include Nehemiah K. Jackson, 37, Wichita, charged with stealing cell phones from U.S. mail; Javier Guerrero-Garcia, 21, an undocumented immigrant, charged with illegal firearm possession in Wyandotte County; and multiple ongoing investigations into violent and organized crime. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The wheels of justice grind—but in the streets of Wichita, the scars of these crimes remain fresh.