Tuesday, Jan. 26 2010 6:00PM

Lee’s Summit man drugs woman’s drink

A Lee’s Summit man pleaded guilty in federal court last week to sneaking a drug into a woman’s drink at a downtown Kansas City bar, according to Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

James W. Ware, 50, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to a federal information that charges him with distributing Alprazolam.

Ware approached a woman who was sitting at the bar at the Bulldog, 1715 Main St., Kansas City, on July 1, 2008. Ware and the woman conversed for about 20 minutes before she ordered a drink, which Ware paid for. When the drink arrived, the woman went outside to smoke a cigarette. While she was gone, Ware admitted, he added about half of one .25-mg. Alprazolam tablet to the woman’s drink. The bartender saw what happened, and the woman never consumed the drink.

Alprazolam (Xanax) is a Schedule 4 controlled substance. It is part of the Benzodiazepine family of drugs, a category of drugs known to be used as “date rape” drugs.

Under federal statutes, Ware is subject to a sentence of up to three years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the Kansas City Police Department.