An Ellsworth man accused of obstructing the apprehension of his granddaughter following a fatal crash in rural Saline County made his first appearance in Saline County District Court Tuesday morning.  78-year-old Dennis Katzenmeier was arrested on Saturday, August 16th, and is a co-defendant in the case which involves the August 8th fatal crash.

Katzenmeier, who is out of jail on bond, appeared in person before Judge Andrea Swisher. He was alongside his attorney Matthew Leavitt of Wichita.

Judge Swisher told Katzenmeier he is facing a felony charge of obstructing apprehension or prosecution. If convicted he faces a penalty of between 7 and 23 months in jail, and fine of up to $100,000.

Katzenmeier is the grandfather of 32-year-old Kayla Errebo, who lives in the Ellsworth County Community of Lorraine. She was taken into custody on Friday, August, 8th, several hours after a collision in Saline County near the intersection of South Reese Road and K-140 Highway.

According to the Saline County Sheriff’s Office, at around 5:35am a Chevrolet truck was traveling east on K-140 and was struck by Errebo’s westbound Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The crash killed 55-year-old Deanna Sommerfeld of Brookville. 61-year-old Mark Sommerfeld of Brookville suffered serious but non-life -threatening injuries.

Errebo suffered minor injuries and left the scene. She was later located at an address in Ellsworth and arrested at around 8:26am.

Errebo was previously arrested at least twice in 2024 for alleged driving while intoxicated, including once after crashing into a tree.

She is not facing a DUI charge in connection with the fatal crash, but is facing two felony and four misdemeanor charges which include:

Judge Swisher said since Katzenmeier is a co-defendant with Errobo, she is assigning the case to Judge Amy Norton who is handling that case. He is scheduled to appear in court again in late September.