The public is invited to attend the 17th annual Victims’ Rights Luncheon hosted by the Platte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The free luncheon will be held at Noon on Friday, April 26, at the First Baptist Church of Platte City, located at 17385 Missouri Highway 371.

The luncheon is part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which runs from April 21 through April 27. This year’s theme is “Options, Services, and Hope for Crime Survivors." 

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd’s office has hosted an event as part of the national observance since 2006. Zahnd said, “There really is such a thing as a free lunch. We hope people will join us because this is a free lunch where people can actually do something good by supporting victims of crime.”

Michael Freeman, father of Chace Freeman, will speak at the luncheon. Chace is one of three children killed in a 2021 house fire that started while David J. Hardy, who was the father of two of the children, was the only adult present. Hardy was high on meth when the fire started and is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence as a result of the children's deaths.

The luncheon will also feature the presentation of the 17th Annual Sara Andrasek Memorial Award, which recognizes particularly outstanding service to crime victims. Andrasek was pregnant with her first child when she was raped and murdered. Zahnd’s office and the Kansas City Police Department were in the final stages of preparing a death penalty case against Wayne Dumond for his crimes when Dumond died while in custody.