A Dodge City man has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of driving left of center for the April 8, 2012 deaths of 67-year-old Fred Ruda and his mother-in-law, 90-year-old Eleanor T. Sexson

Ruda and Sexson, both of Hays, were killed in a car accident seven miles west of Dodge City.

Braulio De La Cruz-Gonzalez, 19, was eastbound on U.S. Highway 56 when his  Yukon crossed the center line and struck a westbound Buick Lucerne driven by Ruda, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. Ruda’s wife, 63-year-old Sherrill Ruda of Hays, suffered disabling injuries.

De La Cruz-Gonzalez and his passenger, 16-year-old Alejandro Penagos , Dodge City, were also injured.

De La Cruz-Gonzalez is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 25 at 10:30 a.m.

Fred Ruda was a longtime Fort Hays State University professor and chairman of the Technology Studies Department.  He and his family were en route to Montezuma to spend Easter Sunday at the home of another family member.

Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty has declared a “Phase One Winter Storm Traffic Emergency.” This means it is unlawful to park a vehicle on snow routes.

The public’s cooperation in removing vehicles from streets designated as emergency snow routes is appreciated.

Any vehicles not removed could receive a citation and/or be towed at the owners expense.

The emergency designation will remain in effect until the city manager determines it is no longer warranted.

Kansas Highway Patrol confirmed to Hays Post that a KDOT truck was involved in a n0n-injury accident on I-70 this morning near Ogallah. “A passenger car hit the truck,” according to the KHP dispatcher.  As a precaution, KDOT driver Bill Windholz was transported to receive medical attention.  We’ll have more information on the accident as it becomes available. Stay tuned to Eagle radio and Hays Post for the latest on school cancellations and winter weather related delays.

The Ellis County Attorney’s office has received an average of 1,250 reports a year over the past five years. Of those, over 1,100 cases are resolved, most of them felonies, but County Attorney Tom Drees says the problem is the ten percent of cases that are not resolved because there aren’t enough attorneys to handle the work load.

Drees has asked the county commission to add an attorney and support staff in July, which would cost about $62,000 for the remainder of the year. The office currently has four attorneys.