Saline County Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said it was human error that led to the escape of a 29 year old man who was being brought back to the Saline County Jail before he was to be sentenced Tuesday for killing a 14 month old boy in October of 2011.

Antonio Brown was in a holding cell with two other inmates late Monday afternoon, when he was able to open the door to the cell, slipped into a garage area where law enforcement vehicles bring inmates to the jail, and was able to get to the outside when a vehicle was leaving.

Kochanowski said that Brown left out the east side garage door and then went northbound from the jail.

The Sheriff said that Brown may have been gone for about 10 minutes before he was noticed missing.

Kochanowski said Brown was put in the holding cell after being brought in from the Mitchell County Jail where he had been housed most of the time since his arrest.

The Sheriff said because of the nature of the charges against Brown, he was moved from Saline County for safety reasons.

Handcuffs and shackles that Brown was wearing were taken off once he was put in the holding cell, that is also used to watch inmates who are on suicide watch.

Kochanowski said the booking area of the jail was busy Monday afternoon with inmates coming back from court.

The Sheriff said that Brown should be considered extremely dangerous, and the search around the Salina area continued Tuesday as well as other parts of the state.

This is the third escape from the Saline County Jail since it opened in April of 1995. There was an escape in 1995, with the second in 1997.

The KBI, Kansas Highway Patrol, The U.S. Marshal’s Office and several area law enforcement agencies are assisting in finding Brown who will face aggravated escape from custody charges when captured.

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran is calling on President Obama to highlight startups and small businesses in his State of the Union address tonight. In May 2012, Senator Moran introduced legislation called the Startup Act 2.0 to jumpstart the economy through the creation and growth of new businesses.

“As you prepare to deliver your State of the Union address, we encourage you to speak about the important role entrepreneurs play in economic growth and job creation,” the Senator said in a letter to the President. “Our legislation, which we plan to reintroduce next week, builds on recommendations made by your Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to jumpstart economic growth. Startup Act 2.0 provides new opportunities for highly-educated and entrepreneurial immigrants to stay in the United States, modifies the tax code to encourage investment in new businesses, accelerates the commercialization of university research that can lead to new ventures, and seeks to improve the regulatory process.

“You have the opportunity again this year to lead Congress toward enactment of significant legislation that will boost entrepreneurial activity and result in the creation of new jobs,” the Senators continued. “We stand ready to work with you on this important issue.”

 

Hays Post spoke to Colby Police and has been in contact with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the State Attorney General’s office and has pieced together more information on the suspicious weekend death of a 27-year old Colby woman. Published reports in Colby also indicate that 27 year old Teri Chase Morris, who worked at Walmart in Colby and as an emergency medical tech for Thomas County has been identified as the victim in the weekend house fire.  She died after being taken to the hospital by fire fighters who found her unconscious inside the burning home. The cause of her death has not been released.

Authorities are reportedly holding a 24-year old man in connection with the death. Morris is survived by an 11-month old baby. The child and the suspect were located near Logan in Phillips County.  The suspect, from Garden City, is being held in the Thomas County jail.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2007, nearly a third of all students aged 12 – 18 reported having been bullied at school, some almost daily.

Bullying in schools is getting attention of lawmakers in Topeka again today. The House Education Committee, including 111th district representative Sue Boldra of Hays will hold another hearing on HB 2222. The bill defines bullying and requires School District boards to adopt and implement plans to address and prohibit bullying by students, teachers, or other staff members.

According to the National Association of School Psychologists web site NASPonline.org,  “Bullying is a widespread problem in our schools and communities. The behavior encompasses physical aggression, threats, teasing, and harassment. Although it can lead to violence, bullying typically is not categorized with more serious forms of school violence involving weapons, vandalism, or physical harm.”