HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A Hutchinson man is guilty of kidnapping after using his girlfriend as a shield to escape from police.

After a Reno County jury convicted 32-year-old Todd Lloyd Thursday, he was arrested as he was being led to the jail for allegedly complaining and threatening to kill several police officers.

The Hutchinson News reports that prosecutors alleged Lloyd pointed two knives at his girlfriend’s head in April when police came to arrest him on a warrant. He also placed her between himself and armed officers.

Lloyd’s attorney contended the girlfriend voluntarily went with Lloyd and stood between him and officers to keep him from being shot.

State records show Lloyd has 11 convictions since 2001 in Reno, Sedgwick and Leavenworth counties.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Douglas County judge says probable cause affidavits in the alleged rapes of two women last month at the University of Kansas will not be open to the public.

University police said the alleged rapes occurred Sept. 28 in Hashinger Residence Hall. Two 21-year-old men, one a Kansas student and the other a Johnson County Community College student, were arrested. They both posted $50,000 bonds last week and are still enrolled at their schools. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16.

After a hearing Tuesday, Douglas County District Court Judge Kay Huff ruled that the probable cause affidavits will remain sealed but did not explain her decision. Defense and prosecution attorneys asked that affidavits be sealed.

The Lawrence Journal-World sought the affidavits, citing a new state law.

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Sentencing for a 30-year-old Kansas man convicted of killing a patron at a Topeka bar in 2008 has been pushed back a second time.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports James Arthur Qualls III was convicted June 30 of premeditated first-degree murder in the death of 30-year-old Joseph “Joe Bob” Beier in the early morning hours of July 16, 2008.

Beier was shot a dozen times and died about 90 minutes after the shooting at the Whiplash Bar. The shooting happened after a dispute over a pool game between Qualls and Beier’s girlfriend.

Qualls was scheduled to be sentenced July 23, but that was postponed when he sought a new attorney. At a sentencing hearing Thursday, Qualls told the judge he needed more time to discuss possible motions with his attorney.

 

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback has unveiled a new program intended to bring new economic development to financially struggling metropolitan areas in Kansas.

Brownback said Thursday his Urban Opportunity Zone initiative will offer tax breaks and other financial incentives to people who start small businesses or other economic activities. The program is similar to the governor’s Rural Opportunity Zone program.

The Kansas Department of Commerce, working with the Department of Revenue, will run the program. The pilot program will include the Kansas City ZIP codes 66101, 66102, 66104, 66106 and other high-poverty areas in Wichita and Topeka.

Brownback’s Democratic challenger in the governor’s race, Paul Davis, said the governor’s programs and policies have harmed urban and rural areas of Kansas and the state cannot afford four more years of his “experimenting.”

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court is traveling to Kansas City, Kansas, next week for a special session to hear arguments from attorneys in five cases.

The court’s session is set for 9 a.m. Wednesday at the performing arts center of Kansas City, Kansas, Community College. Chief Justice Lawton Nuss will be available to speak to reporters for 15 minutes, starting at 8 a.m.

The court has periodically has had sessions outside Topeka so that people in other parts of the state can observe its proceedings.

In Kansas City, Kansas, the justices plan to hear arguments in appeals in two criminal cases and three civil cases.

 

DETROIT (AP) — Evenflo is recalling more than 202,000 rear-facing infant seats because the buckles can become difficult to unlatch.

The recall affects Embrace 35/9999 models with an AmSafe QT1 buckle. Documents posted by U.S. safety regulators say that if the buckles don’t release easily, it may be difficult to get a child out of the seat in an emergency.

The affected seats were made at various times from December 2011 through May of 2013.

Not all Embrace 35 models are covered by the recall. For others, the company will provide replacement buckles if requested by customers.

The recall comes after an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Owners with questions can call Evenflo at (800) 490-7591.

 

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback has appointed a veteran public defender in Salina to fill a soon-to-be vacant district court judgeship.

Brownback announced Thursday that Paul Hickman will replace Saline County District Judge Jerome Hellmer, who plans to retire in January.

Hickman is the deputy public defender in the state’s Salina public defender office, which represents defendants in criminal cases who can’t afford their own attorneys. Hickman has worked in the office since 1997 and before that was a prosecutor in Barton County.

Brownback said Hickman’s mix of legal experiences will make him valuable on the bench.

Hellmer is chief judge for the 28th Judicial District that covers Saline and Ottawa counties.

Whooping cranes have begun leaving their breeding grounds to migrate south from Canada and will soon be passing through Kansas on their way to Texas. One of the best places to look for them will be Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in central Kansas.

Annually each fall, a few dozen of these rare birds are sighted in or near Quivira. It is possible for visitors to view them in or near Quivira from late October through November, but occurrences are not daily, and are scattered over several weeks. Whooping Cranes use Quivira’s open salt flats and wetlands to roost during their visits, but each group typically doesn’t stay more than a day or two, with many just stopping overnight. Group size averages 2-5 birds.

Your best chance to find them at Quivira is at either dusk or dawn. The whooping crane is the tallest bird species in North America, standing nearly 5 feet tall. Adults are pure white, with dark legs and bill, and a dark red cap and “moustache.” In flight, the trailing edges of the outer half of the wings are black. They do not swim nor perch in trees. Young birds, hatched the previous summer in Canada, are similar in size to the adults, but very rusty-brown in color.

If you see what you believe to be whooping cranes, take careful note of the specific location, date and time, as well as a physical description of the birds and their behavior. Keep a minimum of one half mile distance from them, and do not try to approach them on foot. If you observe them from a vehicle, remain in your vehicle. Report any sighting as soon as possible to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.

To report a whooping crane sighting, or to find out more information about the birds, check the “Whooping Crane Page” on Quivira’s website or call the refuge at (620) 486-2393.