DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler is recalling nearly 257,000 older Ram pickup trucks because the rear axle can seize or the drive shaft can fall off.

The recall covers Ram 1500 pickups from the 2005 model year.

Chrysler says in documents posted Friday by U.S. safety regulators that the rear-axle pinion nut can come loose. That can cause problems that make the trucks spin out of control.

The recall comes after an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that began in June.

The agency found 15 complaints, including seven drivers who reported that the wheels locked at speeds over 50 miles per hour. At the time, no crashes or injuries were reported.

Dealers will install a fix at no cost to owners. The recall will begin in February.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 20-year-old Lawrence woman charged with killing her 52-year-old roommate will go on trial in March.

Douglas County District Judge Paula Martin on Thursday set the new trial date for Sarah Gonzales McLinn, charged with first-degree murder in the January death Harold M. Sasko. Her trial was scheduled for Jan. 5 but attorneys sought the delay.

At a preliminary hearing in May, witnesses testified that Sasko was drugged with sleeping pills, bound and nearly decapitated at the home he shared with McLinn.

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson is seeking a Hard 50 sentence for McLinn.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports McClinn’s attorney has argued she is mentally ill and has never denied killing Sasko.

McLinn remains in the Douglas County Jail on a $1 million bond.

Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON —  Fire caused heavy damage to a dry cleaning and commercial laundry business on Main Street in Hutchinson on Thursday evening.

Doug Hannen of the Hutchinson Fire Department said crews arrived around 6:30 p.m. to find fire coming from the back of the building.

“The fire was trapped between the roof and a ceiling making it difficult to get to,” said Hannen.

The fire caused significant damage to the back area of the store and smokes and water damage throughout the building.

The business owner Rachel Nelson said they closed the store at 6 p.m. and at 6:20 they received a call from their security service.

“We drove over here and the entire back of the building was on fire. We then heard the sirens coming down the street,” said Nelson.

Hanen says it still too early to tell what caused the fire and there were no injuries.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Douglas County judge has found a Lawrence man guilty of drug and alcohol-related charges after an accident that caused an 18-year-old University of Kansas student to have both his legs amputated.

After a bench trial last week, 24-year-old Julian M. Kuszmaul was found guilty of second-offense DUI, refusing to submit to alcohol or drug testing and possession of marijuana.

Kuszmaul struck 18-year-old Colby Liston, who is now 20, in August 2012 on a Lawrence street. Liston was pinned between Kuszmaul’s vehicle and another car. He later had to have his legs amputated.

6NewsLawrence reports Kuszmaul’s blood-alcohol level was 0.25 at the time of the accident.

Each of Kuszmaul’s convictions is a misdemeanor. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 22.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police have arrested a woman who they say kicked an officer after they found her naked in the snow.

A witness called 911 shortly before midnight Wednesday to report an unclothed woman trying to break into her car. Temperatures were in the low 30s.

Police say the 53-year-old suspect tried to assault officers when they arrived. They say she kicked an officer in the leg while being placed in the patrol car.

The officer wasn’t injured.

The woman’s identity hasn’t been released. She is being held at the Sedgwick County Jail and faces a charge of battery of a law enforcement officer.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a 71-year-old man is in critical condition after being struck by a distracted driver who left him on the side of the road.

The Wichita Eagle reports the unidentified victim was being treated at the Wesley Medical Center on Thursday.

Sgt. Stephen Patton says the man was walking Wednesday when he was struck from behind by a 29-year-old woman, who drove off. He says the woman’s husband retraced her route after she told him she hit something.

Patton says the husband found the man lying next to the road less than a mile from their home. He says the man was likely lying there for up to 30 minutes.

The driver tells police she was distracted by something inside her vehicle. No charges have been reported.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Jackson County teenager has pleaded guilty to severely beating an infant.

WIBW-TV reports 18-year-old Koylen McKinney pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated battery, abuse of a child and aggravated endangerment of a child.

McKinney was arrested in April after medics found the 7-month-old boy unresponsive at a Holton apartment complex. The infant was in a medically induced coma following the attack. He was later released from the hospital.

McKinney was 17 years old at the time of the incident but was tried as an adult. His relationship with the boy is unclear. He faces more than 14 years in prison when he is sentenced.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has set a trial date in the case of a Mexican man accused of legally changing a U.S. citizen’s name to his own.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren on Thursday scheduled the trial of Ramon Perez-Rivera and his wife, Antonia Vargas-Ortega, for Feb. 17. The husband’s attorney hasn’t commented, and the wife’s attorney has said Vargas-Ortega was unaware of any issues.

Prosecutors say Perez-Rivera assumed a false identity to obtain food stamps and Medicaid, obtain a U.S. passport and driver’s license, and register to vote.

The indictment alleges he fraudulently convinced a California court to unwittingly change the legal name of the U.S. citizen whose identity he had stolen. Prosecutors say he also changed the victim’s California birth record to his own name.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man has pleaded guilty to stealing prescription drugs during an armed robbery.

Thirty-four-year-old Ryan Schmidt on Thursday admitted to commercial robbery and brandishing a firearm. He says he used a gun when he ordered a Gessler’s Drug Store employee to give him medication in September.

Schmidt took seven bottles of hydrocodone and three bottles of promethazine. Police say he led officers on a high-speed chase before hitting a utility pole and another vehicle.

Schmidt faces between 14 and 25 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in March.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A new report by the Kansas University Center for Banking Excellence has determined that the state of banking in Kansas is greatly improved and the industry positioned to thrive despite new regulatory standards.

The Lawrence Journal-World  reports the research examines the current financial condition of commercial banks, trends over the past decade and the industry’s recovery from the financial crisis.

Robert DeYoung, the report’s author, says conditions for banks in the coming years will feel more like normal. His forecast calls for gradual growth in lending and profitability as banks continue their traditional focus on helping local businesses and households meet their financial needs.