TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man who prosecutors say helped a gunman escape after he fatally shot a Topeka police officer has been found incompetent to stand trial.
A Shawnee County court has ordered 31-year-old Randy Allen Ridens Jr. of Topeka to be sent to Larned State Hospital for mental evaluation.
Ridens is charged with obstructing the apprehension of 30-year-old Ross Preston Lane. Ridens allegedly drove Lane out of town on a stolen motorcycle.
Investigators say Lane fatally shot police Cpl. Jason Harwood in September. He is charged with capital murder of a law enforcement officer and weapons charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that in January, a psychiatrist found Ridens incompetent to stand trial. He was committed to Larned for no more than 90 days of treatment.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — New England coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady are now four-for-six in Super Bowls in this century. Brady engineered a fourth quarter comeback from 10 points down and hit Julian Edelman with a 3-yard TD with 2:02 left as the Patriots beat defending NFL champion Seattle 28-24 in Super Bowl 49.
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The 37-year-old Tom Brady was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time. Brady completed 37 of 50 passes for 358 yards and four TDs — each to a different receiver — and two interceptions.
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The unheralded hero of Super Bowl 49 was Malcolm Butler, the Patriots rookie strong safety out of West Alabama. As Seattle was on the New England 1-yard line and seemingly poised to score the go-ahead touchdown, Butler spoiled the Seahawks’ bid by stepping in front of Ricardo Lockette for the game-saving interception.
Darwin Day is coming up soon, and the Sternberg Museum is invited the public to celebrate this month.
Family-friendly events and bird-themed educational activities are scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, and admission to the museum is free all day.
Any of you who get legislative updates from the NRA or the Kansas Rifle Association (KSRA) have read by now about a new proposed constitutional amendment here in Kansas, that, if passed will allow concealed weapons to be carried with no permit. The way the proposal stands now, nothing at all will be required; no class, no background check and no permit.
Now I’m a gun guy. I hunt deer, turkeys, geese and coyotes and trap as well, so I have guns for all occasions. I don’t have a concealed carry permit, but I believe strongly in the privilege. Yes, I said privilege; I believe it’s my 2nd Amendment right to own guns and to defend myself and my family with one, but I believe it’s more of a privilege to carry one concealed on my person wherever I go.
Like I said, I’m a gun guy and I believe strongly in being able to carry a concealed weapon, but I have a problem with this proposed amendment for a couple reasons. My first issue is with dropping the requirement to take any kind of class or training before carrying concealed. When I was a kid, I took a coworker pheasant hunting one day. I didn’t know this guy very well but figured “What could go wrong?” The guy carried an automatic twelve gauge, and I soon found that whenever a pheasant or quail erupted near us, he would turn in the general direction, fire two rounds, then aim! I soon wished I had found out beforehand how INCOMPETENT he was with a gun. The training class currently required to carry concealed teaches way more than just how to shoot. They spend a goodly amount of time on the escalating use of deadly force and on the many things one must consider before discharging a firearm to protect yourself and your family.
The second problem I have with the proposed amendment is with dropping the required background check. In 2014, 20,660 concealed carry permits were issued in Kansas. Also, because of criminal history and felony convictions revealed by background checks, 82 permits were denied, and because of criminal charges brought against concealed carry permit holders, 12 permit renewals were denied, 87 permits were suspended and 52 permits were revoked. These statistics are all public record available on the Kansas attorney generals website. Each time there is a mass shooting somewhere in our country we all get on our soapboxes, and rightly so about keeping guns out of the hands of people who should not possess them. In my opinion, requiring no background checks to carry a concealed weapon would be a step backwards in that regard.
I spoke with a member of our local law enforcement who said the proposal makes him a little nervous. He told me it’s already a challenge when stopping someone carrying a concealed weapon WITH a permit, let alone stopping someone with no permit available and having to rely solely on the person telling them the truth as to whether they have a concealed weapon.
Like I said, I believe strongly in being able to carry a concealed weapon, and it gives me some comfort when I’m out and about in our insane world today knowing there are people around me who may be able to intervene should I find myself in a possible life-or-death situation. But, like my experience taking my coworker hunting, I also want to feel comfort in the fact that those people carrying a concealed weapon are in all ways competent to possess one.
Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for a drunken-driving crash that killed his friend.
Twenty-year-old William Kelly III was driving a car that crashed in January 2013 in Leavenworth. A passenger, Lee King, was partially ejected from the car and died after the vehicle landed on him.
Prosecutors say Kelly was speeding and had a blood alcohol content of .11, higher than the legal limit of 0.8, at the time of the crash.
Kelly was convicted in December of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence. He was sentenced Friday to three years and five months in prison.
The Leavenworth Times reports defense attorney Kevin Shepherd argued for probation.
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — The handlers of Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, say the furry rodent has forecast six more weeks of winter.
Members of the top hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the “forecast” just before 7:30 a.m. Monday.
A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early.
In reality, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler’s Knob, the tiny hill in the town for which he’s named about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Records going back to 1887 show Phil has now predicted more winter 102 times while forecasting an early spring just 17 times. There are no records for the remaining years.
Southwest winds and mostly clear skies are expected today through tomorrow.
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Wind chill values as low as -6. South southwest wind 5 to 15 mph. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 24. West southwest wind 5 to 9 mph. Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 61. South southwest wind 7 to 15 mph. Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. Light and variable wind becoming northeast 5 to 10 mph in the evening. Wednesday A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly after 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 26. Blustery, with a north northeast wind 13 to 21 mph. Wednesday Night A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.
Topeka – Dr. James Colyer, DDS, father of Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D., passed away Sunday at age 89, surrounded by his loving family. Governor Sam Brownback and Lt. Governor Colyer issued the following statements.
“My wife Mary and I extend our deepest personal sympathies and prayers to Jeff, his mother Lorene and their family on the loss of Jim today,” said Governor Brownback. “I respected Dr. Colyer, who was a combat veteran of World War II, a caring dentist from Hays, and who was married for 67 years to his wife Lorene. On behalf of all Kansans, we offer our condolences and will hold Jeff and the entire Colyer family in our prayers and hearts.”
“My family and I want to thank all our friends and Kansans for their prayers and sympathy,” said Lt. Governor Colyer. “My father was a true member of the ‘Greatest Generation’ who gave so much to his family and country. He was the first in his family to go to high school and went on to be a successful dentist and family man who loved serving his community. Dad was most proud of his bride, four children – Linda King, Diane Colyer, Jim Colyer II and Jeff Colyer — 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.”
PRATT, Kan. (AP) — Police in south-central Kansas say Bradley G. Verstraete, 45, is in critical but stable condition after being shot by officers who say he confronted them with a hunting knife and ax handle.
A press release from the Pratt Police Department says officers were dispatched to an apartment complex around 9 p.m. Saturday after a report of a disturbance.
The department says officers encountered Verstraete who was wielding the weapons and they ordered him to drop the knife and handle but he didn’t comply.
The release says efforts to subdue him with a Taser were ineffective. Police say he then charged the officers while threatening to kill them, and the officers shot him.
Kari Bruffett, secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, met Wednesday with mental health advocates to discuss potential changes to state regulation of prescription mental health drugs. Credit Dave Ranney / Heartland Health Monitor
By DAVE RANNEY
The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services is attempting to head off opposition to a bill being crafted to allow the state to regulate the use of prescription mental health drugs.
Kari Bruffett, secretary of KDADS, met last week with the Kansas Mental Health Coalition to ask its members to drop their opposition and instead help her draft a workable bill.
“We are open to having that discussion,” Bruffett said.
Coalition members agreed to sit down with Bruffett but made it clear they would likely continue to oppose any proposal aimed at limiting Medicaid patients’ access to brand-name antipsychotic drugs.
“Our opening position would be to leave the exemption alone,” said Rick Cagan, executive director with the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Kansas.
In Kansas, state law specifically prohibits the enactment of policies and regulations — such as preferred drug lists or prior authorization requirements — that could restrict or impede a physician’s ability to prescribe mental health drugs.
The law, passed in 2002, only applies to mental health drugs.
Bruffett said the law has proven to be “overly restrictive” and is hindering the state’s efforts to control costs and improve health care outcomes.
Repealing the law would save the state general fund $8.3 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which oversees the Medicaid program.
A bill to repeal the law — or at least loosen some of its restrictions — has yet to be introduced. But it’s coming, Bruffett said: “We know there is interest in the Legislature for pursuing this.”
The measure, she assured coalition members, will exclude individuals with chronic and persistent mental illnesses from any prior authorization requirements. And the state’s managed care organizations, she said, have told legislators that if the bill becomes law, they would not alter the drug regimens of current beneficiaries.
The managed care organizations, or MCOs, administer KanCare, Kansas’ $3 billion privatized Medicaid program.
The bill, Bruffett said, also will include “safety edits” meant to ensure that “behavioral health drugs are being used appropriately” and not as “a default” treatment for dementia patients.
Coalition members say they’re willing to continue discussing the issue but remain wary of the administration’s intent.
“Our concern is that this is a straight route to pharmacy management by MCOs,” said coalition director Amy Campbell.
Glea Ashley, chief executive of Valeo Behavioral Health Care in Topeka and a coalition member, said care needs to be taken in crafting any formula aimed at managing the use of mental health drugs.
“We need to be sure that, no matter what happens, people still get what they need. Otherwise, this can tip them over the edge,” Ashley said.
Jane Adams, who runs Keys for Networking, a Topeka-based program that advocates for school-age children with serious behavior issues, said families in the program are wary about the possibility of someone who’s not familiar with their children having the authority to adjust or change their medications.
“However this is handled,” Adams said, referring to the repeal initiative, “it needs to be communicated in a way that doesn’t instill fear. These are families that already are in crisis.”
Dave Ranney is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has granted a delay in court proceedings for a Mexican man accused of an identity theft scheme in which he changed a U.S. citizen’s legal name to his own.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren set a May 5 trial date in the case of Ramon Perez-Rivera and his wife, Antonia Vargas-Ortega. The couple had sought to stall their scheduled Feb. 17 trial.
Their lawyers say they need more time to review the evidence and evaluate how to proceed.
Prosecutors allege Perez-Rivera convinced a court to change the name of the ID theft victim to his own. He is accused of then using that identity to obtain food stamps and Medicaid, register to vote and obtain a U.S. passport and a driver’s license.
MORLAND – A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 5 p.m. on Sunday in Graham County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer driven by Beckie Linnell, 54, Goodland, was westbound on U.S. 24 five miles west of Morland.
The vehicle entered the north ditch. The driver overcorrected. The vehicle crossed the highway, entered the south ditch and rolled.
Linnel and a passenger Anna J. Harper, 80, Goodland, were transported to the Graham County Hospital.
The KHP reported they were not wearing seat belts.
