WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man who was arrested in Kansas after escaping from an Oklahoma prison has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.

The U.S. Attorney’s office for Kansas said 40-year-old Lance D. Colbert was sentenced Thursday to four years and five months after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.

The sentence will be served consecutively to his Oklahoma prison term.

Colbert was arrested March 11 in Spivey, Kansas, two days after he escaped from the Mack Alford Correctional Center in Stringtown, Oklahoma. Prosecutors say he had a .38 caliber revolver when he was arrested.

Colbert was convicted in the shooting deaths of two people in the early 1990s.

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — The white tiger at a central Kansas zoo has been euthanized because of illness.

Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina says the tiger, Raja, was euthanized Thursday.

The Salina Journal reports the tiger would have been 20 years old in November, and came to the zoo in 1996 from a private breeder.

Tigers generally live an average of eight to 12 years in the wild and between 16 and 18 years in captivity. White tigers, however, tend to live much shorter lives.

RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds that Americans strongly support government action to control prescription drug costs, regardless of their political affiliation.

The 2016 presidential candidates continue to spar over President Barack Obama’s 5-year-old law that expanded coverage for the uninsured. But the latest survey by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation suggests that the public is moving on to other health care issues.

Overall, 72 percent say the cost of prescription medications is unreasonable.

Big majorities support specific government actions:

— 86 percent say pharmaceutical companies should be required to disclose how they set prices.

— 83 percent say Medicare should be allowed to negotiate drug prices on behalf of seniors.

— And 76 percent say there should be limits on the cost of medications to treat serious illnesses.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 22-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man has been charged in the shootings deaths of two men.

Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerome A. Gorman said in a release that his office charged Christopher E. Lewis on Thursday with two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree in the deaths Tuesday of Deron Rucker and Antonio Rucker.

Gorman’s office says Lewis is being held in the Wyandotte County jail on $1 million bond.

Gorman’s office says Lewis will likely make a first appearance Friday, but a hearing time hasn’t been scheduled.

It was unclear if Lewis has a lawyer.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey suggests that the economic outlook for 10 Midwest and Plains states is weaker than in previous months.

The Rural Mainstreet Index sank to growth neutral 50.0 in August from 53.4 in July. The survey indexes range from 0 to 100. Any score below 50 suggests decline in that factor in the months ahead. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the weaker business conditions for agriculture and energy businesses accounted for the downtown.

The confidence index, which reflects expectations for the economy six months out, slumped to 42.0 from 46.6 last month.

SALINA- Police in Salina are asking for the public’s help to locate a suspect wanted in connection with an alleged battery and kidnapping.

Officers report a woman in her early 20’s told Salina Police that just after midnight on Thursday, she was involved in an argument with her boyfriend, Jose Robles.

During the argument, Robles hit her in the head multiple times with a handgun.

Robles then forced the woman into his vehicle and drove her to multiple locations. While she was held captive, Robles repeatedly threatened to kill her.

The woman was able to escape from the vehicle and contact police. She was treated and released from Salina Regional Health Center.

Robles’ vehicle, a tan Chevrolet Impala, was later found abandoned at approximately 10:00 a.m. that morning at the Central Mall parking lot, 2259 S. 9th.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Robles charging him with Attempted Murder, Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Battery and Criminal Possession of a Firearm.

If you know the whereabouts of Robles, please call the Salina Police Department immediately at 785-826-7210 or 911. Do not approach or place yourself at risk.

OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — Lawyers representing a Kansas man accused of killing three adults and a child have asked the judge to move the trial.

Kyle Trevor Flack Flack is charged with capital murder in the 2013 slayings of 21-year-old Kaylie Smith Bailey and her daughter, 18-month-old Lana-Leigh Bailey. He’s also charged with premeditated first-degree murder in the deaths of 30-year-old Andrew A. Stout, and 31-year-old Steven White.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports (https://bit.ly/1MGY4qp) Flack’s lawyers asked the Franklin County District Court judge Thursday to move the case outside Franklin County. A professor testified that a survey showed fewer Wyandotte County residents surveyed were aware of the slayings than Franklin County residents surveyed.

The judge said he’ll decide on the venue request before a Sept. 29 hearing.

The trial’s scheduled to start February 22, 2016.

WICHITA – City Manager Robert Layton on Thursday announced in three finalists to fill the Wichita Police Department (WPD) Chief of Police position, which has been open since September 2014.

The finalists, according to a media release, were named after an extensive community engagement process following an organizational assessment conducted by Wichita State University’s Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs. The assessment and community engagement processes helped develop the job description to fill the City’s top law enforcement position.

“This has been an extensive and transparent search process,” said Layton. “Each part of the process has been focused on the right person for the job – the person who will help local law enforcement evolve and respond to the growing needs of our community.”
The finalists, who were announced by Layton during Mayor Jeff Longwell’s regular news briefing, have extensive law enforcement experience and professional accomplishments. They are:

• Joel F. Fitzgerald, Sr., the Chief of Police in Allentown, PA, since December of 2013. Fitzgerald also served as Chief of Police in Missouri City, Texas from 2009-2013. He also served as the Commanding Officer for a narcotics unit in the City of Philadelphia, where he began his law enforcement career in 1992. In Philadelphia, he held leadership roles in drug investigation, community policing and patrol. Fitzgerald has a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University, a master’s degree from Eastern University and a doctorate degree from Northcentral University.

• Terri Moses, Executive Director of Safety Services for the Wichita Public School system and a former Deputy Chief with the WPD. Moses served more than 32 years in the WPD. In addition to serving as a WPD Deputy Chief from 1995 – 2013, Moses served various positions with the WPD from 1981-1995 including as Captain, Lieutenant, Detective and Officer. She has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Wichita State University.

• Gregory W. Stevens, an Assistant Police Chief in Lubbock, Texas, where he has worked since 1992. In addition to serving as Assistant Police Chief since 2004, Stevens has served as a Captain of Uniform Patrol, Special Operations and the Administration Section. He’s also served as a Lieutenant and Commander of Internal Affairs and as a Sergeant and Detective. Stevens is a retired Intelligence Officer with the U.S. Navy (1998-2015) and he served in the U.S. Air Force as a Sergeant (1988-1992). He has bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University and a master’s degree from Texas Tech.

A public forum to meet the candidates is scheduled from 6:30-9:30 on Aug. 31 at Century II Convention Hall. Attendees will get an hour to meet the candidates and ask them questions. Layton will serve as the public forum moderator. More details regarding the public forum will be released later.

The Police Chief manages a nearly $82 million budget and supervises 836 employees. The WPD is the largest police department in Kansas and serves a population base of more than 382,368 residents. Former WPD Chief Norman Williams retired in September 2014.

SALINA – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a report of items taken from a rural residence and the injury and death of a dog possibly connected to the burglary.

Captain Roger Soldan of the Saline County Sheriff’s Office said  that Derek Devine reported a burglary and theft at his residence at 10799 West Water Well Road, that occurred sometime between July 28th and August 19th.

Thieves entered a vehicle on the property and pried open a shed. Fresh pry marks were also discovered on the door of a back porch on the southeast corner of the residence.

Items taken from Devine’s property included a Millermatic wire welder valued at $1,500, a C-25 gas bottle valued at $400, a Hypertherm plasma cutter valued at $800, a Lincoln wire welder valued at $1,200, a 20 volt DeWalt cordless drill valued at $200, two Yahama ATV paddle tires valued at $200,  a self-propelled Honda lawn mower valued at $200, an oxygen bottle used for welding valued at $480, a power washer valued at $100, and miscellaneous hand tools.

Total loss has been estimated at $6,500.

The Sheriff’s office is also investigating a separate incident at this location  that occurred within the time frame of the burglary.

The victim’s wife reported that their dog was barking at around 5 a.m. on the morning of August 2nd. At around noon that day, she discovered the dog was limping and in a lethargic state. The following day, the dog died.

It was later discovered that the dog, a malamute mix, had been shot in the abdomen. She told the Sheriff’s office that she did not hear any gunshots.

Soldan said it was unknown if the dog’s death was connected to the burglary

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas doctor and his wife convicted in a moneymaking conspiracy at a clinic linked to 68 overdose deaths will have to wait a little longer to learn their new sentence.

U.S. District Judge Monti Belot on Thursday rescheduled the hearing date for Stephen Schneider and his wife, Linda, to Sept. 24. The Haysville couple had previously been set for resentencing on Aug. 31.

They were convicted in 2010 of conspiracy to commit health care fraud resulting in those deaths, unlawfully prescribing drugs, health care fraud and money laundering.

But in June, Belot overturned the conspiracy sentence following an unrelated U.S. Supreme Court decision that the victim’s drug use had to be the actual cause of death, not merely a contributing factor. He also threw out some convictions.