RENO COUNTY — The Kansas Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled against the state in its appeal of the decision by a Kansas Judge to suppress evidence in the case against Darla Conners.

Conners and John Galestine are charged with the cultivation of marijuana for having 100 or more plants as well as being in possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

The alleged crimes occurred in Buhler between Jan. 30 and Feb. 3, 2014.

Buhler Police Chief William Tracy testified during a hearing in March of last year he went to the home with three federal marshals where Conners was arrested on a warrant out of Pennsylvania.

Following the arrest, the owner of the property asked the police to come to the home because he thought it strange that they were growing flowers in the basement.

While walking around the back of the home, officers allegedly discovered some black bags. One contained what the officer believed to be marijuana.

The owner of the property gave officers a key to the residence. They went inside the home, into the basement and found the roughly 131 marijuana plants.

Police then came back out of the home and obtained a search warrant, which led to the seizure of the plants.

Reno County Judge Trish Rose, in her opinion, stated that the record is devoid of an explanation as to why police concluded they had the right to go inside and search without a warrant, even though the owner of the property gave that consent. She admitted in her opinion that the owner had assumed possession of the property after Conners was arrested on the Pennsylvania warrant.

Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton argued that the owner had a right to check his property once he learned that Conners had been arrested.

The Court Of Appeals ruled against the state in the appeal, meaning that the ruling by Judge Rose stands.

PLATTE COUNTY, MO–A man has been charged in Platte County after a more than 4 hour long standoff December 23 that shutdown Interstate 29 north of Kansas City.

Khrurshed Haydarov, 25, of Pennsylvania, was charged Christmas Eve with a felony for making a terrorist threat. That charge stems from an incident that took place Friday in Platte County, Missouri, when the armed trucker was arrested after an hours-long standoff at a rest stop near Kansas City, forced the closure of Interstate 29 freeway ahead of the holiday weekend.

The standoff began shortly before 9 a.m. following reports of a man pointing a rifle at traffic. Authorities evacuated the rest area, leaving only the unidentified trucker and officers.

Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe says no shots were fired.

Traffic in both directions of I-29 backed up for miles.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas high school students will now receive ACT college-entrance exam score projections with their state test results.

The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/2hpIncO ) reports the University of Kansas’ Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation studied the correlation between 10th grade assessments and ACT scores, and the state Board of Education evaluated the results of the analysis this month.

Ten school districts participated in the study, including five of the state’s six largest districts.

Education commissioner Randy Watson says students who take 10th grade assessments in the future will now receive ACT projection information with their test scores.

Education officials say they hope this information will be useful for parents and students to make decisions such as which courses to take in high school.

ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An unusual budget provision passed earlier this month by Congress means no one who qualifies for a government farm loan will be denied in the next four months.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran is a Kansas Republican who chairs an agricultural appropriations panel. He says the budget patch gives the Agriculture Department’s Farm Service Agency authority to meet the spike in loan demand by using future funding.

There is no limit to how much the USDA can lend through April 28.

It is a victory for farm groups who pressed Washington to avert a looming loan crisis.

There’s widespread downturn in the agricultural economy. Farmers in Georgia, the Carolinas and Alabama have seen drought and flooding, and Midwestern states are reeling from a glut in global grain markets that’s slashed crop prices.

BURLINGTON – An investigation by agents from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has led to the arrest of Matthew G. Vander Linden, a deputy of the Coffey County Sheriff’s Office, according to a media release.

Deputy Vander Linden, age 28, was arrested Tuesday afternoon for two counts of unlawful voluntary sexual relations, one count of electronic solicitation, and one count of sexual exploitation of a child. The arrest took place without incident at the Coffey County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation, which began December 20th, was initiated at the request of the Coffey County Sheriff’s Office.

Vander Linden has been with the Sheriff’s Office since March of 2014. Effective Tuesday, his employment at the Sheriff’s Office was terminated.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt wants to fight human trafficking with stronger penalties.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Schmidt is planning to pursue legislation in the coming session. He said last week at a proclamation signing ceremony that it’s not possible to destroy the “market for illicit trafficking” without dealing with “the demand piece.”

Schmidt also says there are some gaps where Kansas law is materially softer than federal law, usually when the victim is between age 14 and 18.

Schmidt’s coming push to crack down on demand echoes the goals of the Topeka Shawnee County Human Trafficking Coalition. Topeka Rescue Mission director Barry Feaker has said the coalition is examining ways to put more teeth into penalties. One idea is to strip convicted buyers of their driver’s licenses.

SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a report of shoplifting and searching for a suspect

Just after 8:15 p.m. n December 24, 2016 a suspect entered Target, 2939 Market Place, in Salina and attempted to steal a shopping cart full of items, according to Salina Police.

When confronted by store personnel, the suspect ran from the store and entered into a lighter green possibly F-150 truck.

The truck fled from a police officer going southbound on Ohio Street before the officer terminated the pursuit.

The suspect is described as white, approximately 6’4” inches tall, with short dirty blonde hair, short and scruffy beard, wearing a black ball cap, camouflage jacket and blue jeans.

He also walked with a slight limp.

Please contact the Salina Police Department at 785-826-7210 or Crimestoppers at 785-825-TIPS if you know the identity of this person.

SEDGWICK COUNTY – A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 1p.m. on Tuesday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Chevy Suburban 1500 driven by Jewels L. Wampler, 22, Udall, was westbound on the ramp from Kansas 96 to Interstate 135 southbound in Wichita.

The SUV went off the roadway to the left. The driver over corrected and the SUV rolled down the embankment.

Wampler was transported to Wesley Medical Center.

She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

MANHATTAN -Student enrollment at Kansas State University for the Fall semester fell short of expectations.

General Richard Myers, KSU President, said that officials are waiting to see how things turn out for the Spring semester.

“We were down several hundred in the Fall semester from what we were expecting, that’s a $4.5 to $5 million hit to our budget – we counted on that revenue, it’s not there; and yet, we have the same expenses, we haven’t laid anybody off, we haven’t stopped doing anything – so, we have these expenses, and that creates a real budget issue…so we’ve got folks looking at how we’re going to accommodate that,” said Myers.

K-State is currently on break for the Holidays.

BARTON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Barton County are investigating a suspect on burglary and various parole violations.

Just after 7:29 a.m. Tuesday, Barton County Sheriff’s Deputy Sheriff Sierra Thorne observed a wanted suspect driving a 2012 Acura TSX near the intersection of 24th Street and Canterbury in Great Bend, according to a media release.

The driver of the Acura was known to the deputy as Richard Musil, 27, Great Bend who was wanted on warrants issued by the City of Great Bend and Barton County District Court.

When Deputy Thorne attempted to stop the vehicle the suspect accelerated and attempted to flee from the deputy. The chase continued through the Twin Lakes addition and then proceeded eastbound on 24th Street,

Another deputy approaching the area to assist, checked the speed of the suspect’s vehicle at in excess of 100 miles an hour by radar.

The driver then turned north from 24th and Williams, abandon the vehicle and fled on foot.

Members of the Great Bend Police Department, Kansas Highway Patrol and Sheriff’s deputies quickly surrounded the area.

During the course of the search, law enforcement officers discovered the rear door of a vacant residence at 2102 27th Street had been broken into.

Officers discovered an interior room which had been locked from the inside.

Officers forced entry while the suspect attempted to hold the door shut. Entry was gained and the suspect was arrested. Musil was transported to the Barton County Jail without incident.

Musil has been booked on charges of Felony Attempt to Flee and Elude, Reckless Driving, Burglary, Resisting Arrest as well as the two original parole violation warrants. He has currently being held on the two parole violation warrants with no bond. Bond on the additional crimes is set at $20,000.00.

The Sheriff’s office intends to contact the county attorney to begin an “asset forfeiture proceeding” against the vehicle Musil was driving.