The Hays City Sportsman Club will once again host a Wounded Warrior trap shoot this Saturday.
Saturday’s event starts at 10 a.m. at the club, located a quarter mile north of Exit 157 on Interstate 70.
The warriors will compete against each other for first, second and third place.
The public can shoot with the warriors for fun for just $4.50.
The Hays City Sportsman Club hosted the first Wounded Warrior trap shoot last fall.
FRANKLIN COUNTY- A Kansas woman died in an accident just before 8a.m. on Thursday in Franklin County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Honda Accord driven by Jessica D. Elmquist, 34, Osawatomie, was westbound on Cloud Road two miles north of Richmond.
The vehicle drifted off the roadway, hit the concrete barrier rail and rolled into the north roadside ditch.
Elmquist was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics.
She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Dear Neighbors, Friends and Concerned Citizens,
I can’t hardly believe that it’s already been 10 years. In 2007, I wrote my last letter to the editor, thanking everyone for their support in fighting the parole of Francis Donald Nemechek, and the last words of that letter read “Parole Denied till 2017.”
Once again, I call upon you for your help. I am writing this letter to inform you that Francis Donald Nemechek is once again coming up for parole.
For those of you who do not know the case history of Nemechek it goes like this:
On March 24, 1977, Francis Donald Nemechek was taken to Lansing Penitentiary after he was convicted of five counts of first degree murder and sentenced to five life sentences. He came up for parole after only 15 years, this is our fifth attempt to keep him in prison, we hope to again be successful, but only if the public outcry is such that the Prisoner Review Board cannot possibly turn him lose.
Nemechek was convicted of the murder of Paula Fabrizius, WaKeeney, who was the daughter of Leon and Ginger Fabrizius and would have been my sister-in-law; Carla Baker, Hays, Cheryl Williams Young, and her 3-year-old son, Guy, Fort Madison, Iowa, and Diane Lovette, Fort Madison, Iowa.
Young, Lovette and the 3-year-old were traveling from Iowa to see relatives in Denver, in December of 1975, when they had a flat tire. Nemechek stopped to offer assistance, but ended up abducting them and taking them to a farm house, where he raped Lovette and then shotgunned Lovette and Young and left the 3-year-old boy to freeze to death.
Fabrizius was a rangerette at Cedar Bluff State Park and was abducted, murdered by Nemechek and taken near Castle Rock, where her body was dumped off a cliff.
Baker’s body was discovered in a canyon on the south side of Cedar Bluff three months after she was abducted from Hays while riding her bicycle.
Nemechek confessed to all five murders.
Every three years the families of the victims fought his parole, until in 1997 when the parole board was given the opportunity to pass for ten years. However the families must still go through a re-creation of pain and loss when we are confronted with the possibility that Nemechek could be set free. We hope that each of you will find it in your hearts to help us by signing a petition, carrying a petition or sending a letter to the Prisoner Review Board. The Petition is available to sign in the Trego County Emergency Management Office in the courthouse. Also anyone who wishes to write a letter or carry a petition can take them to my office or mail them to my home.
If you are interested in carrying a petition (they are not legal or binding, they simply state the wishes of the signer, any age may sign) type, write or just cut this out and attach it to a piece of paper and have it signed below with name and address:
“2017 — PETITION TO DENY PAROLE FOR FRANCIS DONALD NEMECHEK”
We the undersigned want to express our wishes to the Kansas Department of Corrections and the Prisoner Review Board to deny parole to Francis D. Nemechek. We believe that the crimes he committed were heinous in nature and that the length of time served, no matter how long, will never be enough to repay the debt to society for the taking of five lives.”
You can return the petitions and also any letters you want delivered to the Prisoner Review Board to me at Kathleen Fabrizius, 28021 330 Ave, Ogallah, Ks. 67656 or if you need more information call 785-731-5536. They can also be dropped off at Trego County Emergency Management office in the Courthouse.
Petitions need to be returned to me by June 10.
The family plans to attend the Public Comment Session in Derby, Kansas on June 14; Topeka, Kansas on June 23 or Kansas City, Kansas on June 26th.
You may also write to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Prisoner Review Board, 714 SW Jackson, Suite 300, Topeka, Kansas 66603.
The support that our family had the past three times we undertook this project was tremendous, it is our hope that by taking the time and making the effort to keep this killer behind bars, we are preventing the loss and heartache that the families of these victims have been through and must continue to go through each time he comes up for parole.
Thank you to each one of you, even if you can’t consciously sign the petition and you just say a silent prayer for our cause we thank you. No action is too small to be heard by the Almighty.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Fabrizius
Virgiline (Duell) Amos was born September 12, 1922 in Goodland, Kansas, the daughter of Bernhard and Frances (Hogeboom) Duell, and died April 17, 2017 in Goodland, Kansas. She grew up on the family farm north of Ruleton and attended grade school and high school at the Ruleton Consolidated School, graduating in 1940.
After graduation, she worked at the Sherman County AAA office (now known as the FSA office). She was married to Lyman Amos on March 26, 1943 at the home of her parents, north of Ruleton. While her husband was in the Army and overseas, she taught in a country school for 1 ½ years. After his discharge from the Army, they were engaged in farming until his failing health made it necessary to give up farming. The family then moved to Goodland in 1958 and Virgiline was employed as secretary of the Goodland United Methodist Church from 1959 until her retirement in 1990.
While retired, she most enjoyed spending her time with family and friends, traveling, quilting, playing the piano (by ear), gardening and putting together jigsaw puzzles.
Preceding her in death were her husband, parents, three brothers, Floyd Duell, Paul Duell and Roy Duell, a sister Vera Kittel and a great grandson Joseph Parker.
She is survived by her four children; Dianne (Doyl) Merz, Goodland, KS; Ronald (Kathy) Amos , Mound City, MO; Danny (Karen) Amos , Nixa, MO; Linda (Walter) Linthacum, Goodland, KS. She is also survived by her grandchildren Steven (Melissa) Merz, Kevin (Rhawnie) Merz, Roger (Malissa) Amos, Suzanne (Tim) Arnold, Kati (Darin) Curts, Lexi Amos, Chandra (Curtis) Parker and Devin Bliss; step grandchildren Lane Linthacum, and Lea Ann Studer; great grandchildren Robert Merz, Amy McDonald, Kortney and Nicholas Amos, Alex and Denea Lyddon, Brooke, Ryan and Megan Parker.
Funeral services for Virgiline will be held on Monday, April 24, 2017 at 10:30 AM MT at the Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland with Reverend Dr. Kent Myron Scott officiating. Burial will follow in the Goodland Cemetery, Goodland, KS.
Memorials may be designated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or to the Goodland Senior Citizens Center and may be left at the service or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735.
Online condolences for the family may be left at www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com.
Funeral service arrangements were entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland.
POTTAWATOMIE – Law enforcement authorities in northeast Kansas completed an investigation into illegal drug use and sales and made three arrests.
On Monday evening, members of the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by members of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks executed 3 search warrants on Monday evening at homes in the rural Manhattan area of Pottawatomie County.
Deputies found marijuana totaling approximately 9 pounds, cash and firearms.
They arrested Sandra S. Snyder, 70, of 6240 Sparrow Lane for Possession of Marijuana, Possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released on a $1000 bond
Robert E. Snyder, 67, of 5733 Elbo View Drive for Possession of marijuana with intent to sell, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Criminal use of Firearms, No drug tax stamp for marijuana or controlled substance. He was released on $50,000 bond.
Brian D. Greer, 42, of 6238 Canary Lane for Possession of marijuana with intent to sell, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Criminal use of Firearms, No drug tax stamp for marijuana or controlled substance.
Greer is currently at the Pottawatomie County Jail. His bond is set at $50,0000.
RUSSELL COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of an inmate at the jail in Russell County.
On April 18, police arrested a 63-year-old woman on charges of criminal threat and disorderly conduct, according to a media release.
Just before 11:50 p.m., the woman was found unresponsive during a routine check by corrections staff.
The woman was transported by ambulance to Russell Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation was notified and an autopsy was performed. Results of the autopsy are pending.
The name of the woman has not been released.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Tickets are still available for The Taste in downtown Hays Friday night.
The event will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and will include food, events, sales and demonstrations at 20 participating businesses.
The event is a retail-requested event coordinated by Downtown Hays Development Corp.
“It is really a great night to stroll the bricks and to see what amazing new products we have to offer,” Sara Bloom, DHDC executive director, said.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling 785-621-4171 or going to DHDC’s website.
Three hundred tickets are offered each year and only 50 are left for this Friday’s event.
Each participating business has been asked to give two $25 gift certificates or $50 in products or services to the event. In addition, a grand prize worth $500 will be offered. To enter the grand prize drawing, look for special entry boxes at three surprise locations.
Bloom said the event helps encourage people to visit businesses they might not normally frequent.
Lois Joan Hepner, 80, born July 30, 1936, near Jennings, Kansas, was the second oldest of six children of Joe and Leona (Allen) Kaspar. Lois passed away on March 14, 2017.
Her father and a nephew, precedes her in death.
She is survived by her husband, Bob Hepner; mother, Leona Kaspar of La Crosse, Ks; sisters, Carol Cook, Norma Hahn (Louis), Arlis Koerner (Jim), Joleene Younger (Frank); brother, Allan Kaspar (June), sisters-in-law, Mary (Jim), Jodee (Max); and many nieces, nephews, cousins and other extended family members.
She was a 1954 graduate of Jennings High School and a 1962 graduate of Fort Hays State University. Bob invites family and friends to celebrate Lois’s life during a service on Friday, April 28, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Prescott, Ariz.
In lieu of flowers it was Lois’s wish for contributions to be made to Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, 2000 Shepherds Lane, Prescott, AZ 86301
NASHVILLE -The missing Tennessee teacher Tad Cummins and kidnapped student Elizabeth Thomas have been located in Northern California, according to a social media report from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities arrested Cummins and Thomas is safe.
Cummins and 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas were reported missing on March 13.
The last confirmed sighting of the pair was two days later at an Oklahoma City Wal-Mart.
Police issued an Amber alert for Thomas and say they had a warrant charging Cummins with sexual contact with a minor and aggravated kidnapping.
No additional details were released late Thursday morning.
TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Healing Arts has suspended the license of a plastic surgeon in Hays, according to a media release.
The board took action against Dr. Kirk Potter. He works at Potter Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 217 E. 32nd, Hays.
In addition to referencing DUI arrests in 2013 and 2014, the final order from the board indicated Potter violated the Healing Arts Act and failed to practice with appropriate skill and safety.
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to a century in prison for shooting a suburban Kansas City, police officer in the face in 2014.
Thirty-three-year-old Omar Maria was sentenced Wednesday in Clay County, where he was convicted in March of assault on a law enforcement officer and armed criminal action.
Jurors concluded that Maria shot Pleasant Valley Police Officer Jacob Baldwin during a December 2014 traffic stop on Interstate 35 near Interstate 435.
Prosecutors said Baldwin pulled over a car driven by Maria for a vehicle registration violation, and that Maria jumped out of the vehicle and repeatedly fired at Baldwin’s windshield. Maria then sped away.
Hays Post
WAKEENEY — A man serving five consecutive life sentences for the first-degree murders of five people in northwest Kansas is scheduled to have a parole hearing this summer.
According to the office of the Trego County Attorney, Francis Donald Nemechek’s parole hearing will be held in the month of July.
Nemechek was sentenced in March 1977 for the crimes, which included three separate incidents.
According to court documents, Sheryl Lynn Young, 21, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Diane Lynn Lovette, 19, Fort Madison, Iowa; and Guy William Young, 3, Colorado Springs, were picked up by defendant on Interstate 70 near Ogallah on Dec. 13, 1974, after experiencing car trouble. The two women were taken to an abandoned farmhouse in Graham County where the two women were shotgunned to death and Guy, a 3-year-old boy, was left to freeze. The bodies were found on Jan. 13, 1975.
Carla Baker, a college student, was abducted on the evening of June 30, 1976, as she rode her bicycle near the west edge of Hays. Her remains were recovered Sept. 21, 1976, in a deserted area at Cedar Bluff Reservoir in Trego County after Nemechek told police where to look for her body.
Paula Fabrizius, 16, WaKeeney, worked as a park ranger at Cedar Bluff State Park during the summer months. On Aug. 21, 1976, she was abducted from her duty post. After an extensive search, her body was found the next day near Castle Rock in Gove County.
Nemechek was arrested on Aug. 24, 1976. He is now 66 years old and has been an inmate of Lansing Correctional Facility since his sentencing, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
“The state introduced extensive evidence connecting defendant to the crimes, with the most damning evidence being defendant’s confession to the five crimes,” court documents stated.
Prior to the July parole hearing there will be three opportunities for friends and families of victims to appear in person and testify:
• 10 a.m. to noon June 14 at Derby Police and Courts
• 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. June 23 at Municipal Court House in Topeka
• 10 a.m. to noon June 26 at City Hall in Kansas City, Kan.
Anyone unable to attend the public input sessions can send a letter by May 19 to Kansas Department of Corrections, Prisoner Review Board, 714 SW Jackson, Ste. 300, Topeka, KS 66603.
RILEY COUNTY- The search for a missing Fort Riley soldier is over and he is in custody.
On Wednesday, Fort Riley asked the Riley County Police Department to check the welfare of one of their soldiers, Staff Sgt. Garett Michael Swift, 37, a fire support specialist, according to a media release.
Officers were initially unable to locate Swift for several hours.
In the time between when police began looking for him and when he was located, Fort Riley issued a warrant for Swift’s arrest.
After RCPD made contact with Swift and verified that he was safe, police arrested him on the Fort Riley warrant.
Initially there was no warrant for Swift’s arrest, according to police. Authorities were simply attempting to verify that he was safe.
Details on the warrant were not released early Thursday.
