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Month: October 2017

Bond would create jobs in Hays, but local companies worried about tax increase

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By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Nabholz and Paul-Wertenberger Construction, the construction managers at risk for the proposed Hays $78.5 million bond issue, met with about 40 local vendors and their employees Tuesday afternoon to talk about their role in the potential construction.

The total economic impact of the bond is estimated at $189 million and could employ as many as 150 workers over three years.

The bond proposes construction of two new elementary schools and renovations at Roosevelt Elementary School, O’Loughlin Elementary School, Hays Middle School and Hays High School.

Should the bond pass, it will take about nine months to a year for architectural plans to be created for the schools. The construction would be done in phases with the new elementary schools likely to break ground first.

Troy Wade of DLR, the district’s architectural firm, said the money invested in the bond would turn over three to seven times in the local economy.

The district spends money with a local contractor, he explained. That contractor pays its local employees. Those employees spend money at a local business. That local business in turn pays its local employees who also spend money in the local economy. In this way, money spent locally stays in the local economy, Wade said.

Ron Ferris, Nabholz business development officer, said as a construction manager at risk, his company’s goal is to oversee the safety and quality of the project and use local subcontractors to do the work.

In written response to Hays Post questions Wednesday, Ferris said, “Given the number of quality subcontractors in Hays, we believe that a conservative estimate for local employment throughout the projects should exceed 150 workers.

“In addition, the local economy should see a boost in sales with other suppliers, vendors, restaurants and shops of all kinds. Keeping the dollars local is extremely important as those dollars will be re-spent in Hays again and again.”

As construction managers at risk, Nabholz and Wertenberger guarantee the price on a project. If the project goes over budget, the construction manager at risk pays the difference. If the project comes in under budget, the school district keeps the extra money.

Robby Manthei, Nabholz project manager, said Nabholz has had good success with working with local contractors. Once they connect with local contractors, he said the company has also been able to bring those rural companies on projects in bigger communities.

Owners and managers of several of the companies who attended the meeting Tuesday said they had worked with Nabholz in the past.

For some in attendance, not all of whom wished to have their names published, the prospect of work was tempered by the prospect of increased taxes.

Bob Herl of RDH Electric said the work would be welcome. The downward turn in oil prices and ag commodities has slowed work in the community. His company has had to go farther from Hays to find work.

The school bond projects are just the kind of work RDH specializes in.

However, Herl said Hays needs to work on broadening its tax base. He said the community relies too heavily on a commodity-based economy.

“We are continuing to come back to the water well for these same things,” Herl said. “We need to bring in new industry. It does not have to be huge industry. We ought to be able to open up new commerce. We are going back to the same people. I used not to be a gray-haired guy, but I have been a taxpayer for a long time. When the taxes start peeling away and being more than you can take in, it tends to be an issue.

“I wish this could have been taken care of a long time ago,” he said of the bond.

Herl said he thought the schools need upgrades. He said the fact that other area school districts have had two and three bonds and the Hays has not had any is telling.

“It is what is required here. You can only live in this stuff so long. It is no different than your house,” he said. “If you don’t take care of your stuff, it is eventually going to be unlivable. This is no different. We haven’t done that for quite some time.”

INSIGHT KANSAS: The lure of the independent, the reality of the parties

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Political independents continue to fascinate journalists. The Kansas City Star’s op-ed page recently included a piece by Greg Orman, Kansas’s independent 2014 candidate for the U.S. Senate, and one by Jacqueline Salit, of IndependentVoting.org. Orman’s continuing message is that the mud wrestling of partisan politics needs an infusion of centrist independence, while Salit argues that today’s apparent growing numbers of independents are somehow different from previous generations, when most independents actually had strong partisan leanings.

Burdett Loomis, Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Science

The lure of an independent, centrist candidacy and the fantasy of legions of thoughtful, independent voters are powerful storylines in a politics that has become increasingly coarse, tribal, and allergic to facts.

Orman would have us believe that in a three-way 2018 race for governor, he could prevail over the two major party candidates. We do not know who the candidates are, but in this red state, a Republican gubernatorial candidate begins with about 40 percent of the vote. A Democrat with maybe 30 percent. Where does that leave an independent? In a deep hole.

In 2014 Orman ran a strong, well-funded senate race, and still lost to Pat Roberts, the weakest Republican incumbent in the country, by 11 percent in a two-way race. This year, with Democrats running strongly in the second and third congressional districts, and with their desire to maintain their 2016 state legislative gains, a Democratic gubernatorial nominee will have solid party backing. If the GOP nominee is Kris Kobach, any Democrat will have substantial additional support, much of it coming from outside the state.

Still, multiple reports suggest that Orman will run for governor as an independent. Beyond the numbers, let me suggest how his Kansas-based reasoning is flawed. He writes, “The two major parties that run our country don’t seem to care. They are running their own version of professional wrestling: There’s lots of fighting, name calling, and posturing, but nothing is really happening.” That’s a powerful assertion, and one that has creedence at the national level.

In Kansas, however, his analysis simply falls apart.

Over the course of more than forty years, through 2010, a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans combined to provide reasonably responsive policies to the state across both Democratic and Republican regimes. Of course, there were partisan battles, but legislative majorities ordinarily provided consistent governance.

In 2005, for example, under the gun of a Supreme Court school finance decision, the Legislature came together – not altogether happily – to respond to the court’s requirements. From 2011 through 2016, conservative Republicans ruled the roost, after the blowout 2010 election. Many Kansans disagreed with their policies, but there was no deadlock at all. Party government prevailed. The response to this far-right rule was to contest the 2016 elections – both primary and general – with vigor.

In the wake of the historic 2016 elections, the state moved back to moderate conservative governance, with Democrats, moderate Republicans, and some conservatives providing the votes to readjust the state’s income tax policies. Again, there was tough politicking, but the Legislature resolved its issues.

Overall, the three parties of Kansas politics – conservative Republicans, moderate Republicans, and Democrats (mostly moderates) – have governed the state in line with their voters’ preferences. There has been tough campaigning, but also notable accomplishments, from both sides of the aisle.

In short, Greg Orman’s ambition has clouded his analysis and judgment as to Kansas politics. Party politics, albeit of the three-party variety, has served the state well. The romantic ideal of an independent candidate simply ignores the fact that the state’s parties have historically responded to the wishes of the electorate, usually ending up near the center.

Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.

BEECH: Helping children be good eaters

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Linda Beech

We all want our children to be good eaters so that they will be well-nourished and grow to be healthy young people. But children have their own ways of behaving with food. Understanding that children behave differently from adults is the first key to success with helping kids learn to eat well.

Child nutrition expert, Ellyn Satter, in her book Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense (Bull Publishing Company, 1986, 2000), defines the “division of responsibility” in feeding young children:
The adult is responsible for what is presented to eat and when and where it is provided. The child is responsible for how much and even whether or not to eat.

Her message is that parents and child care providers are responsible to choose and prepare a variety of nutritious foods, provide a regular schedule of meals and snacks, make eating times pleasant and expect age-appropriate behaviors from their children. The children are responsible for everything else!
With the division of responsibility in mind, Satter shares these insights into helping children to be good eaters:

Children challenge themselves to eat. Children are naturally skeptical about new food and cautious about eating it. “New” to children can be a food they haven’t seen before, a familiar food prepared in a different way, or someone they don’t know doing the cooking.

Children learn to like new foods by having them served repeatedly, by seeing their friends eat them, by tasting them many times and by having someone they trust eat the same food with them.

Children need to feel in control of their eating. Kids eat better when they can pick and choose from foods that are available and decide whether and how much they are going to eat. They need the freedom to turn down food they don’t want, or the reassurance that they can taste a food and decide not to finish it. When given a “way out” with food, children can will often be more daring and cooperative than if they feel they “must” eat.

Children are erratic about their eating. Children have built into them the ability to eat a variety of food. They may eat a lot one day and a little the next, accept a food enthusiastically one day and turn it down the next. Their internal sense of hunger, appetite and fullness is stronger than adults’ and they know how much to eat to grow properly. They’re more likely than adults to stop when they are full rather than when the food is gone.

Children waste food. Food consumption surveys show that plate waste goes up when there are children in the family. Adults tend to clean their plates and eat the expensive foods (like meat.) Children do not–and they often don’t finish their milk. A certain amount of waste is inevitable.

Children won’t eat food that is unappealing to them. Adults eat food because they like it. But they also eat food that doesn’t taste the greatest because the food is good for them or because they paid for it or to keep from getting hungry later. Children don’t. They eat because food tastes good. And they eat what appeals to them right at the moment.

Children need limits. Kids don’t benefit from being allowed to say “YUK!” at meal time. They do benefit from learning to be respectful of other people’s feelings. They benefit from learning to turn down food politely (a simple “no thank you” will do), to be matter of fact about choosing not to eat something, and to be subtle about getting something back out of their mouths when they don’t want to swallow it.

If children are rude about food, look for ways grownups are putting pressure on their eating–the kids may be fighting back.

Adult interference can backfire. Parents and child care providers can only provide a variety of attractive, wholesome food in pleasant surroundings and encourage positive approaches to eating. After that, it is up to the child to eat.

Taken on a day-to-day basis, it can sometimes look like children aren’t accepting foods well. But over the long term, children will eat and they will learn to like a variety of food. Putting pressure on children to eat more or waste less won’t work. Children eat less well, not better, when they are forced, bribed or cajoled to eat.

Linda K. Beech is Cottonwood District Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

🎥 New airport passenger survey to be presented to Hays city commissioners

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By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

City Manager Toby Dougherty will provide an update on a new passenger survey and catchment area study for the Hays Regional Airport during the city commission work session this evening. An outside firm was hired for the study.

Assistant City Manager Jacob Wood says the information should help in finding ways to increase usage of the Hays airport.

“It looks at all the different people that are flying in what we call our catchment area and looks at where they’re going (to fly out of),” Wood explained. “Are they going to Denver, Kansas City or Wichita? Are they going to Garden City, Manhattan? Where are they going and then why are they going there? So, the intent is, once we get through this, maybe we’ll be able to figure out how can we get some of those passengers to come back and fly Hays.”

The last catchment study of the Hays airport was done in 2012.

Health insurance for city employees in 2018 will be also be discussed.

According to Erin Giebler, director of human resources, renewal rates from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas include a decrease of 0.67% from 2017 based on the city’s expected enrollment. Staff is also recommending using $100,000 out of the Employee Benefit Levy’s Contingency fund to provide up to $700 in employer match for employee’s Health Savings Account (HSA).

The low bid of $312,000 from Smoky Hill, Salina, for construction of a new CO2 tank and feeding system for the municipal water plant will be presented by Jeff Crispin, director of water resources.

The current carbon dioxide feed system is aging, with obsolete feeders up to 44 years old, and a 49-year-old small storage tank. Construction services will include a new larger tank, tank location, and feed system.

The complete agenda is available here.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. tonight in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.

First Care Clinic welcomes new nurse practitioner

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Kuhlmann

Jill Kuhlmann, APRN has joined First Care Clinic. She graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, emphasizing in women’s health. She was previously practicing at Osborne County Memorial Hospital.

“We are very excited to welcome Jill to our staff. We look forward to her contributions as we continue with our mission of providing quality, compassionate healthcare to all,” said Bryan Brady, CEO.

Kuhlmann is currently accepting new patients. She is a primary care provider and will see patients of all ages. First Care Clinic accepts most major insurances. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call First Care Clinic at (785) 621-4990.

— Submitted

Suspect faces multiple murder charges for Lawrence shooting

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Roberts-photo Shawnee Co.

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the October 1 fatal shooting on Massachusetts Street in Lawrence. and have a third person in custody, according to a media release.

On Wednesday, the United State Marshals arrested Anthony Laron Roberts Jr, 21, Topeka, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Upon extradition to Douglas County, Roberts will be booked in on an arrest warrant from Douglas County District Court for one count of 1st Degree Murder, two counts of 2nd Degree Murder, and one count of Attempted 2nd Degree Murder. It is not known at this time when Mr. Roberts will be extradited, according to police.

Two additional suspects are in custody and identified as Ahmad Malik Rayton, 22, and Dominique Jaques Mcmillan, 19, both of Topeka. Rayton is charged with Attempted Second Degree Murder and Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. McMillon is charged with Aggravated Assault and Battery, according to Officer Drew Fennelly.

Law enforcement on the scene of the fatal shooting in Lawrence-photo courtesy WIBW TV

Three people died in the shooting including Leah Elizabeth Brown, 22, Shawnee, Colwin Lynn Henderson, 20, and Tremel Dupree Dean 24, both of Topeka. Two victims were treated at area hospitals for non-life threatening injuries.

Sunny, warm Thursday

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Today Sunny, with a high near 82. Light and variable wind becoming south southeast 8 to 13 mph in the morning.

Tonight tMostly clear, with a low around 57. South wind around 14 mph.

Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Very windy, with a south wind 14 to 19 mph increasing to 25 to 30 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. Windy, with a south wind 20 to 28 mph.

Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 17 to 22 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon.

Saturday NightMostly clear, with a low around 40.

SundaySunny, with a high near 69.

Sunday NightMostly clear, with a low around 43.

USGS: Earthquake shakes Kansas Thursday morning

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USGS image

 SUMNER COUNTY — Another small earthquake shook Kansas Thursday.

The quake just before 4:30a.m. measured a magnitude 2.7 and was centered eleven miles west of Belle Plaine in Sumner County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The agency reported four quakes in Kansas last week including in Saline and Jewell Counties and two in Harper County. They measured a magnitude 2.6-3.1.

There are no reports of damage or injury from Thursday morning’s quake.

4 Kansas teens hospitalized after crash into hay bales

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DICKINSON COUNTY — Four teens were injured in an accident just before 8:30p.m. Wednesday in Dickinson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 GMC truck driven by Benjamin J. Shafer, 18, Abilene, was traveling at 2400 Road and Eden Road three miles West of Abilene.

The driver failed to stop at the T intersection and drove into hay bales that were in a field.

Shafer and passengers Angel G. Garcia, 17; Hayden J. Ricker, 16; and Emma E. Allen, 15, all of Abilene were transported to Memorial Hospital. Garcia was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Understanding the mental health system in Kansas

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KHI

TOPEKA – To assess how well the mental health system in Kansas serves the population, policymakers can consider the need for mental health services as well as the capacity of the current system.

The Kansas Health Institute has prepared a report that provides a brief overview of the mental health system in Kansas, including who it serves, how much it costs, where services are provided, and what barriers prevent people from accessing care.

Key Points:

  • Kansas expenditures for mental health have shifted from 82 percent in inpatient facilities and 18 percent in the community in 1990, to 25 percent in inpatient facilities and 75 percent in the community now.
  • Capacity in state psychiatric hospitals has reduced from more than 1,000 beds in 1990, to 250 beds in 2016 (not including forensic beds, which are reserved for patients who have been charged with or have committed crimes).
  • As of December 2016, there were 97 geographical mental health professional shortage areas (HPSA) identified in Kansas.
  • In 2014, 19.6 percent of Kansans with disabilities did not visit a doctor due to cost.
  • In 2014, there was one behavioral health provider per 550 Kansans (1:550). Behavioral health workforces are as high as 1:200 in Massachusetts to as low as 1:1,200 in Alabama. Nationally, workforces are 1:529.

Read the complete report here.

The Kansas Health Institute delivers credible information and research enabling policy leaders to make informed health policy decisions that enhance their effectiveness as champions for a healthier Kansas. The Kansas Health Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan health policy and research organization based in Topeka, established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation.

Justice Dept: First ever indictments against Chinese manufacturers of Fentanyl, other opiates

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US DOJ

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced Tue., Oct. 17, that federal grand juries in the Southern District of Mississippi and the District of North Dakota returned indictments, unsealed yesterday, against two Chinese nationals and their North American based traffickers and distributors for separate conspiracies to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and other opiate substances in the United States.

The Chinese nationals are the first manufacturers and distributors of fentanyl and other opiate substances to be designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs). CPOT designations are those who have “command and control” elements of the most prolific international drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.

On Sept. 7, Xiaobing Yan, 40, of China, was indicted in the Southern District of Mississippi on two counts of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute multiple controlled substances, including fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, and seven counts of manufacturing and distributing the drugs in specific instances. Yan, a distributor of a multitude of illegal drugs, used different names and company identities over a period of at least six years and operated websites selling acetyl fentanyl and other deadly fentanyl analogues directly to U.S. customers in multiple cities across the country. Yan also operated at least two chemical plants in China that were capable of producing ton quantities of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. Yan monitored legislation and law enforcement activities in the United States and China, modifying the chemical structure of the fentanyl analogues he produced to evade prosecution in the United States.

Over the course of the investigation, federal agents identified more than 100 distributors of synthetic opioids involved with Yan’s manufacturing and distribution networks. Federal investigations of the distributors are ongoing in 10 judicial districts, and investigators have traced illegal proceeds of the distribution network. In addition, law enforcement agents intercepted packages mailed from Yan’s Internet pharmaceutical companies, seizing multiple kilograms of suspected acetyl fentanyl, potentially enough for thousands of lethal doses.

On Sept. 20, Jian Zhang, 38, of China, five Canadian citizens, two residents of Florida, and a resident of New Jersey were indicted in the District of North Dakota for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogues in the United States, conspiracy to import the drugs from Canada and China, a money laundering conspiracy, an international money laundering conspiracy, and operation of a continuing criminal enterprise.

Zhang ran an organization that manufactured fentanyl in at least four known labs in China and advertised and sold fentanyl to U.S. customers over the Internet. Zhang’s organization would send orders of fentanyl or other illicit drugs, or pill presses, stamps, or dies used to shape fentanyl into pills, to customers in the United States through the mail or international parcel delivery services. Federal law enforcement agents determined that Zhang sent many thousands of these packages since January of 2013.

On Oct. 11, Elizabeth Ton, 26, and Anthony Gomes, 33, both of Davie, Florida were arrested. On Oct. 12, Darius Ghahary, 48, of Ramsey, New Jersey was arrested. Ton, Gomes, and Ghahary are charged with drug trafficking conspiracy in the Zhang indictment.

The investigations of Yan and Zhang revealed a new and disturbing facet of the opioid crisis in America: fentanyl and fentanyl analogues are coming into the United States in numerous ways, including highly pure shipments of fentanyl from factories in China directly to U.S. customers who purchase it on the Internet. Unwary or inexperienced users often have no idea that they are ingesting fentanyl until it is too late. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 20,000 Americans were killed by fentanyl and fentanyl analogues in 2016, and the number is rising at an exponential rate.

Zhang was charged with conduct resulting in the deaths of four individuals in North Carolina, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Oregon in 2014 and 2015 and the serious bodily injuries related to five additional individuals.

These recent law enforcement efforts to keep fentanyl and fentanyl analogues from entering the United States were announced by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Acting Deputy Director Peter T. Edge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Assistant Commissioner Joanne Crampton of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

“Zhang and Yan are the first Chinese nationals designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs),” said Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. “CPOTs are among the most significant drug trafficking threats in the world. The defendants allegedly shipped massive quantities of deadly fentanyl and other synthetic opioids to communities throughout the United States, mostly purchased on the Internet and sent through the mail. The chemicals allegedly killed and injured people in several states, and surely caused misery to many thousands of people. Under the leadership of President Trump and Attorney General Sessions, we are taking back our communities by pursuing suppliers of deadly drugs wherever they are located.”

“Xiaobing Yan, Jian Zhang and their respective associates represent one of the most significant drug threats facing the country – overseas organized crime groups capable of producing nearly any synthetic drug imaginable, including fentanyl, and who attempt to hide their tracks with web-based sales, international shipments and cryptocurrency transactions,” said DEA Acting Administrator Patterson. “At a time when overdose deaths are at catastrophic levels, one of DEA’s top priorities is the pursuit of criminal organizations distributing their poison to American neighborhoods. These indictments are a first step; our investigators remain relentless in their pursuit to dismantle these organizations and bring those responsible to justice. DEA, along with our global network of law enforcement partners, will go after these types of criminals wherever they operate.”

“This case began when local police officers responded to what has become an all-too familiar tragedy in the United States: the heroin and fentanyl overdose of two young adults, one who survived and another who did not,” said ICE Acting Deputy Director Edge. “Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Drug trafficking organizations that deal in such a deadly game will have to face the combined resources of federal law enforcement agencies and our international partners. ICE Homeland Security Investigations is committed to helping combat this new and growing epidemic.”

“We live in an increasingly global and interconnected world – crime has no borders,” said Assistant Commissioner Crampton. “Law enforcement must respond accordingly by working beyond our borders together to detect and disrupt criminal activity. By fostering a solid integrated and coordinated law enforcement approach, we will continue to disrupt international drug trafficking networks.”

The cases against Yan and Zhang are being investigated by the DEA, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the RCMP. Valuable investigative assistance has also been provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Ministry of Public Security of China. The case against Yan is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Meynardie in the Southern District of Mississippi. The case against Zhang is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Chris Myers and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin in the District of North Dakota, along with Trial Attorney Adrienne Rose of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. Substantial prosecutorial assistance has been provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon and the Quebec office of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

Both of the indictments are the result of coordinated, multi-agency, multi-national investigations conducted by agents and investigators of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), and were further supported with national and international coordination led by the multi-agency Special Operations Division (SOD). The OCDETF Program is a partnership between federal, state, local, and international law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to target the most serious transnational organized crime threats facing the United States, including drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering. Prior to the announcement of these indictments, Jian Zhang and Xiaobing Yan were designated as OCDETF Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs), and are considered by the United States as some of the most significant drug trafficking threats in the world.

If convicted, Yan faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and three years of supervised release. Zhang faces up to life in prison and $12.5 million in fines. Any sentences will be determined at the discretion of the district courts after considering any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Twenty-one individuals in total have been indicted on federal drug charges in both North Dakota and Oregon as part of the investigation.

Note: The relevant court documents can be found here: Zhang et al Indictment and Yan et al Indictment.

Kan. man with over a dozen convictions jailed for attempted-carjacking

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Conde-photo KDOC

SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after an attempted carjacking.

Just after 7p.m.Tuesday, officers were dispatched to a reported carjacking in the 7100 Block of West 21Street north in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

A 46-year-old woman told police she had purchased groceries at the convenience store and returned to her SUV. A suspect with something in his hand ran towards her while she was sitting in the driver’s seat with the door open. The suspect demanded she move over and the woman screamed for help. The suspect then ran from the scene.

A citizen who witnessed the event told the suspect to stop. They got into a physical disturbance, according to Davidson. Officers arrived and took the 26-year-old suspect identified as Julio Conde, according to the Sedgwick County booking report, into custody. He was booked for attempted robbery, battery, assault on a law enforcement officer, criminal threat and a warrant.

The suspect and witness received minor injuries, according to Davidson.  Conde has over a dozen previous convictions for theft, burglary and making false writing, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

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