Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
October 23rd, 2018
Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown conducted his weekly press conference in advance of the Tiger’s upcoming game with Lindenwood Saturday afternoon in Hays. Brown and select players met with the media inside Lewis Field on Wednesday, a session that can be seen by clicking on the video below.
(00:00 Head Coach Chris Brown, 12:16 Linebacker Jose Delgado, 14:30 Running Back D.J. Hickman)
By DAN MARGOLIES
A woman less than halfway into her five-year prison sentence walked free in Texas on Monday after a federal judge ruled her constitutional rights had been violated when a federal prosecutor at the Leavenworth Detention Center listened to her phone calls with her attorneys.
Michelle Reulet, of Montgomery, Texas, was 37 years old when she was sentenced in 2017. She and a co-defendant owned a business, Bully Wholesale, in the Houston area. The government alleged the company illegally sold designer drugs marketed as incense, potpourri and shoe deodorizer.
Reulet was charged with drug-related crimes and pleaded guilty in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, in January 2017 to a single count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. She was sentenced to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. She was expected to be released from the federal prison in Bryan, Texas, in September 2020.
“No words,” said Reulet’s attorney, Melanie Morgan, after speaking to her client following her release. “Just tears of relief and joy.”
In a statement, Stephen McAllister, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas, said the revelations about one of his prosecutors eavesdropping on Reulet’s conversations with her attorneys “were not previously known to the leadership of the U.S. Attorney’s office.”
“In light of those facts, and given the relatively short time remaining on Ms. Reulet’s sentence, we believed the best choice to serve the ends of justice was not to opposed the public defender’s motion to amend Ms. Reulet’s sentence to time served,” McAllister said.
Reulet’s case is the latest instance of a defendant’s sentence being reduced as a result of evidence that federal prosecutors eavesdropped on recordings of attorney-client phone calls made at the Leavenworth Detention Center. Reulet was detained there after she was indicted and taken into custody.
The owner and operator of the prison, CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America) routinely recorded outgoing inmate calls, including calls with their attorneys that were supposed to be off limits.
That disclosure more than two years ago provoked outrage among defense attorneys, who have been pressing ever since to find out whether and to what extent federal prosecutors may have been privy to the calls.
During a hearing earlier this month, the Federal Public Defender confronted a now-retired federal prosecutor, Tanya Treadway, with her handwritten notes detailing the contents of about a dozen recorded conversations between Reulet and her attorneys.
Treadway, who had been subpoenaed to testify by the public defender, did not deny that she had listened in on the recordings. Rather, she said they were not privileged or did not concern Reulet’s drug case or weren’t “important.”
After her testimony, Treadway moved to supplement the record with documents that are currently under seal, claiming they were “necessary for a fair and balanced review” of the issues before the court. Without those documents, Treadway wrote, the issues would be “forever mired in mischaracterization and misunderstanding, untethered to their proper context.”
Since the documents remain sealed – the judge has yet to rule – it’s not known what light they might shed on Treadway’s actions.
After Treadway testified, the Federal Public Defender moved for permission from the court to disclose her handwritten notes “to the appropriate disciplinary authorities.” Although Treadway wasn’t named in the motion, the context made it clear the public defender was referring to her.
Reulet had several attorneys, including a family law practitioner in Texas who represented her in a child custody battle after Reulet was indicted and taken into custody. Treadway appears to have eavesdropped on conversations between Reulet and that attorney in addition to conversations with her other attorneys.
Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and editor in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.
Barbara A. Bennett, 79, passed away on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018 at the Park Lane Nursing Home in Scott City, Kansas.
She was born on Dec. 17, 1938 in Beloit, Kansas, the daughter of Ira and Pearl White Griffith. A resident of Scott County, Kansas, since 1959 moving from Santa Ana, California. She was a homemaker
On Jan. 18, 1956, she married Harold E. Bennett Sr. in Raton, New Mexico. He passed away on Aug. 11, 2012 in Garden City, Kansas.
Survivors include her one son Harold Bennett Jr. of Scott City, Kansas; two daughters Trudy Bennett of Wichita, Kansas, and Linda and Dana Goforth of Garden City, Kansas; eight grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, one son, Bradley Bennett and one brother, Keith Griffith.
Private family services will be at a later date.
There will be no calling times.
JACKSON COUNTY — A woman allegedly facing charges for a triple-fatal Kansas crash who skipped a court appearance was captured by U.S. Marshals Tuesday morning in Nebraska, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse.
On October 11, Maria Perez-Marquez, 49, Omaha, was charged in Kansas with three counts of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery and reckless driving for the November 2017 crash near Holton that killed the mother, sister and uncle of two Kansas high school football players shortly after the family watched the boys’ Sabetha team win a state football championship. Two other people were injured.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance from the U.S. Marshals to locate Perez-Marquez. Perez-Marquez who was arrested on a no bond Jackson County District Court warrant, is being transported to the Douglas County Jail in Omaha, Nebraska and will be awaiting an extradition hearing, according to Morse.
Authorities did not released details on the arrest.
Grow Hays is accepting candidate applications for board of director positions that will open in 2019.
Prospective candidates must be willing to serve a three-year term. The Grow Hays Board meets a minimum of once a month, on the 4th Wednesdays of the month at 3:30 p.m. Board members are occasionally asked to serve on additional committees, which meet as required.
Those interested in applying can call 785-628-3102 to arrange a time to meet with current board members so the candidates know expectations if they are elected to the board. Candidates are encouraged to ask questions about the nature of the work.
Candidate applications are available at www.GrowHays.com or at BriefSpace, 219 West 10th. Deadline to apply is noon November 30, 2018.
SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for an alleged attack on a woman.
A Salina woman initially reported a weekend domestic dispute was only verbal, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.
She later reported 39-year-old Abel Erives grabbed her around the neck, lifted her off the floor and attempted to strangle her. She also reported that prior to police arriving for the initial call, Erives told her what to tell police when they arrived, according to Forrester.
A medical evaluation indicated the woman’s injuries were consistent with being strangled, according to Forrester.
Police arrested Ervies on requested charges that include aggravated domestic battery and intimidation of a witness to prevent reporting.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The 18th annual Hays Alley Cleanup started Monday.
Residents were allowed to begin putting out their unwanted junk two weeks ago.
Items not normally picked up during the regular refuse collection were to be placed in the same location as the trash pickup for city customers.
Curbside pickup is being done first. Then workers from several city departments will move into the alleyways.
Parks Department employee Mike Windholz was working curbside collections early Tuesday morning, aided by Tanner Wulf of the service division.
The duo was using a pickup and trailer for smaller items. Windholz said a larger truck is reserved for construction debris.
Crews will make just one sweep across Hays with no specific timetable, according to Marvin Honas, solid waste superintendent, and spend no more than 20 minutes in each location.
“This is a great opportunity to clean out your shed, attic, garage, basement or whatever else you might have,” Honas said.
There is no cost to customers.
Residents should sort their items into four piles:
1. Tree limbs and Brush–No longer than 12 feet in length or 6 inches in diameter
2. Construction and Demolition Debris–Lumber, drywall, bricks, sinks, tubs, wires, fencing, etc. (Please pull or bend over nails and place small quantities of concrete, bricks, and plaster in containers)
3. White Goods/Metals–Guttering, siding, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, metal swing sets, etc.
4. Municipal Waste (All other items)–Furniture, carpet, TVs, foam, etc.
Items that will not be collected are tires, batteries, household hazardous waste, or medical waste.
For more details, contact the Hays Solid Waste Department at 785-628-7350 or check the city’s website.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
About 60 teachers crammed into the board room Monday night for the Hays USD 489 school board meeting.
Kim Schneweis, co-chair of the teachers negotiating committee, said the teachers wanted to show their strength following the district declaring on Oct. 9 they were at impasse with teachers in negotiating a contract for this school year.
The sticking point is over pay.
All other employees in the district received a 4.6 percent pay increase, but when the teachers looked at the pay schedule that was offered to them, the raise did not equal 4.6 percent, she said. Schneweis said the average increase per teacher was about 3.2 percent. The difference in the district proposal and the teachers’ request is $465 per person.
Although there was standing-room only during the meeting, no one spoke during the audience participation portion of the meeting. Schneweis spoke after the meeting.
“I think the teachers want the school board to know the teachers are paying attention and they feel fair is fair,” she said. “They are just asking for what everyone else in the district has been offered. I think they want the board to know we are paying attention and they care and they are watching and listening. It is not just the negotiations committee. It is the entire contingent of teachers that care about being offered a fair contract.”
The negotiations will now go to federal mediation, which is scheduled for Nov. 8.
Schneweis said the teachers still would be willing to come to an agreement locally and cancel the mediation.
Superintendent John Thissen, who is on the negotiations team for the board, declined to comment on the negotiations after the announcement the district had reached impasse two weeks ago.
He was not at the school board meeting on Monday.
ACT scores
The ACT scores at Hays High School for 2017-18 remained high.
The composite average for HHS was 22.8, which was the second highest in the school’s history and above the state average of 21.6.
The average English score of 22.6 was the highest in the school’s history. The average reading score was the second highest it has ever been at 23.3, down only .1 point from last year.
Shanna Dinkel, assistant superintendent, said although some of the scores were down slightly from the previous year, they are still among the best scores HHS has recorded and above the state averages.
She also noted HHS has a far higher percentage of students taking the ACT than the state average. Last year almost 83 percent of HHS students took the test compared to 71 percent statewide.
Dinkel said full school performance report cards are expected to be released in December.
Technology update
The school board has requested a pilot study to determine if Chromebooks could be used in classrooms as opposed to the current laptops or iPads the district is using now. That pilot launched early this month.
Students at the Learning Center, Gina Johnson’s students at O’Loughlin Elementary School and Nathan Purdue’s eighth-grade science students at Hays Middle School are participating in the pilot study.
Dinkel said it was too early to tell much about the pilot because the Chromebooks were late getting to the classrooms because of problems with the supplier.
The board requested the study to see if less expensive Chromebooks could be used in district classrooms with the same success as current technology. The district is also evaluating how difficult it might be to migrate from a Microsoft Office platform to a Google platform.
Scott Summers, technology director, also said he thought the roll out of new laptops at the high school was going smoothly.
Sen. Laura Kelly, Democratic candidate for Kansas governor, will be in Hays Friday, Oct. 26 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the VFW, 2106 Vine, for a meet and greet.
The public is invited to attend.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office says an investigation into the shooting death of a 41-year-old woman has been presented to prosecutors.
Lisa Trimmell was shot in June 2018 at her home near Andover. Investigators have said Trimmell’s two sons, ages 14 and 22, were visiting when she was shot. A sheriff’s report says evidence indicates one of the sons shot his mother.
The shooting occurred about a month after her husband filed for divorce.
The sheriff’s office said Monday the case has been turned over to the county prosecutor’s office but no arrests have been made. An autopsy concluded her death was a homicide.
Previous reports indicates that prosecutors are trying to determine whether the shooting was justified or a crime.
The Hays Optimist Club will distribute Merriam Webster dictionaries to Ellis County sixth-graders and their teachers Wednesday and Thursday.
This is the 34th year for the giveaway according to project chairman Gary Wentling.
“During that time, 11,969 dictionaries have been given away,” Wentling said in a news release. “That equates to over $71,800 to the youth of Ellis County.”
The project is made possible from the annual sales of natural Christmas trees by the Optimist Club.
“Please stop by the Optimist Tree Lot in the Walmart parking lot, 4302 Vine, and make an investment in the youth of Ellis County by purchasing a natural Christmas tree,” added Wentling. “Help us help the future generation of this great county.”
The Optimist Christmas Tree Lot will open Nov. 23, the day after Thanksgiving.
LINCOLN, NE – Viva Pauline Barnes, age 88, passed away on Monday October 22, 2018.
Funeral arrangements are pending with Simmons-Rentschler Mortuary of Smith Center, Kansas.
Hays Post
Hays USD 489 Superintendent John Thissen has submitted his letter of resignation to the school district.
A letter has gone out to staff of the resignation.
Thissen was called away for a personal emergency and was unable to attend Monday’s school board meeting where he was expected to address the resignation.
School board president Mandy Fox said Monday night she did not wish to comment on the resignation at this time.
The Hays Post will provide more information as it becomes available.
