LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A man has been convicted of killing his girlfriend’s mother’s boyfriend near a northeast Kansas lake.

Jurors in Jefferson County found 23-year-old Jonathan Davis Blevins, of Topeka, guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Taylor Dean Sawyer. His body was found March 14, 2018, at Perry Lake. Sentencing for Blevins is set for April 18.

His girlfriend, Ashlyn Hemmerling, will be arraigned later this month on a charge of first-degree murder. Her mother, Sarah Hemmerling, initially was charged with obstruction, but that charge was dropped.

Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig said previously that authorities believe Ashlyn Hemmerling helped orchestrate the homicide. He said circumstances leading to the homicide may have involved a domestic dispute as well as drug use.

RENO COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Wednesday in Reno County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Chevy Impala driven byMalyssa D. Depperschmidt, 19, Sylvia, was northbound on Thompson Road one mile north of Sylvia.

After stopping at the stop sign at U.S. 50, the driver pulled out into the lanes of U.S. 50 and was struck by a 2000 Kenworth semi driven by Jimmie L. March, 43, Houstoniina, Missouri.

A passenger in the Chevy Depperschmidt, Dwayne J. Depperschmidt, 20, Slyvia, was pronounced dead at the scene.  Another passenger in the Chevy Cody A. George, 18, Sylvia, was transported to Wesley Medical Center.

Malyssa Depperschmidt was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. March was not injured.  All four were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A drunken driver who killed a 35-year-old motorcycle rider will serve two days in jail, five days of house arrest and a year of probation.

Alexandra Eslinger pleaded guilty in January to vehicular homicide and driving under the influence, both misdemeanors, in the July 2017 death of Jesus Navarro-Gonzalez.

She was sentenced last week. She was also ordered to complete drug and alcohol treatment.

Police said Eslinger turned into a parking lot and caused a crash that killed Navarro-Gonzalez.

Court records say Eslinger had a blood-alcohol level of .102, above the legal limit of .08 at the time of the crash.

The probation carries an underlying sentence of a year of jail time if she violates probation.

Court records indicate Eslinger had a previous DUI conviction.

WICHITA, KAN. – A former EMT in Jackson County, Kan., was sentenced Tuesday to five years on federal probation for stealing morphine from vials, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

One condition of his release is he not engage in any occupation that would give him access to controlled substances without prior approval from his probation officer. He also must complete an approved substance abuse program.

Colby W. VanWagoner, 33, Mayetta, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining a controlled substance by deception and one count of making a false statement during an investigation.

The crimes took place while VanWagoner was working for the Jackson County Emergency Medical Service in Holton, Kan. In his plea, VanWagoner admitted he tampered with vials of morphine sulfate. He replaced morphine with saline solution and put the vials back into narcotic boxes on ambulances and in office stocks. Tests showed the concentration of morphine in vials that had been tampered with was low as 1 percent or less. The concentration of morphine should have been 100 percent.

RENO COUNTY – Police are still working to determine the identity of the suspect who walked into a Hutchinson Kwik Shop and demanded money.

It happened around 1:15 a.m. on March 7 at the Kwik Shop at 43rd and Plum. A white male, possibly in his early 20’s, entered the store, placed a black backpack on the counter and demanded money from the register. The suspect wore a hood and kept his face covered, according to police.

No weapon was actually seen according to police and the 63-year-old employee cooperated and gave the suspect cash from the register. He then left the store with the cash.

Police ask that if you have any information that could assist them with their investigation, call them at 694-2832 or Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 1-800-222-TIPS.

HARVEY COUNTY —A member of the Newton Police department was injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Wednesday in Harvey County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Ford F150 driven by Aaron Patrick Osner, 28, Newton, was northbound Interstate 135 from Broadway Avenue and changed lanes into the left lane.

The Ford struck a 2014 Nissan Frontier that was legally parked partly in the left lane and shoulder providing traffic control for accidents being worked in the area.

The driver of the Nissan Bruce K. Powers, 60, was providing traffic control for the Newton Police Department while Interstate 135 was closed southbound and partially closed northbound due to several accidents.

Powers was transported to Wesley Medical Center for treatment of a minor injury and released according to Newton Police Chief Eric Murphy.

HORTON, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas hospital run by an embattled health management company has shut down operations after struggling for months without enough funds to pay its employees or buy medication and food for patients.

The city of Horton’s only medical provider, Horton Community Hospital, closed on Tuesday, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. Residents will now have to travel 12 miles (19 kilometers) to Hiawatha for medical care.

The hospital’s chief of staff, Dr. Richard Brown, said the closure didn’t come as a surprise. Hospital staff, who have faced weekslong gaps in pay, had been working with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and Kansas Department of Health and Environment to find a way to keep the facility open, Brown said.

Staff described trash piling up and negotiating with city officials to keep the lights on as the hospital struggled to pay overdue bills.

John Calhoon, Horton’s city administrator and chief of police, said the hospital recently made a partial payment on a utility bill that was nearly two months overdue. Calhoon expects a March invoice to go unpaid.

“It’s not anything that any of us wanted to happen, but we just have to move forward from here,” he said.

The hospital in the town of about 1,700 people was transferred to iHealthcare after being managed by EmpowerHMS, which is associated with other Kansas hospitals that have closed after being unable to pay their bills. The former EmpowerHMS-owned Oswego Community Hospital shuttered in February, and an affiliated hospital in rural Missouri was cut off from Medicare this month.

C.J. Grover, a spokesman for the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, said the agency is investigating Horton Community Hospital, but declined to comment further.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a response to the news.

“I’m concerned for the community of Horton as they face the serious loss of their local hospital,” Kelly said. “This is becoming a far too frequent occurrence in our state. Local hospitals are key to the health of Kansas families and are often one of the largest employers in a small town. Elected leaders must work together to do more to support our local hospitals.”

Three rural hospitals have closed in the last three months. Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott closed on December 31st. Oswego Community Hospital closed in February. And Horton Community Hospital closed its doors Tuesday.

“I’ve directed our agencies to coordinate support for hospital staff during this challenging time,” Kelly said. “A closure of a hospital has ripple effects through the community and region. Our KANSASWORKS team will be in Horton Thursday to assist hospital staff with filing for unemployment benefits, as well as job applications and re-employment services.”

The Governor’s Office, Kansas Department of Commerce and Kansas Department of Labor are working to provide support to employees of the hospital, ensure unemployment benefits applications are streamlined, and re-employment opportunities are available.

In response to Tuesday’s closure, KANSASWORKS will be hosting Rapid Response Informational Meetings Thursday in Horton in conjunction with the Community Outreach Event at the Horton Public Library.

Efforts to assist affected hospital employees will include Rapid Response Informational Meetings at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday at the Horton Public Library, 809 1st Ave E. No registration is required. Information will be shared about KANSASWORKS, Workforce Center employment and training services and how to file unemployment insurance benefits.

Also, the KANSASWORKS Mobile Workforce Center will be at the Horton Public Library from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to provide additional re-employment services. Workforce Center staff will be available to help with registering on KANSASWORKS.com, creating a resumé, job search assistance and filling out job applications.

The Rapid Response team was also sent to Oswego following the closure of its hospital last month.

Any questions about KANSASWORKS should be directed to the Department of Commerce:
Emily Fitzgerald
(785) 296-1778
[email protected]

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HORTON, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas hospital run by an embattled health management company has shut down operations after struggling for months without enough funds to pay its employees or buy medication and food for patients.

The city of Horton’s only medical provider, Horton Community Hospital, closed on Tuesday. Residents will now have to travel 12 miles to Hiawatha for medical care.

The hospital’s chief of staff, Dr. Richard Brown, says the closure didn’t come as a surprise. Hospital staff said they’ve had to negotiate with city officials to keep the lights on at the hospital, which faced mounting, overdue bills.

The hospital was transferred to iHealthcare after being managed by EmpowerHMS, which is associated with other Kansas hospitals that have struggled to pay bills.