SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on numerous charges after a chase and crash into a home.
Castenedo-Montellano photo Shawnee Co.
Just after 11:00p.m. Thursday, a deputy attempted a traffic stop on an older model Ford F-150 near SE 10th and California Avenue in Topeka for a registration violation, according to Sgt. Todd Stalbaumer. The driver failed to stop, and the Ford pickup fled the scene.
Deputies located the pickup behind a business in the 2300 SE 6th Street. A deputy attempted another car stop, but the driver aggressively reversed the Ford, nearly striking the deputy.
The Ford pickup then accelerated from the scene and struck a house in the 500 block of SE Burr. An adult male was sleeping in the residence and was injured by the Ford pickup striking the house. Injuries were not considered serious but the resident was transported to a local hospital.
The driver of the Ford then fled the vehicle and a foot pursuit ensued. With the assistance of a Topeka Police K9 Unit, the suspect was located behind a residence on SE Gray Street.
Jose L. Castenedo-Montellano, 18, Topeka, was taken into custody and booked into the Shawnee County Dept. of Corrections on requested charges that include, Aggravated Assault LEO, Reckless Driving, Flee or Attempt to Elude, Aggravated Battery Reckless, Felony Criminal Damage and Traffic and Registration Violations.
KANSAS CITY(AP) — Two Mexican nationals have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy that distributed more than 14 kilograms of heroin in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Federal prosecutors say 46-year-old Julian Felix-Aguirre was sentenced Wednesday to 24 years and seven months in prison without parole. And 38-year-old Martin Missael Puerta-Navarro was sentenced to 14 years and eight months without parole.
The two are among 26 people charged in the case, with 16 of them now sentenced.
Prosecutors say the drug ring worked with the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico to establish stash houses, build hidden compartments in vehicles, and receive and sell black tar heroin.
Court documents say 66-year-old Dennis McLallen, of Overland Park, Kansas, was the direct contact with Mexico-based drug suppliers. He is serving 15 years without parole.
SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a car theft and looking for two suspects.
Just after 8:15p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the 8900 Block of East Harry to check for a reported stolen vehicle from Andover, according to officer Kevin Wheeler. On-Star contacted Sedgwick County Dispatch that a Chevy Malibu was possibly in that area.
An officer was able to locate the vehicle at an apartment complex, according to Wheeler. Two men were in in the car. As the officer approached in a patrol vehicle the driver put the car in reverse striking the patrol car. The officer was not injured. The vehicle was able to drive from the apartment complex and police chased eastbound on Harry.
The officer quickly terminated the pursuit because of the erratic driving of the suspect. On-Star disabled the vehicle and police located it near 31st and Greenwich. They did not locate the suspects who were described as Hispanic males wearing white t-shirts, according to Wheeler.
On Saturday, the Rolling Plains Motor Speedway, 1344 Fairground Road, will host its next event — the Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing Series.
Green flag is scheduled to drop at 7 p.m.
During the event, RPM will run IMCA Modifieds sponsored by Briney Motorsports, IMCA SportMods sponsored by Walt’s Repair and Machine, IMCA Stock Cars sponsored by Advantage Glass Plus, IMCA Hobby Stocks sponsored by Golden Plains Trucking, IMCA Sport Compacts sponsored by Simpson Farms and Crazy Cruisers sponsored by Radke Implement.
General admission tickets are $10, with free admission for children under 12.
Pit tickets are $25 and $10 for children under 12 with an adult ticket.
Pits will open at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5 p.m. and hot laps will start at 6 p.m.
After Saturday, RPM’s next event is the Ellis County Fair Championships and Kansas Antique Racers on July 13 and 14.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — New, tougher regulations on exposure to lead have been implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA Region 7 Administrator, Jim Gulliford, tells reporters at a St. Joseph news conference research has proven even small amounts of lead can prove harmful to young children.
“And that’s why today EPA is announcing significantly new and more strict standards for lead dust in homes built before 1978 along with schools and child care facilities as well to protect, again, children in those early developmental years from exposure to lead,” Gulliford says.
The EPA states the United States has greatly reduced the risk of lead exposure to young children, from birth to age six, since the 1970s. New studies though indicate there is no real safe level of lead for such young children. The EPA is lowering the dust-lead hazard standards from 40 micrograms of lead per square foot to 10 on floors and from 250 micrograms to 100 on window sills in buildings built prior to 1978, when lead was banned from paint.
The EPA will work with St. Joseph city officials to educate the public on the threat of lead contamination, especially to the growth and development of children. The EPA reports lead-contaminated dust from chipped or peeling lead-based paint can lead to elevated blood lead levels in children.
Gulliford says the standards have been tightened to protect the very young.
“So, infants and young children especially vulnerable to lead paint exposure because their growing bodies absorb more lead than us as adults and their developing brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead,” according to Gulliford.
Gulliford says the EPA is working with contractors on the issue, especially those who work in renovation of older homes. He says the agency is also attempting to help homeowners who do their own work on how best to prevent lead exposure.
SALINA — On June 16, law enforcement in Saline County began receiving calls from residents who reported their bank accounts were showing withdraws the residents had not made.
The commonality was they were either Sunflower Bank Customers or had used a Sunflower Bank ATM.
As of June 20, 2019, 8 a.m., Saline County law enforcement agencies had identified 147 possible victims. Many victims had multiple withdrawals. The vast majority of the usages of debit cards were outside of Saline County.
Only four of the 147 events have occurred within the county.
Law enforcement heard from residents of Manhattan, Minneapolis, and Kanopolis, Kansas, as being victims as well.
Locations of card usage have been:
Hutchinson, South Hutchinson, Newton, Burrton, Andover, and Wichita, Kansas
Spencer, Springer, Ardmore, Norman, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Denton and Houston, Texas
Kansas City, Missouri
Detectives in those jurisdictions have been contacted and are investigating the crimes that have occurred in their jurisdictions. Saline County law enforcement investigators are seeking information as to the source of the data breach.
If you have any information concerning this event, call Crimestoppers at 825-TIPS, text SATIPS to CRIMES (274637), or visit www.pd.salina.org and follow the Crimestoppers link to submit a web tip. You may receive a cash reward of up to $1,000 and you are not required to give your name.
A Northwest Leadership Intern is seeking to connect with local nonprofit groups to offer leadership training to youth.
Nikole Cain, a Kansas State University senior, will be in Hays through Aug. 1, and is available to offer leadership courses to youth 12 and older throughout northwest Kansas.
Cain’s workshops focus on developing leadership skills, team building and service.
She is looking for more organizations to work with this summer. She said she can offer anywhere from an hour workshop through an all-day leadership camp.
Although she is based with Extension, she is not limited to 4-H. She said she can work with any local community group, including Scouts, Big Brothers Big Sisters, vacation Bible schools, churches or groups.
The position has been funded through support of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. Counties included within this program are Lane, Ness, Rush, Ellis, Ellsworth, Barton, Russell, Phillips and Rooks. Cain’s services are free. She is only asking partner organizations to provide a small fee for supplies.
She has already conducted a Leaders Rise Up Day Camp in Hays.
“We are really challenging kids to focus on their leadership skills and how they can enhance the living in their communities with that service learning project that they create and design and hopefully after the camp implement within their community,” she said.
The service projects are developed by the kids based on their interests. They can do projects individually or as groups. One group from her first camp decided to make quilts and donate them to a homeless shelter. Another group decided to donate their time to the Humane Society and work to encourage others to volunteer or adopt animals.
“It can look like a lot of thing, but you are just challenging those kids,” she said. “A lot of them this is their first step in leadership. They have never taken a leadership role. They are very young. It is challenging to get them to think outside of the box and think of what leadership looks like.”
Cain will offer another leadership day camp for students 12 and older through extension from 9 to 3 p.m. June 25 at the Cottonwood District Extension office in Hays. Cost is $5 per child. The children will need to bring a sack lunch.
Deadline to register for the event is Friday. Call the Extension office at (785) 628-9430 to register.
Growing up in Admire, Kansas, on a 5th generation farm, Cain, 22, has deep roots within agriculture. She was a 12-year 4-H’er and heavily involved within the National FFA organization throughout high school. She is majoring in agriculture education with double minors in leadership studies and animal science.
She will be returning to Hays this fall to student teach under ag teacher Curt Vajnar at Hays High School.
If you are interested in having Cain present about leadership, contact the Cottonwood District Extension office in Hays at (785) 628-9430.
BOURBON COUNTY — Two people died in an accident just after 5:30 a.m. Friday in Bourbon County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Mercury Sable driven by Brenton T. Handly, 29, Nevada, Mo., was eastbound on U.S. 54 just east of Fort Scott.
The driver attempted to pass another vehicle and struck a 2013 Chevy Malibu driven by Adam W. Bancroft, 48, Fort Scott, head-on.
Handly and Bancroft were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has approved a disaster declaration covering more than half of the Kansas’ 105 counties.
The federal assistance approved Thursday will provide service and funds to help recovery from severe weather that began on April 28 and included tornadoes and flooding.
The declaration provides funding for emergency work, repair and replacement of damaged facilities and mitigation of hazards.
Kansas received 10.26 inches of rain in May, more than double the 30-year average of 4.12 inches.
And an EF-4 tornado that hit May 28 caused substantial damage in parts of Douglas and Leavenworth counties.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that videos from white officers’ body cameras do not show conclusively that a black suspect reached for a gun in a pocket of his shorts before Topeka police shot him to deathin September 2017.
Police on the scene of the shooting investigation-photo courtesy WIBW TV
U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree said this week that the video footage was “equivocal, at best” in a ruling that allows attorneys for suspect Dominique White’s family to question two officers.
White’s father filed a civil rights lawsuit in June 2018 on behalf of himself and White’s four young children against the city, Officers Michael Cruse and Justin Mackey and five unnamed officers. The family contends that White’s shooting wasn’t legally justified.
The city has asked to have the lawsuit settled in its favor and dismissed before a trial, arguing that the officers’ use of deadly force was reasonable, so that neither they nor the city can be sued for damages. The local district attorney declared the shooting justified, and an internal police review said the officers followed department procedures.
“But, a reasonable jury could conclude that Mr. White momentarily lost his balance after spinning out of Officer Cruse’s grasp, then moved his hand consistent with a running motion, but did not reach for his pocket,” Crabtree wrote in his decision.
Police were responding to reports of gunfire near a park when they confronted the 30-year-old White. He was armed and just months out of prison after being prosecuted for burglary and illegal gun possession. Officers shot him as he fled.
Attorneys for the city and the officers argued that Cruse and Mackey did not need to be questioned by the White family’s lawyers because the body camera footage showed that White reached for a gun in a pocket.
But Crabtree disagreed, saying in his decision that “the videos alone” from Cruse and Mackey’s body cameras do not establish that White reached for a gun. The judge said he would have to rely on Cruse’s and Mackey’s statements to reach that conclusion.
“The court has viewed both videos multiple times and finds the videos equivocal, at best, on whether Mr. White reached for his gun,” Crabtree wrote.
The judge also said lawyers for the White family could seek information from the city about statements Cruse and Mackey made about their decisions to fire their weapons.
