FORD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged school threat and have made an arrest.

Just before 8a.m. Thursday, police received a call from a concerned parent with information about a possible threat of violence to the High School in Dodge City, according to a social media report.

Officers immediately responded and followed up on the information provided. After investigating the information, they arrested a 13-year-old high school student without incident.

Criminal threat charges will be filed with the Ford County Attorney’s Office, according to police.

RILEY COUNTY— One person died in an accident just after 5:30p.m. Thursday in Riley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Nissan Rogue driven by Kurtis Dean Anderson, Green, Kansas, was  westbound on U.S. 77 near Madison and Crooked Creek.

The vehicle swerved into the lane of a 2020 Freightliner semi in an attempt to avoid hitting another vehicle. After stuck by the semi, the Nissan rolled coming to rest upside down.

Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Anderes-Pfeifley Funeral Home

The semi driver Thomas Dean Warborg, 53, Worthington, MN., was not injured.  Anderson was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A jury has awarded a Kansas man and his 3-year-old son $6.55 million in a wrongful death verdict after the man’s wife died hours after giving birth at a Wichita hospital.

The award is the largest wrongful death verdict ever in Kansas. It splits the judgment between Edgar Perez and his son, Zander.

Lindsay Perez was a middle school drama teacher who died after giving birth on Oct. 8, 2015, at Wesley Medical Center. The suit named the hospital, its parent company and nine physicians. A hospital spokesman didn’t immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Doctors diagnosed Lindsay Perez with preeclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication. The lawsuit claimed the hospital failed to provide adequate care and ignored distress signs during and after the birth.

KANSAS CITY– A Kansas man who was the owner of a Kansas City day care center was sentenced in federal court Thursday for his role in a conspiracy to fraudulently receive more than $556,000 in federal benefits, according to the United State’s Attorney.

Sharif Karie, 41, of Olathe, Kan., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to four years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

On Jan. 11, 2019, Karie was convicted at trial of participating in a conspiracy to steal government property, theft of government property, three counts of aggravated identity theft, three counts of wire fraud, 15 counts of money laundering, and six counts of mail fraud.

Karie, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia, was the owner and CEO of a day care center established under two businesses and two names for the same location, with the same key employees: KARIE Day Care Center, LLC, and Tima Child Care Center, LLC, at 1019 Admiral Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. Tima Child Care Center was established under false pretense with a straw owner, according to court documents, apparently to circumvent the state’s oversight efforts.

Co-defendant Sheri Beamon, 48, of Kansas City, Missouri, was the director of KARIE/Tima Childcare Center. Beamon pleaded guilty on Sept. 10, 2018, to her role in the conspiracy and will be sentenced on Aug. 15, 2019.

The day care centers submitted false childcare claims to the state of Missouri that fraudulently inflated the number of hours and children who actually attended the childcare centers. The conspiracy, which lasted from October 2013 to June 2016, resulted in a loss of $536,833 to the Missouri Department of Health and Social Services. The Child Care and Development Fund provides daycare subsidies for low-income families where the parents are employed or engaged in job training. Providers contract with the Children’s Division of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and submit claims electronically.

Additionally, Karie committed fraud by misleading the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) when he understated his income and assets. Karie received Section 8 assistance, which is funded by HUD. The fraud scheme resulted in a loss of more than $40,000 to the Housing Authority.

This case was the result of a nationwide sweep that targeted child care center fraud schemes. The national law enforcement operation in Missouri and six other states was the result of separate, but related, federal investigations into childcare center fraud that resulted in a loss of more than $1 million to the government.

Pole cameras, which were installed near the day care center, captured footage of the entrances and exits of the building during two time periods in 2015 and in 2016. Timesheets and billing records were reviewed and compared to the children seen on the pole cameras being dropped off and picked up from the daycare center during that time. There were significant discrepancies between the timesheets, claims submitted, and the pole camera footage. According to court documents, even the fire evacuation records were falsified indicating a fire drill was performed on a date when pole cameras were capturing footage of the entrance/exit of the day care and the planned evacuation route as provided to the state. The drill never took place.

At no time during its operation, according to court documents, did Karie Day Care Center meet the minimum health and safety standards for operation as established by Missouri statute and agreed to by contract. Tima Child Care Center was conceived as the state was in process of shutting down Karie Day Care Center for failure to comply with standards for health, safety, and record keeping. Had the state known that Karie was actually operating the business, according to court documents, a license would not have been approved.

The state conducted a compliance review of the daycare center’s billing for May 2014 and July 2014. The review found several attendance records missing. The review also identified 14 out of the 15 families with children at the center who had a parent employed there. With only two classrooms, it is improbable that parents were not caring for their own children. One of these parents reported that her job was contingent on having all of her children placed in care at KARIE Day Care Center so her child care would be paid by the state. According to court records, nearly all children enrolled for services were those of employees, in violation of state regulations. This same 2014 audit found several discrepancies on the time sheets submitted to the state.

Subsequent unannounced inspections at KARIE Day Care Center found the facility in violation of state regulations pertaining to child care licensing rules, including health and safety, staff ratios, and the maintaining of attendance records. Each of the inspections resulted in violation findings.

COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a knife attack and after asking for the public’s help have reported the arrest of a suspect.

Just after 6:30 p.m. July 26, police responded to a report of a disturbance in the 400 block of North A Street in Arkansas City, according to a media release.

At the scene, officers found a 22-year-old Arkansas City man who had sustained a cut to the side of his face. Investigators worked quickly to identify  28-year-old James Henry Fitch V as a suspect in the case, but he had fled the scene prior to their arrival. He allegedly cut the victim in the face with a knife as a result of a disagreement. The Arkansas City Fire-EMS Department provided emergency medical assistance to the victim.

On Thursday, authorities reported they had arrested Fitch.

He is being held in the Cowley County Jail on one felony count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery on a $30,000 bond through Cowley County District Court in Arkansas City, plus an additional $2,000 misdemeanor bond revocation through Cowley County District Court in Winfield.

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COWLEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a knife attack and asking the public for help to locate a suspect.

James Henry Fitch V, 28, of Arkansas City, is wanted on suspicion of aggravated battery in connection with a knifing incident July 26 in the 400 block of North A Street, according to the Arkansas City Police Capt. Eric Burr.

Just after 6:30 p.m. July 26, police responded to a report of a disturbance in the 400 block of North A Street, according to a media release. At the scene, officers found a 22-year-old Arkansas City man who had sustained a cut to the side of his face. Investigators worked quickly to identify Fitch as a suspect in the case, but he had fled the scene prior to their arrival. He allegedly cut the victim in the face with a knife as a result of a disagreement. The Arkansas City Fire-EMS Department provided emergency medical assistance to the victim.

Anyone with information on Fitch should contact the Arkansas City Police Department at (620) 441-4444.

KINGSTON, Mo. (AP) — A man charged with tampering with a vehicle used by two Wisconsin brothers who are missing and presumed dead in Missouri was involved in a business arrangement with another farmer that included calves owned by the brothers, according to people involved in the deal.

Brothers Nick and Justin Diemel, from Shawano County, Wisconsin, disappeared July 21 while visiting northwest Missouri for a trip related to their cattle business. Authorities say the brothers are presumed dead. Human remains found on a farm owned by Garland Nelson have not been identified.

The brothers disappeared after visiting Nelson, 25, at a farm near Braymer, about 70 miles northeast of Kansas City. Nelson is charged with tampering with a vehicle after authorities said he drove a truck the brothers rented from his farm to a commuter parking lot, where it was found abandoned.

David Foster, a Kansas dairy farmer, told The Kansas City Star Wednesday that he bought 131 calves from Nelson in November. Nelson was to raise the calves and the farmers would split the cost after the animals were sold. One hundred of the calves belonged to the Diemel brothers, Foster said.

Nelson’s mother, Tomme Feil, said her son and the family cared for the calves. The animals became ill shortly after arriving at the farm, which Feil blamed on bad winter and weakened immune systems. She said many died despite receiving extensive medication, feed and advice from veterinarians.

“It wasn’t like we enjoyed watching calves die,” she said. “We didn’t. We were doing everything possible to keep them alive.”

Feil said her son returned the remaining calves when Foster’s bank claimed them as collateral.

Foster said only 35 calves were returned to him.

“They were starved, they were malnourished,” he said. “It was almost a complete loss.”

Foster said Nelson owes him more than $151,000. Feil agreed that Nelson owed Foster money but disputed the amount. She said several people owe her son money and he planned to pay Foster back when others paid their debts to him.

Feil said law enforcement authorities have seized paperwork relevant to her son’s business dealings. Foster declined to provide documentation of the deal with Nelson, saying law enforcement had advised him not to so as not to interfere with the investigation.

Nelson was sentenced in 2016 to two years in prison for selling more than 600 head of cattle that did not belong to him. Nelson pleaded guilty to cattle fraud that caused more than $262,000 in losses. He was released from prison in March 2018.

Nelson also pleaded guilty in August 2015 to two misdemeanor counts of passing bad checks.