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Sheriff identifies Kansas girl swept away by river in Colorado

PITKIN COUNTY, Co. —Authorities have located the body of teenager who was missing after being swept away by a river.

First responders on the scene of the Wednesday photo by Craig Turpin courtesy Aspen Daily News

Just after  9:15 a.m. Thursday a Swift Water Rescue team participating in a multi-agency search and recovery mission located the victim  16-year-old Jamie Tran of Wichita, according to a media release.

Her body was located approximately 100 yards down river from The Devil’s Punchbowl.

It was reported at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday that a young woman was crossing the river just below the Punchbowl and was swept down-stream by the strong current. The young woman’s companions and others in the area performed their own search of the immediate area, and also sent someone to call for help from an ‘Emergency Call Box’ along the Highway, according to the sheriff’s department.

Valley wide resources immediately responded to the area, and thoroughly searched the banks of the
Roaring Fork River. No sign of the young woman was found by nightfall, when search efforts were
suspended for safety.

The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public that although peak run-off has subsided many rivers and streams in the area are still flowing higher and faster than what might be
expected for this time of year.

UPDATE: Search continues for man missing at Lake Wilson

UPDATE 11:40 a.m. Friday: Body found at Lake Wilson

As of Thursday evening, the Russell County Sheriff’s Office was still actively searching for Engel Rosario at Lake Wilson.

“I would like to thank all volunteers and emergency personnel for their continued hard work, the sheriff’s office said in a social media update. “The constant wind has been a complication this week, but today it dropped off enough to allow the use of two drones provided by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. I would also like two thank the Red Cross and the Russell Rotary club for taking very good care of all the responders and volunteers.”

Rosario, 26, was reported missing late Tuesday afternoon.

Hays Eagles down Emporia, improve to 2-0 at state tournament

HAYS – For the second straight game the Hays Eagles Senior American Legion baseball team jumped out to an early lead on their way to a big win at the AA/AAA State American Legion tournament at Larks Park in Hays.

The Eagles moved to 2-0 in pool play with a 12-3 win over Emporia Thursday.

Coach Dustin Schumacher

The Eagles wasted little time getting on the board Thursday. They sent nine to the plate and scored four runs in the top of the first inning.

Palmer Hutchison’s sacrifice fly scored the games first run and then three batters later Brady Kreutzer delivered a two-run triple to put Hays up 3-0. Jamison Martin added an RBI single giving Hays a 4-0 lead.

Emporia got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the first inning to cut the deficit to 4-2.

After allowing two runs on four hits in the first inning Hays starter Trey Riggs settled in and only allowed one more hit as he worked into the fourth inning.

Riggs allowed two runs on five hits with one strike out in 3.1 innings for the win.

Leading 4-2 Hays’ Dominic Bainter hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot, in the third inning to give Hays a 7-2 lead.

Back-to-back RBI doubles by Trey Riggs and Brock Lummus pushed two more runs across in the fourth for a 9-2 lead.

The Eagles added three more in the seventh inning. Cody Petersen singled in a run and Hutchison drove in two more with a single to give Hays a 12-2 lead.

Hutchison was two-for-three with three RBI’s and Bainter finished two-for-three with three RBI’s.

The Eagles improve to 32-6 on the season and are 2-0 in state pool play.

They will take on Great Bend in the final game of the day Friday at Larks Park.

Kansas teen dad arrested for alleged murder of baby

STEVENS COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) made an arrest related to the October 2017 death of a one-year-old Ulysses child.

Silva photo Grant Co.

Just before 3:30p.m. Thursday, KBI agents arrested 18-year-old Jayden S. Silva, at his home at 511 W. 8th Street in Hugoton, for the suspected juvenile offenses of first-degree felony murder, and abuse of a child, according to a media release.

The arrest follows a lengthy investigation by the KBI and the Ulysses Police Department into the death of Jaxon Silva, who was 13-months-old when he died Oct. 6, 2017, in a Wichita hospital from brain injuries. Jayden Silva was the child’s father.

Silva was booked into the Grant County Jail. The Grant County Attorney will prosecute the case.

Kansas woman convicted of killing driver in Wyoming crash

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — A Kansas woman has been convicted in the deadly crash she caused when she fell asleep while driving a tractor-trailer in Wyoming.

Hightower photo Albany County

The Laramie Boomerang reports an Albany County jury found 48-year-old Tonya Hightower guilty Wednesday of aggravated homicide by vehicle.

Authorities say Hightower drove through a median into oncoming traffic on Interstate 80 after she fell asleep in March 2018.

Her truck collided with the car driven by 57-year-old Vidal Madera of Laramie.

Wyoming Highway Patrol says Madera suffered “extreme, fatal injuries” and was ejected from his car despite wearing a seatbelt.

Hightower told authorities after the crash that she lost control of the vehicle but didn’t know what happened.

Court documents say Hightower did not test positive for narcotics.

5 jailed for drugs after I-70 traffic stop

GEARY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating 5 suspects on drug chages after a traffic stop on Interstate 70.

 

Abrego-Salas photo Geary Co.
Milleson phogo Geary Co.
Rivera photo Geary Co.

 

 

 

 

 

Just after 4:30a.m. deputies stopped a vehicle just east of McDowell Creek Road for allegedly speeding, according to a media release.

After an investigation, deputies arrested 21-year-old Juan Rivera Jr; 27-year-old Janelle Nicole Milleson, 24-year-old Anthony Q. Lopez-Garcia; 27-year-old Ricardo A. Lopez-Garcia and 25-year-old Erick O. Abrego-Salas on requested charges that included Possession of a Controlled Substance to Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

 

Lopez-Garcia photo Geary Co.
Lopez-Garcia photo Geary Co.

Rivera was is also accused of suspicion of Interference with Law Enforcement and on a Jackson County warrant alleging Failure to Appear while Abrego-Salas was accused of exceeding the Maximum Speed Limit, according to the sheriff’s department.

22-year-old Kansas man sentenced to life in prison for triple-murder

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of killing three people in downtown Lawrence.

Roberts-photo Douglas Co.

Anthony Laron Roberts Jr.,  22, Topeka, was sentenced Thursday in the October 2017 shootings that killed 22-year-old Leah Elizabeth Brown, of Shawnee; 20-year-old Colwin Lynn Henderson III, of Topeka; and 24-year-old Tre’Mel Dupree Dean-Rayton, of Topeka.

Two other men were shot but survived. Brown was the only victim who didn’t know anyone involved.

Two co-defendants, Ahmad Malik Rayton and Dominque Jacquez McMillon, both of Topeka, pleaded to lesser charges earlier this year.

The shooting started with a fistfight between two groups of Topeka men who had previous confrontations and ended when more than 20 shots were fired.

State begins Fiscal Year 2020 slightly above estimates

TOPEKA – The state begins Fiscal Year 2020 with total tax collections of $496.2 million, which is $2.0 million, or 0.39% above estimates. Total tax collections were $2.9 million, or 0.57%, below the amount collected in July 2018, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Retail sales tax collections were $204.6 million and are down 0.21% from the $205.0 million estimate; and use tax collections were $39.0 million and are $3.0 million, or 8.29% higher than the $36.0 million estimate.

Individual income tax collections were $224.2 million, about $0.8 million below the estimate. Corporate income tax was also about $0.8 million below the estimate with collections of $15.2 million, but were 6.50% greater than the previous July.

“Receipts are holding steady as we start the new fiscal year,” Secretary Mark Burghart said.

Blue-green algae warning lifted for Colby City Pond

Nine lakes with warnings; 10 with watches

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, has issued public health advisories for Kansas lakes.

Warnings:

Big Eleven Lake, Wyandotte County (unchanged)

Jerry Ivey Pond, Saline County (unchanged)

Marion County Lake, Marion County (unchanged)

*Gathering Pond near Milford (Hatchery Supply Pond), Geary County (unchanged)

South Lake, Johnson County (unchanged)

Lebo Kids’ Pond, Coffee County (unchanged))

Westlake in Gage Park, Shawnee County (upgrade from 7/25)

Melvern Outlet Pond, Osage County (new)

Melvern Swim Pond, Osage County (new)

The warning for Colby City Pond (Villa High Lake), Thomas County has been lifted.

When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:

  • Lake water is not safe to drink for pets or livestock.
  • Lake water, regardless of blue-green algae status, should never be consumed by humans.
  • Water contact should be avoided.
  • Fish may be eaten if they are rinsed with clean water and only the fillet portion is consumed, while all other parts are discarded.
  • Do not allow pets to eat dried algae.
  • If lake water contacts skin, wash with clean water as soon as possible.
  • Avoid areas of visible algae accumulation.

 

   Watches:

Lake Shawnee, Shawnee County  (unchanged)

Marion Reservoir, Marion County (unchanged)

Keith Sebelius Reservoir, Norton County (unchanged)

Rock Garden Pond (Gage Park), Shawnee County (unchanged)

Hiawatha City Lake, Brown County (unchanged)

Lovewell Reservoir, Jewell County (unchanged)

Lake Afton, Sedgwick County (unchanged)

Hodgeman County State Fishing Lake, Hodgemen County (unchanged)

Camp Hawk Lake, Harvey County (new)

Carousel Lake (Gage Park), Shawnee County (new)

A watch means that blue-green algae have been detected and a harmful algal bloom is present or likely to develop.  People are encouraged to avoid areas of algae accumulation and keep pets and livestock away from the water.

During the watch status, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:

  • Signage will be posted at all public access locations
  • Water may be unsafe for humans/animals
  • Avoid areas of algae accumulation and do not let people/pets eat dried algae or drink contaminated water.
  • Swimming, wading, skiing, and jet skiing are discouraged near visible blooms
  • Boating and fishing are safe. However, inhalation of the spray may affect some individuals. Avoid direct contact with water, and wash with clean water after any contact.
  • Clean fish well with potable water and eat fillet portion only.

KDHE samples publicly-accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions.

Kansans should be aware that blooms are unpredictable. They can develop rapidly and may float around the lake, requiring visitors to exercise their best judgment. If there is scum, a paint-like surface or the water is bright green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die.

For information on blue-green algae and reporting potential harmful algal blooms, please visit www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/index.htm.

UPDATE: Sheriff says suspects admit making fake traffic stops in Kan.

LYON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a report of alleged impersonating an officer.

Just after 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, a silver passenger car was reported to be using red and blue lights inside their vehicle to pull over other vehicles, according to Lyon County Detective Sergeant Jacob Welsh.

After the vehicles were pulled over the suspect vehicle drove around them and then left the area.

This happened on 2 occasions between Olpe and Emporia on K-99. The suspect did not make contact with the occupants of the vehicles, according to Welsh. The vehicle was last seen southbound toward Olpe.

Two suspects came to the sheriff’s office and identified themselves as responsible for impersonating a police officer, according to Welsh.

They are identified as Joseph Hawes, 18, Emporia, and an unidentified 17-year-old juvenile, also from Emporia.

Formal charges are pending through the Lyon County Attorney’s Office.

Ellis K-18 baseball claims state championship

LUCAS – The Ellis K-18 baseball captured the 2019 K-18 state baseball championship Wednesday with 14-11 win over Concordia F&A in eight innings.

Concordia lead 9-8 heading into the seventh inning when Ellis scored a single run tying the game at 9.

In the extra frame Ellis scored five runs to take a 14-9 lead. Concordia scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth but Ellis was able to hold on for the win.

Ellis got to the championship game with wins over the Twins Lake Beloit and Goodland.

Customer dies in shootout at Wendy’s in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY  (AP) — Kansas City police say a customer at a Wendy’s was shot to death during an argument with an employee.

Photo by Morgan Cormack courtesy KCTV

Police say 23-year-old Aaron Mason, of Kansas City, died after the shooting Wednesday night in midtown Kansas City.

Capt. Tim Hernandez says Mason walked behind the counter to confront the employee during an argument and the two exchanged gunfire. Gunshots were fired inside and outside the restaurant before Mason collapsed in the parking lot. He died later at a hospital.

The employee fled before police arrived.

The cause of the argument has not been released.

About a dozen customers and employees were inside the restaurant when police arrived. No one else was hurt.

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