WICHITA, KAN. – A registered sex offender in Kansas pleaded guilty Thursday to production of child pornography and other child exploitation charges, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Daniel Eric Merida, 35, El Dorado, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography, one count of transporting child pornography, two counts of possessing child pornography, and one count of sending obscene material to a minor.
Merida is being held in Butler Co.
In his plea, Merida admitted using the internet to contact a minor beginning in 2012 when she was 12 years old. He used the internet to sexually exploit the victim, sending her obscene material and well as child pornography. During a search in March 2018, he was found in possession of additional child pornography. After his arrest in November 2018, a second search revealed the defendant had used online storage to transport more child pornography, and he was in possession of more child pornography on his phone.
Sentencing is set for November 18, 2019. The government has agreed to argue for a sentence of no more than 40 years in federal prison. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Wichita Police Department, and Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case with assistance from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Elizabeth Township Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart is prosecuting.
PAWNEE COUNTY—An offender at the Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility (LCMHF) died Sunday,
Fancher photo KDOC
According to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections, Micheal Fancher, 29, was pronounced dead at the hospital in Larned just after 2p.m..The cause of death is pending an autopsy.
Per protocol when an offender dies in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections
(KDOC), the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
Fancher was serving sentences from Lyon County for a 2018 Possession with Intent to Distribute
Methamphetamine, (1-3.5 grams) a Severity Level 3-D nonperson felony. He was also convicted of Sale/Distribution/Cultivation of Opiates, Opium, Narcotic Drugs or Designated
Stimulants in 2011 and Possession of Opiates, Opium, Narcotic Drugs or Designated Stimulants in 2017.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adalberto Mondesi matched a career high with four hits and stole three bases in his return from the injured list, leading the Kansas City Royals past the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Sunday.
Meibrys Viloria drove in the go-ahead run for the Royals with a two-out single in the seventh inning. Kansas City took two of three in a series between struggling teams.
Mondesi, who spent 41 games on the IL, led off the seventh with his third hit and stole second. With two outs, Alex Gordon drove him in with a tying double, and Gordon scored on Viloria’s single to make it 5-4.
Whit Merrifield added a solo homer in the eighth.
Kevin McCarthy (3-2) tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for the win. Ian Kennedy pitched a perfect ninth for his 25th save in 28 chances.
Paul Fry (1-7) took the loss.
Royals starter Danny Duffy was solid in his return from the injured list. He gave up four runs (three earned) and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Baltimore scored in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Renato Nunez.
Kansas City came right back with three runs in the bottom half. Hunter Dozier drove in Mondesi and Jorge Soler with an opposite-field double. Dozier scored on Ryan O’Hearn’s single.
The Orioles tied it with four straight hits in the third. Richie Martin and Hanser Alberto scored on Trey Mancini’s single.
Baltimore regained the lead in the sixth when Jonathan Villar’s speed helped manufacture a run, with the aid of a throwing error by Viloria behind the plate.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: RHP Shawn Armstrong was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. He had been out since Aug. 22 with a right forearm strain. … OF Mark Trumbo is expected to be activated Monday before Baltimore plays at Tampa Bay.
Royals: Duffy, Mondesi and catcher Cam Gallagher were activated from the 10-day IL. Duffy had been sidelined since Aug. 4 with a left hamstring strain. Mondesi had been out since July 17 with a left shoulder injury, and Gallagher had been on the IL since Aug. 5 with a left oblique strain. Gallagher is not expected to play against this season, except in an emergency. “I’m not playing him,” manager Ned Yost said.
ROSTER MOVES
With rosters expanding, the Orioles recalled OF Dwight Smith Jr., RHP Branden Kline and LHP Tanner Scott from the minors. Kansas City recalled RHP Heath Fillmyer from Triple-A Omaha.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Asher Wojciechowski (2-7, 5.12 ERA) starts Monday afternoon when Baltimore begins a three-game series at Tampa Bay. With Hurricane Dorian bearing down on Florida, Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games have been rescheduled as part of a single-admission doubleheader Tuesday.
Royals: LHP Mike Montgomery (3-7, 4.66) pitches Tuesday at home against Detroit.
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A prowler suspect is hospitalized after being shot by police in suburban Kansas City, Missouri.
Police were called around 8:45 a.m. Sunday to a report of three prowlers at an apartment complex in Independence. An altercation occurred with the suspects and one of them was shot by police.
Police say the injured suspect used a truck to ram a police vehicle and then fled. The truck crashed at an Interstate 70 ramp about three miles away.
The injured man is hospitalized but police say his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.
Police were searching for the other two suspects, a man and a woman. The investigation of the shooting is ongoing.
ELLIS COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 10a.m. Sunday in Ellis County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica driven by Mary D. Stanley, 81, Hurst, TX., was west bound on Interstate 70 near the U.S. 183 Bypass. The vehicle left the roadway and struck the guardrail.
Stanley was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported a passenger John R. Stanley, 81, Hurst, TX., to the hospital in Hays and later to Via Christi in Wichita. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — For the third straight year, a volatile pesticide is damaging crops across the Midwest and South, despite federal and state efforts to lessen the drift.
Since 2017, farmers have sprayed an increasing amount of the weed killer, called dicamba, on soybean and cotton crops genetically engineered by agribusiness company Monsanto to withstand being sprayed by the herbicide.
But each year, dicamba has drifted off-target and damaged millions of acres of non-resistant soybeans, specialty crops and other plants.
In fact, farmers in Illinois, the nation’s leading soybean producing state, have reported record levels of crop damage caused by pesticide drift in 2019, with 590 dicamba-related complaints as of Aug. 23.
In 2017, the state had 246 dicamba-related complaints. In 2018, the state had 330.
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The nonprofit news outlet Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting provided this article to The Associated Press through a collaboration with Institute for Nonprofit News.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and
Just after 4:00 a.m. Saturday, police responded to the 2500 Block of SW Hillcrest Road in Topeka for a reported shooting, according to Lt. Robert Simmons.
Officers located an 18-year-old girl suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The victim identified as Reyna A. Soto was transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries. Authorities reported late Saturday she was still in critical condition but expected to survive.
Police have a 17 year old suspect in custody. He was the only suspect identified in this investigation, according to Simmons.
Police transported him to the Shawnee County Juvenile Department of Corrections on requested charges of attempted first degree murder, criminal possession of a firearm by a felon and criminal discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle. Police did not release the suspect’s name.
Pictured (Back Row, L to R) are Cami Roth, Sterling; Evan Woodbury, Quenemo; Bryce Barnett, Muscotah; Patrick Turner, Ingalls; Taylor Hughes, Pratt; Garrett McKinney, Walton; Clayton Jarnagin, Protection; Reed Koop, Abilene; (Front Row, L to R) Thomas Thayer, LaCygne; Dalton Rutledge, Plains; Carl Clawson, Ulysses; Hannah Brass, Medicine Lodge; Heather Gibson, Satanta; Grace Hammer, Sharon Springs; Jessalyn Strahm, Sabetha; Jamie Holman, Bronson; Ashley Fitzsimmons, Pratt; Michaela Peterson, Dodge City; and Clinton Laflin, Russell.
KLA
TOPEKA – The third installment of the Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) Young Stockmen’s Academy (YSA) was held September 16-18. The group of 20 young producers spent three days touring various segments of the beef and dairy industries in central and western Kansas. Merck Animal Health is the exclusive sponsor of the YSA program.
El Dorado Livestock Auction was the first tour stop. The group heard from co-owner Josh Mueller about the modern facility, where more than 50,000 head of cattle are sold per year. During a stop near Cottonwood Falls, Trey and Frank Hinkson explained how they use high-accuracy sires and cow families that combine the best of calving ease and performance with maternal efficiency and high-quality carcass traits on their seedstock operation. C.J. and Russell Blew, brothers who make up the Blew Partnership, hosted the group on their ranch near Medicine Lodge. They use artificial insemination, carcass data and DNA testing to enhance the economic traits of their Red Angus-based commercial cowherd. In addition, the Blews focus a great deal of time on environmental stewardship, including implementing more than 100,000 feet of water line on their Barber County ranch, along with numerous stock water sites, several reservoir tanks and miles of cross-fencing to create rotational grazing paddocks.
During a tour of High Plains Ponderosa Dairy near Plains, co-owner and general manager Greg Bethard discussed the protocols used to manage their dairy cow herd and took the class on a tour of the facility, including the new cross-ventilated, free-stall housing barn. Reeve Cattle Company near Garden City also hosted the YSA group. Manager Keith Bryant took the class on a tour of the feeding facility, which also includes an onsite ethanol plant. In addition, the group toured the National Beef packing plant in Dodge City.
Members of the 2019 YSA class are Bryce Barnett, Muscotah, Hannah Brass, Medicine Lodge; Carl Clawson, Ulysses; Ashley Fitzsimmons, Pratt; Heather Gibson, Satanta; Grace Hammer, Sharon Springs; Jamie Holeman, Bronson; Taylor Hughes, Pratt; Clayton Jarnagin, Protection; Reed Koop, Abilene; Clinton Laflin, Russell; Socorro Martinez, Liberal; Garrett McKinney, Walton; Michaela Peterson, Dodge City; Cami Roth, Sterling; Dalton Rutledge, Plains; Jessalyn Strahm, Sabetha; Thomas Thayer, LaCygne; Patrick Turner, Ingalls; and Evan Woodbury, Quenemo.
The 2019 YSA class will gather for their final session at the KLA Convention December 4-6 in Wichita. More information about YSA can be found at www.kla.org.
KLA is a trade organization representing the business interests of members at both the state and federal levels. Voluntary dues dollars paid by producers are used for programs that benefit KLA members in the areas of legislative representation, regulatory assistance, legal troubleshooting, communications and the advancement of youth.
Listen as the ‘Voice of the Chiefs’ Mitch Holthus recaps last week’s season opening win at Jacksonville and gives a preview of Sunday’s game against the rival Oakland Raiders.
The Holthus Hotline airs Saturday mornings on your home for Chiefs football, KFIX (96.9-FM), at 8 a.m. during the Chiefs season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — LeSean McCoy is going from a rebuilding franchise in Buffalo to a Super Bowl contender in Kansas City, and he’s reuniting with his close friend and former coach Andy Reid, too.
The Chiefs and the two-time All-Pro running back have agreed to a $4 million, 1-year deal, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because McCoy must still pass a physical, which could be completed as early as Sunday.
That would allow him the week to prepare for the Chiefs’ opener in Jacksonville next Sunday.
McCoy would become the top backup to Damien Williams, likely siphoning carries from rookie Darwin Thompson and backup Darrell Williams. The Chiefs traded the other veteran running back that was expected to earn carries, Carlos Hyde, after he failed to impress during training camp and the preseason.
The 31-year-old McCoy spent his first six seasons in Philadelphia, four of them under Reid, before spending the past four seasons with the Bills. The six-time Pro Bowl selection was released on Saturday, when general manager Brandon Beane cited the emergence of rookie Devin Singletary likely leading to a diminished role for a running back who for years has been a “bell-cow back.”
“Difficult as it was, we always have to make what we think is the best decision for our team, and we just felt it was the right time to make this move,” Beane said. “We did this being a running back-by-committee with whatever group we kept, and that would be a different role for LeSean.”
Over the course of 10 seasons, McCoy has run for more than 10,600 yards, placing him 25th on the career list and fourth among active players. Some of his best seasons came under Reid, including the 2011 season in which he ran for 1,309 yards and 17 touchdowns while earning his first All-Pro nod.
McCoy had kept Father Time at bay the past few years, too. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in Buffalo before a drop-off last season, when he totaled just 514 yards and three touchdowns.
A few weeks ago, McCoy acknowledged seeing speculation that he may be traded or released, but he also expressed confidence that he would finish out his five-year contract with the Bills.
“I know who I am. I know how to play. And my teammates know that,” McCoy said. “I’m the guy. I feel like that. That’s what I’ve been told. And that’s my everyday approach.”
Damien Williams emerged as the Chiefs’ lead running back late last season, when Kareem Hunt was released following a series of off-the-field issues. But despite showing a dynamic ability in both the run game and the pass game, Williams has been hampered by injuries, including a hamstring issue in camp.
That left the Chiefs with Thompson, an untested rookie out of Utah State, and journeyman Darrell Williams in the backfield. And when Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was asked about McCoy specifically on Saturday, he admitted that the club was likely to inquire about him.
“As a step-back, broad-view type of perspective, listen, we play a lot of common opponents and got to see him on tape, and he’s still a talented player and does a lot of great things in the passing game,” Veach said. “I’m sure that he is a guy that we will take a peek at.”
Veach also alluded to McCoy’s relationship with Reid, saying: “We kind of have a rapport with him.”
McCoy should have some familiarity with the terminology of Reid’s offense, but it has also undergone major changes since the running back was last carrying the ball for him in Philadelphia. The Chiefs have embraced a more wide-open style under MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and that means McCoy will have a steep learning curve if he expects to be active against the Jaguars next weekend.
That’s unlikely to bring him down.
Despite his affinity for Buffalo, McCoy is going from a franchise that has made just one playoff appearance since 1999 and won six games a year ago to an organization that has won three consecutive AFC West titles and came within an overtime coin-flip of possibly going to the Super Bowl last season.
RENO COUNTY — A small earthquake shook portions of south-central Kansas Sunday morning.
Location of Sunday’s quake USGS image
The quake just before 8:30a.m. measured a magnitude 3.1 and was centered approximately 2 miles northwest of South Hutchinson, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Sunday’s quake follows a series of quakes in Reno County in Mid-August including a 4.2 magnitude quake on August 16.
There were no reports of any damage from Sunday’s quake.
Aetna Medicaid CEO Randy Hyun (center) and Regional Vice President Deb Bacon (right) met with Kansas lawmakers in Topeka on Tuesday. STEPHEN KORANDA / KANSAS NEWS SERVIC
Aetna Better Health is struggling to keep its Medicaid contract with KanCare, to the point that state officials found fault with Aetna’s recent plan to improve services.
But Kansas lawmakers had two words this week for the company: Keep trying.
At a two-day hearing, health care providers told lawmakers how Aetna isn’t paying them on time. Aetna executives took responsibility for the shortfalls, which have put the company at risk of losing its contract after the state said it wasn’t in compliance and later rejected a proposal to fix the problems.
“We get it. Talk is cheap,” Randy Hyun, CEO of Aetna’s national Medicaid division, told the panel. “We need to show action. We need to show progress, and we absolutely intend to do that.”
Already, Aetna has replaced its state-level CEO, and told lawmakers that it did the same with another top staffer.
The company is one of three groups managing patient care the state’s privatized Medicaid program, KanCare, which provides coverage for nearly 400,000 low-income, elderly and disabled people through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.
“I want to apologize for not living up to the expectations that I’ve had,” Hyun said. “We preach operational excellence, and we certainly have not demonstrated that to you.”
During the hearing, lawmakers heard from industry groups about the challenges of working with Aetna. The Kansas Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes, said health care providers are having trouble getting paid by Aetna for the services performed. One facility owner has more than $800,000 in unpaid claims submitted to Aetna.
Cindy Luxem, the group’s CEO and president, said she’s worried about facilities burning through reserves while waiting for the reimbursements.
“Maybe Aetna needs to lay out the money and go back and reimburse at some other point,” she said, “because this isn’t a system that’s working right now.”
The Kansas Hospital Association said some clinics have had trouble signing up with Aetna in the first place to become in-network health care providers. That means the facilities have to get prior approval before providing patients health care.
“We are concerned that access to patient care will be hampered until these network issues are resolved,” said Tish Hollingsworth, vice president of reimbursement for the KHA.
Kansas regulators told Aetna last month that it was out of compliance with its state contract and was at risk of being effectively fired by the state. Aetna’s corrective action plan, delivered Aug. 6, didn’t receive a warm response.
“Quite frankly, we were not satisfied,” Kansas Medicaid Director Adam Proffitt said. “It lacked the necessary detail to show that they were going to get back into compliance.”
The state is reviewing Aetna’s latest proposal this week. Proffitt said it would be a big disruption to cancel Aetna’s contract, as about 100,000 people would have to be shifted to the two other Medicaid contractors. But that doesn’t mean the state will go easy on Aetna. Proffitt wants a quick resolution
“We’re not going to fix the problems for them,” Proffitt said in an interview. “We’re going to provide the support necessary from the state for them to fix the problems.”
Republican Rep. Susan Concannon pointed to the staff shakeup and said she was glad to see the company responding. But, she said, Aetna should have looked at troubles the other managed-care organizations had when the state’s privatized Medicaid program launched in 2013, and “learned from the issues.”
State lawmakers said they’ll keep a close eye on Aetna as the company works to fix problems.
“It’s important that we follow up and make sure the law is being followed and that people get paid and get the care they need,” Democratic Sen. Barbara Bollier said. “If that isn’t being adequately met, then we need to make changes.”
Aetna confirmed during the hearings that David Livingston would replace Keith Wisdom as CEO of the Kansas operation. A LinkedIn profile shows Livingston previously worked for the company on Medicaid in Illinois. Mark Grippi is taking over as acting COO, and previously worked for Aetna in Louisiana.
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda or email skoranda (at) ku (dot) edu.
Rarely do the words “brewery,” “dog” and “fundraiser” go together, but a new event next month hopes to combine all three.
From 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, the Humane Society of the High Plains and the Hays Public Library will team up to host Paws and Pints at Defiance Brewing Co., 2050 Old U.S. 40.
Humane Society manager Betty Hansen said interest is already high and she hopes will it turn into an annual event.
Paws and Pints will offer “all kinds of new things, and we are hoping to start this year and make this thing bigger and better every year,” she said. “I think it’s going to be great.”
“Bring your dogs out,” she said. “We will have a lot of dog activities.”
Some of the events planned include dog painting, dog toy stations, live music, and a dog talent show, which will be manned by staff and volunteers from the Hays Public Library.
“We are opening it up to the public to help them out,” said Abby Artz, HPL adult services programming coordinator.
Volunteering at the event is a part of the library’s ongoing effort to increase community outreach.
“Every month, we do what we call HPL: Hands-On — a volunteering event with a different organization around town,” Artz said. “We are trying to create more of a sense of togetherness and show that we are a community and it is really fun to work together on different events, especially this one.
“It’s going to be really fun,” she said.
Defiance is also excited to host the event, as co-founder Matthew Bender said working with community organizations is becoming a trend for breweries across the county.
“We are huge, huge animal lovers, so it was a no-brainer for us,” he said. “It felt like a natural fit.”
