LINCOLN COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 1p.m. Thursday in Lincoln County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Mack semi driven by Gerald W. Lang, 59, Nevada, ID., was southbound on Kansas 14 11 miles north of Lincoln.
The truck left the roadway to the right. The driver overcorrected back on to the roadway and the truck rolled coming to rest facing east across both lanes of traffic.
EMS transported Lang to the Lincoln County Hospital where he died. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
RILEY COUNTY—A Kansas teen was sentenced Monday in Riley County for attempted rape, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery and marijuana possession.
Baggett photo Geary Co.
The judge sentenced Tommie Baggett, 19, Manhattan, to a total of 228 months, according the Riley County Attorney’s office.
In June of 2018, police arrested Baggett at a residence in the 1400 Block of Hartman Place in Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police on requested charges that include rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated battery that included a weapon, and aggravated burglary.
In April 2018, police arrested Baggett on requested charges of rape, aggravated robbery, attempted aggravated burglary involving a weapon, according to the Riley County Police Department booking report.
In January 2018, police arrested Baggett for the alleged sale of depressants, contributing to a child’s misconduct and felony possession of paraphernalia with intent to manufacture a controlled substance.
The judge order the time in prison to be served consecutively, according to the Riley County Attorney.
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Wednesday was move-in day for freshman students in the learning communities at Fort Hays State University.
They got a taste of the culture of their new home-away-from-home in a hurry.
A learning community is a group of first-year students who share common interests, take classes together, live on the same floor in a residence hall and participate in activities together throughout the year.
As they drove up to Victor E. Village – the residence hall that houses those in the learning communities – they were greeted by numerous student volunteers who not only helped them unload their vehicle but carried in their belongings as well.
“That was unbelievable,” said Jeff Wick from Wamego, whose son, Jacob, is a member of the Everybody’s Business Community. “It took only one trip to get everything in. It was fantastic having that one extra step to take the stress out of moving in.”
Wick also was impressed with how quickly university personnel had cleaned up after a thunderstorm with wind gusts of 80-plus mph blew through Hays the night before.
Quick reaction to an emergency was all in a day’s work for several FHSU departments.
Dean Dreiling, one of the grounds supervisors, arrived on campus about 9 p.m. Tuesday after the storm and, along with three other employees of the grounds/greenhouse department, began clearing tree branches from the streets and sidewalks.
“A lot of us have been here for a long time, and everybody knows where to head,” said Dreiling, who has been with FHSU for 21 years.
Clean-up crews returned to work at 7 a.m. Wednesday and worked for two days to get campus back to normal.
“It’s really a team effort,” he said. “I see it around here a lot. All the different departments work so well together, and it sure makes it enjoyable to work here.”
The wind blew in a wall in the Akers Energy Center, knocking over some electrical gear. Power plant employees and others came to campus to help Keith Dreher, director of energy management, remove the debris. A temporary wall is being installed until total damage is assessed.
“There were guys there from the power plant, physical plant, grounds, maintenance, construction crew, others,” Dreher said. “It’s amazing the response you get when you’re trying to get things back in order, the people you have show up to help.”
It was business as usual when students and their parents arrived on campus early Wednesday morning. On Thursday, more freshmen moved into other residence halls.
The Wicks came to Hays Monday night and got a reminder of what summer weather in western Kansas can be like. The family lived in Hays for several years before moving to Wamego six years ago.
“The storm brought back some memories of when we lived here,” Wick said, “and so did coming to campus – great memories, and we look forward to visiting often.”
Bruce and Wendy Schultz from Hutchinson also were taking a trip down memory lane while moving their daughter, Ashton, into the Imaging With Tiger Pride Community on the second floor.
The Schultzes are both graduates of FHSU and are pleased that their second daughter decided to attend their alma mater. They also were pleasantly surprised with the extra help they received.
A pair of freshmen witnessed that type of support first-hand the night of the thunderstorm.
Some students already moved into Victor E. Village as part of the Golden Beginnings Program for new first-year students. They can move into their residence hall a few days before the rest of the students, giving them another opportunity to network with their peers.
Tuesday’s storm knocked out power to the university, which relied on back-up generators for several hours. Students in Victor E. Village gathered on the first floor of the building until the storm passed.
“People who were calm were helping everyone, like me, who weren’t so calm,” said Kristen Reed from Fort Collins, Colo. “We are part of a Learning Community here, and it was literally a community effort (Tuesday).”
Reed is an elementary education major and part of the Opportunity through Education Community.
Reed admitted being visibly shook up by the severity of the storm, but Lauren Haselhorst from Kinsley, about an hour from Hays, took it all in stride.
“We’ve had a tornado just 300 yards away from our house before, so I’m kind of used to this, being from this part of the state,” said Haselhorst, who is part of Imaging with Tiger Pride.
Nonetheless, she was still impressed with the collaborative effort it took to prepare for the huge task of welcoming hundreds of students to campus.
“It was neat to see everyone working together to get everything ready for the big move-in,” she said.
And she did mean everyone. Even Dr. Tisa Mason, the university’s president, helped students move in and carried bags into McMindes Hall Thursday morning.
Activities for first-year students will continue for the next 40 days. Classes will begin Monday.
Even before she started her first college class, Reed was convinced she made the right choice where to attend college. After graduating with 600 classmates in her Colorado high school, Reed wanted to attend a regional out-of-state college where she could play softball and pursue a degree in education.
Fort Hays State proved to be the right fit.
“I came here for a campus visit my junior year,” Reed said, “and I knew then that this is it. This is where I want to be.”
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A man who walked into a Missouri Walmart wearing body armor and carrying loaded weapons acknowledges the timing was bad but said he didn’t intend to hurt anyone and doesn’t regret his actions.
Dmitriy Andreychenko photo Greene Co.
Dmitriy Andreychenko, 20, is charged with making a terrorist threat after the Aug. 8 incident at a Walmart in Springfield. He filmed himself walking through the store with the weapons, prompting shoppers and employees to flee.
No shots were fired before off-duty firefighter held Andreychenko at gunpoint until police arrived and arrested him. Andreychenko said in a probable cause statement that he was testing whether Walmart would protect his right to openly carry weapons.
The incident came just days after 22 people were killed during an attack at another Walmart in El Paso, Texas.
Andreychenko, who is free on bond and facing a felony charge of making a terrorist threat, told KYTV he never intended to hurt anyone and was surprised by the reaction.
“It was foolish, I didn’t give it thought. It was so innocent that I didn’t even think this would happen,” he said.
Suspect in the incident at the Springfield Walmart photo courtesy KYTV
Andreychenko said he talked to a Walmart manager before he arrived at the store and was told he was allowed to openly carry a weapon in the store.
Since January 2017, Missouri has not required a permit to openly or conceal carry a firearm for those 19 years or older.
Walmart said in a statement that it allows concealed and open carry in stores if it is legal in the jurisdictions where the stores are located. Customers who are uncomfortable should contact a manager, the statement said.
In an earlier statement, Walmart called the incident “a reckless act designed to scare people, disrupt our business and it put our associates and customers at risk” and said Andreychenko is no longer welcomed in its stores.
Andreychenko said the rifle was holstered and he didn’t touch it after putting it on. He contended shoppers didn’t seemed shocked or panicked until a store employee pulled a fire alarm.
Andreychenko said he always carries a gun, vest and ammunition in his car for protection and because he frequently practices shooting at a range.
“I just want people to know there was no evil to what I did. This was not a hate inspired act. This was purely innocent — the timing was just so off,” he said. “I would never want to hurt anyone. I pray to God that everything works out.”
A spokeswoman for the Springfield police department said police and city officials would not comment because the incident is still being investigated.
Sgt. Dalton Louis Bauer of Ness City receiving his Quilt of Valor Saturday at RPM Speedway. Photos by Red
Two servicemen were honored by the Kansas Grateful Stitchers with Quilts of Valor Saturday night at RPM Speedway.
The mission of the Quilts of Valor is to honor service members and veterans who have been touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.
In 2003, a quilter named Catherine Roberts started the movement that became Quilts of Valor when her son was deployed in Iraq. Since that time, more than 225,000 Quilts of Valor have been awarded.
Kansas Grateful Stitchers, a local chapter of the national Quilts of Valor National Foundation, awarded quilts to Speedway Volunteer E-6 Staff Sergeant Terry Lee Quint of Hays and Sergeant Dalton Louis Bauer of Ness City.
Sgt. Terry Lee Quint with his Quilt of Valor at RPM Speedway Saturday night.
Sargent Quint started his military career in the U.S. Army Reserves February 1996 and was called to active duty in 2005 to serve in Iraq. Sargent Quint was a motor pull SSG while serving in Iraq.
During his deployment, he was asked to put armor on trucks to help protect the trucks during convoys. The day after he completed one of his assignments, one of the trucks was hit by an IED and the armor he applied saved a young man’s life. He was awarded a Bronze Star. He retired from active duty in 2005.
Sergeant Bauer started his military career in the U.S. Marine Corp, Aug 2013 at Camp Pendleton, Calif. SST Bauer served in Japan, Republic of Korea, Camp Pendleton and NSB Kings Bay, Ga. He served in many areas: infantry rifleman, security forces, combat marksmanship coach and foreign weapons instructor.
He received many military honors, including Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal and Navy Sea Service.
SST Bauer retired from active duty in July 2018.
“This Quilt of Valor unequivocally says thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation,” the Kansas Grateful Stitchers told Quint and Bauer as volunteers presented the men with their quilts.
Kansas Grateful Stitchers also thanked RPM Speedway for allowing the group to award the Quilts of Valor Saturday.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a 2-year-old boy and have made an arrest.
Compass photo Sedgwick Co.
Just before 10a.m. May 31, officers responded to an assist EMS call at the Sunset Motel in the 2300 block of south Broadway, regarding 2-year-old Zayden Jaynesahkluah not breathing, according to officer Charley Davidson. First responders pronounced him dead on the scene.
Investigators recently received information from the Regional Forensic Science Center, which led to the arrest of the boy’s mother 23-year-old Kimberly Compass of Wichita, according to Davidson.
Police booked her into the Sedgwick County Jail just before noon Thursday on a requested charge of first-degree murder, according to online jail records.
The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
————-
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a 2-year-old boy and have made an arrest.
Just before 10a.m. May 31, officers responded to an assist EMS call at the Sunset Motel in the 2300 block of south Broadway, regarding 2-year-old Zayden Jaynesahkluah not breathing, according to officer Charley Davidson. First responders pronounced him dead on the scene.
Investigators recently received information from the Regional Forensic Science Center, which led to the arrest of the boy’s mother 23-year-old Kimberly Compass of Wichita, according to Davidson.
Police booked her into the Sedgwick County Jail just before noon Thursday, according to online jail records. They have not released details on charges or bond amount.
The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
A federal judge is holding the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas in contempt in connection with a burgeoning scandal involving recordings of confidential conversations between criminal defendants and their attorneys at a federal detention center in Leavenworth, Kansas.
The entrance to Leavenworth Detention Center, In Leavenworth, Kansas. The prison has been the center of a raging controversy over video- and audio-taping of attorney-client meetings. photo by DAN MARGOLIES
More than 100 people charged with or convicted of federal crimes could have their cases dropped or prison sentences reduced based on their claims of prosecutorial misconduct and violations of the attorney-client privilege.
In a 188-page ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson wrote that the U.S. Attorney’s Office disobeyed her previous orders to preserve documents and recordings as part of an investigation into the recordings.
“The elements necessary for a finding of contempt are clearly met,” Robinson concluded. “The (U.S. Attorney’s Office) had knowledge of the… orders yet disobeyed them.”
The detention center is run by CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America), one of the country’s largest private prison companies. Defense attorneys and the Federal Public Defender’s Office have alleged CoreCivic made video and audio recordings — which they say should have been protected by the Sixth Amendment — available to federal prosecutors.
The federal government has tried to pin the blame on two “rogue” prosecutors, Robinson wrote. But she says there’s evidence the U.S. Attorney’s Office had a “systematic practice of purposeful collection, retention and exploitation of calls” made between detainees and their attorneys.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office at first denied it had accessed any of the recordings. Later it said prosecutors had only accessed some. And throughout the proceedings, the office has denied it ever violated the Sixth Amendment.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately wish to comment on the ruling.
As punishment for the contempt finding, the U.S. Department of Justice will be forced to pay costs incurred by the office of Federal Public Defender Melody Brannon while litigating the case over the past three years. Those costs have yet to be determined. Brannon declined to comment for this story.
Robinson, herself a former prosecutor in the troubled U.S. Attorney’s Office, also agreed to hear petitions for a writ of habeas corpus filed by the 110 — and counting — prisoners who claim their Sixth Amendment rights were violated.
‘Commingled’
Robinson’s ruling was issued in a criminal case that stems from a 2016 indictment as part of an investigation into alleged drug and contraband trafficking at the Leavenworth Detention Center.
Six people were initially indicted, but prosecutors have said they suspect more than 150 people inside and outside the facility were involved.
As part of their investigation, prosecutors issued a grand jury subpoena to obtain voluminous recordings from more than 100 video cameras inside the facility. They also obtained more than 48,000 phone calls made by prisoners.
While a more targeted request may have been legitimate, the judge said, prosecutors knew that they would be given recordings from cameras in five out of the facility’s nine rooms designated for attorney-client meetings.
And while the U.S. Attorney’s Office has said it only received attorney-client phone calls because they were “commingled” with other calls, the judge again said prosecutors should have known some of the calls would involve attorneys, and the government did not take steps to protect them.
Robinson estimated more than 700 attorney-client visits were recorded inside the facility. The videos do not include audio of the meetings, but Robinson wrote that the recordings can still be valuable to prosecutors.
For example, in one specific case, Robinson wrote that prosecutors “valued knowing whether there was a document exchange between” between a client and his attorney.
Other information, such as knowing whether a defendant is angry, talking to their attorney through an interpreter, or talking to their attorney at all, could be valuable clues for prosecutors engaged in plea negotiations or pre-trial strategy, the judge noted.
‘Misled’
The government has also claimed the inmates should have known their calls were being recorded, but Robinson rejected that claim.
The phones, operated by a third party for CoreCivic, included a warning at the start of every phone call that calls may be recorded or monitored.
The company had a “privatization” process whereby attorneys could file paperwork to have phone calls made to them excluded from recordings.
But CoreCivic “misled” detainees about the process, the judge said, and the company sometimes recorded attorney-client phone calls even after attorneys had completed the process to privatize their phone calls.
“Detainees and defense attorneys were provided with incorrect, misleading, and inconsistent information about how to accomplish a confidential phone call at (the facility),” Robinson wrote. “Scores of defense counsel who testified or submitted affidavits in this case stated that they were unaware that their conversations… were being recorded.”
In total, more than 1,000 phone calls between public defenders and their clients were recorded.
‘Triage’
The Federal Public Defender’s Office had asked that more than 100 defendants whose attorney-client communications were breached be dismissed. Alternatively, the office asked for a 50% reduction in sentences for all affected clients.
Robinson, however, wrote that she “reluctantly agrees” with the government’s claim that she shouldn’t make a blanket ruling on Sixth Amendment violations that covers every case.
Instead, the judge plans to “triage” the cases.
She will consolidate them for the purposes of discovery, so the Federal Public Defender’s Office can seek more documents and records from prosecutors. Then Robinson will issue rulings on a case-by-case basis.
At least one person has already been released from prison in connection with recordings at the Leavenworth facility. Michelle Reulet, of Montgomery, Texas, was freed last year after being sentenced in 2017 to five years in prison for mail fraud.
Former Kansas Solicitor General Stephen McAllister, who was appointed to head the office in January 2018, previously indicated he was willing to work out an agreement to reduce the sentences of inmates whose communications with their attorneys were recorded. Two months later, however, McAllister’s boss at the Justice Department, then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, nixed the proposal, saying that blanket reductions of inmates’ sentences were out of the question.
Chris Haxel is a reporter in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. Email him at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @ChrisHaxel.
KINGSTON, Mo. (AP) — A judge has set a hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to try a man for tampering with a vehicle used by two Wisconsin brothers who are missing and presumed dead in Missouri.
Court records show that during a court hearing Thursday, the preliminary hearing for 25-year-old Garland Nelson was set for Sept. 16. Brothers Nick and Justin Diemel, from Shawano County, Wisconsin, were on a trip related to their cattle business when they disappeared last month after visiting Nelson.
Human remains found on a Missouri farm owned by Nelson have not been identified. The tampering charge
stems from allegations that Nelson drove a truck the brothers rented from his farm to a commuter parking lot, where it was found abandoned.
HAYS – The Fort Hays State football team closed out the first week of their preseason camp with a controlled scrimmage Thursday morning at Lewis Field.
The team will take a mandatory day off Friday then return to the practice field Saturday morning. They will practice again Sunday evening then shift their workouts to the afternoon once classes begin Monday.
Tiger head coach Chris Brown along with quarterback Chance Fuller and linebacker Colt Trachsel shared their thoughts on the scrimmage and camp so far.
GREAT BEND — A fund is set up for an unborn Great Bend baby after the unexpected death of the father, Scott Stein, on Aug. 7.
“I’ve set this fund up on my daughter’s behalf. Due to the outpour of messages about Scott’s unexpected death and with a baby on the way, people are wanting to donate to a baby fund for Baby Boy Cohen Scott Stein due in December. Thanks to each and every one of you in advance for all of your support.”
The Go Fund Me page can be reached by clicking the link below.
Scott Alan Stein, 32, passed away August 7, 2019, at the University of Kansas Health System – Great Bend Campus. He was born January 4, 1987, in Dodge City to Alan & Tracey (Ward) Stein. He married Tara Ruiz on December 1, 2018, in Great Bend. She survives.
Coming from Dodge City in 1995, Scott was a Great Bend resident. He worked for Blackhawk Sandblasting & Coating as a painter. He served in the Army for 12 years, and was honorably discharged in January 2019 at the rank of Staff Sergeant. He served 3 tours in Iraq, Cuba and Afghanistan. He was a member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus and Lake Barton Golf Club. He also was an Ahearn donor and a ticket holder at K-State. He loved golf, bowling, and softball and was also an avid Chiefs and Royals fan.
Survivors include, his wife, Tara of the home; his future son, due on Christmas Eve, Cohen Scott Stein; his yorkie, Calvin; his father, Alan Stein and stepmother Cindy; mother-in-law, Chris Goodpasture of Great Bend; father-in-law, John Ruiz and stepmother-in-law Valerie of Great Bend; brothers, Cody Smith and wife Heather of Dodge City; sisters, Lindsey Ferguson and Mariah Stein, both of Great Bend; brother-in-law, Eric Ruiz of Great Bend; sister-in-laws, Jordan Vsetecka and Shaylee Ruiz, both of Great Bend; grandmother, Norma Ward of Dodge City; nieces, Sierra Ferguson, Jordyn Rains and Kylee Rains; nephews, Bowen Smith, Davan Smith, Easton Smith, and Dylan Ferguson; many aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his mother, Tracey Ward.
Grady V. Cook, age 62, of Syracuse, Kansas, died Wednesday, August 14, 2019, at Stanton County Long Term Care Unit in Johnson, Kansas. He was born April 27, 1957, in Lamar, Colorado, the son of Ralph Lawrance and Edna Belle (Davis) Cook.
Grady farmed on the family farm for over half of his life. He attended grade school at Manter and graduated from Stanton County High School in Johnson. Grady married Susan Neal on May 27, 1999, in Garden City, Kansas. He loved playing softball during the warm months of the year and in his younger years would often travel to many men’s and co-rec tournaments. He also greatly enjoyed hunting and fishing and passed those hobbies on to his children and grandchildren. Grady coached all his kids in most of their youth sports. Recently, he coached the ladies basketball program at Holly High School in Holly, Colorado and took the ladies to the State Tournament. He knew how to instill the passion of the game in the hearts of the kids. Grady was a member of the First Christian Church in Syracuse and baptized at the age of 11 years. He recently reconfirmed his faith at Manter Methodist Church. Grady also served as a Stanton County Commissioner for five and a half years.
He is survived by his wife, Susan; children, Marty Cook and wife Kyla of Johnson, Marci Ramsay of Lawrence, Micha Cook of Johnson, Josie Cook of Goodland, and Wyatt Cook of Johnson; siblings, Leann Cook of Pratt, Rick Cook and wife Diana of Canon City, Colorado, and Jody Schone and husband Bill of Topeka; grandchildren, Rylie Cook, Caelyn Cook, Devin Dawson, Braylon Ramsay, Macyn Ramsay, and Draeyln Gaddis; and a host of nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
Memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, August 17, 2019, at Stanton County Jr/Sr High School Auditorium in Johnson, Kansas, with Pastor Mary Courtney officiating. Memorial contributions may be given to the Holly Girls Basketball Team in care of Garnand Funeral Home, PO Box 715, Johnson, Kansas 67855.
SALINA — An attempt to hide from police didn’t work for a 23-year-old Plainville man.
An officer was driving at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when he saw a white male in a camo hat duck behind cars at Casey’s, 215 W. Crawford, Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said Thursday.
The officer recognized the man as Michael Emerick, 23, Plainville, and knew that Emerick had active Saline County District Court warrants, so he stopped and attempted to make contact, Forrester said.
When the officer approached, Emerick ran a short distance before the officer was able to apprehend him, Forrester said, adding he was also allegedly found to be in possession of methamphetamine.
Forrester said Emerick was arrested on the two felony warrants — one for failure to appear and one for probation violation — as well as on suspicion of the following:
