Donnie L. “Don” McDonald, 70, Wentworth, Missouri, died Wednesday, April 25, 2019 at his home in Wentworth.
He was born April 20, 1949 in Gobler, Missouri, the son of Paul and Lena (Franklin) McDonald. He attended Coolidge, Arizona schools. He was in the United State Marine Corps from 1969 to 1971 and achieved the rank of Lance Corporal on his discharge. On April 18, 1986 he was united in marriage to Agnes Gable. They celebrated 33 years of marriage. He was retired from Schreiber Foods in Monett, Missouri. He enjoyed playing guitar, fishing, gardening, maintaining his country home and acreage, and giving his family a hard time. He was a loving husband, father, son, son-in-law, and uncle to numerous nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
Survivors include his wife of the home, three sisters; Reba Lovette of Mississippi, Dorothy Fay Ann Estes of Tennessee, and Wilma Jean Adams of Arizona, one brother; Howard Galen McDonald of Arizona, a daughter; Cindy Wright (John) of Manteca, CA, two sons; Donnie McDonald, Jr. of Monett, Missouri, and Bernie McDonald of California, two brothers-in-law; Arlen Gabel and Alan Gabel (Dawn) of Hays, grandchildren; Marsha Rocha and Johnny Wright, several other grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his father and mother-in-law; Wayne and Marie Gabel, a sister; Lurlene Webb, two brothers; Robert Kenneth and Cornelius McDonald, a nephew; Kenneth Clinton McDonald, and two nieces; Connie Graham and Teresa Lynn Lamb.
Funeral services will be at 2:30 pm on Monday, April 29, 2019 at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home with Rev. Delbert Stanton officiating. Burial with military honors by the Hays VFW Post #9076 honor guard will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 pm until 7:00 on Sunday and from 1:30 pm until service time on Monday, all at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society or Oxford Hospice of Springfield, Missouri. Condolences and memories of Don may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com
A guy drives into a ditch, but luckily, a farmer is there to help. He hitches his horse, Buddy, up to the car and yells, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy doesn’t move.
“Pull, Buster, pull!” Buddy doesn’t budge.
“Pull, Coco, pull!” Nothing.
Then the farmer says, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse drags the car out of the ditch.
Curious, the motorist asks the farmer why he kept calling his horse by other names.
“Buddy’s blind,” said the farmer. “And if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try.”
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say officers have shot and wounded a suspected robber after he fired at them at a drugstore in Kansas City, Kansas.
The shooting happened around 6 p.m. Thursday after officers responded to a reported robbery at a CVS store. Police Chief Terry Zeigler says the suspected robbery came out of the store and shot at police. Officers then returned fire, hitting the suspect. Zeigler said later in a tweet that the suspect was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition. His name wasn’t immediately released.
The Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants on Fri., April 26, 2019 in the area of Vine St. to Thunderbird between 27th St. and 41st St. This is part of a coordinated effort by the city of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.
“Significant Other,” an American play by Joshua Harmon, will be presented at Fort Hays State University’s Felten-Start Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The play, which premiered off-Broadway in 2015 followed by a Broadway production in spring 2017, follows the search of Jordan Berman for true love to be in love, but he has not found the right man.
Until he meets Mr. Right, he wards off lonely nights with his trio of close girlfriends. But as singles’ nights turn into bachelorette parties, Jordan discovers that the only thing harder than finding love is supporting the loved ones around you when they do.
Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones wrote, “Significant Other is both a good night out – a show ideal for a Friday night with pals after a few drinks – and a quite sophisticated exploration of the complex and changing dynamic between gay men and the women who love them. A black comedy about a painful transition that hits many of us urbanites in our late 20s or early 30s and goes a long way toward explaining why weddings can be such fraught affairs for anyone stuck in a tux or matching crinoline.”
This play contains adult language and subject matter that some may find offensive.
All seating is unreserved. Tickets are $5 at the door.
Eight graduating Kansas State University students will be recognized by the K-State Alumni Association for outstanding achievements throughout their college careers during an awards luncheon on April 24 at the K-State Alumni Center.
The honors include four upcoming graduates who earned the Anderson Senior Award, which recognizes graduating seniors for academics, leadership, inspiration and service. The award was established in 1998 and pays tribute to K-State’s second president, John Anderson, who served from 1873 to 1879.
Hays High School graduate Max Stieben, son of John and Jenny Klaus and Darren and Angie Stieben, was among the students honored.
The Alumni Association will recognize two graduate students with its Graduate Student Award, which was established in 2010. The award recognizes outstanding graduate students for academics, service and leadership.
Two students also will be presented with the Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Award at the ceremony. The award was established in honor of the late K-State professor Tony Jurich, who taught in the College of Human Ecology for more than 39 years. It recognizes both graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated a commitment to community leadership and service through Jurich’s core leadership tenets.
Faculty and peers nominate students for the awards, and committees consisting of members of the Alumni Association board of directors and K-State students select the recipients.
“These students are role models for leadership, community service and academics and exemplify the caliber of students at K-State,” said Marcus Kidd, assistant director of student programs for the Alumni Association. “It is an honor to recognize their achievements.”
Recipients of awards from the Alumni Association are:
Kathryn Schieferecke, bachelor’s candidate in economics with minors in Spanish and financial counseling, Bennington, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Service. Schiefercke served as president of the Wildcats for International Development club, co-student coordinator for the Staley School of Leadership Studies’ Alternative Breaks program, as a peer financial advisor for Powercat Financial Planning, and is a member of St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center.
Max Stieben, bachelor’s candidate in sociology, Hays, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Leadership. Stieben has held many roles within K-State’s Air Force ROTC detachment including vice commander of the Honor/Color Guard, flight commander, field training preparation trainer, vice wing commander and wing operations group commander. He is a member of the Arnold Air Society, Wildcat Warriors, Criminology Club and Christian Challenge. Additionally, he has represented K-State as an intern at Air Force Headquarters in the Pentagon working in the Air Force War Planning office.
Miranda Moore, bachelor’s candidate in communications studies, political science and pre-law with a minor in leadership studies, Pittsburg, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Academics. Moore is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, a highly selective national honor society, and a member of Blue Key honor society. Her undergraduate cumulative GPA is 4.0. She was one of four Americans selected for a three-week institute on Children’s Literature and Leadership through the Fulbright Summer Institute in London during the summer of 2016. Additionally, Moore is a member of the K-State Honor Council where she acts as the Arts and Sciences Representative.
Adrianna Gordey, bachelor’s candidate in English with a minor in leadership studies, Overland Park, Anderson Senior Award for Outstanding Inspiration. Gordey served as a LEAD 212 class leader, TRIO McNair scholar, resident assistant for Boyd Hall for two years, Young Writer’s Workshop Program assistant and as 2018 International Leadership Association Case Competition Team member.
Amanda Martens, doctoral candidate in psychology, Shelby, Iowa, Graduate Award for Outsanding Academics. Martens served as president-elect and president of the Graduate Student Association in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, respectively. Compared to others psychology doctoral students, Martens has an unusually high number of publications to her name. They include: first author on two journal articles, co-author of seven articles, co-author on three book chapters and several other manuscripts in review or preparation. In addition to publishing her research activity, Martens has been actively engaged in professional associations in her field, presenting over 20 research posters at professional conferences.
Derek Lawson, doctoral candidate in personal financial planning, Lubbock, Texas, Graduate Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service. Lawson has served in leadership roles on the Graduate Student Council. He began by serving on the Research Forums Committee, which coordinates two annual research forum events for graduate students to share their research and scholarly work with the K-State community. During that same year, Lawson also served as the co-chair of the GSC Professional Development Committee, which coordinates approximately five seminars/workshops each semester to support graduate students’ professional career development. In the following year, Derek was elected as president-elect of the GSC, followed by a one-year term as GSC president.
Rafael Garcia, bachelor’s candidate in journalism and mass communications with minors in Spanish translation and economics, Emporia, Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Undergraduate Award. Garcia has worked as a student journalist for the Kansas State Collegian and served as its editor-in-chief. Additionally, he is an Edgerley-Franklin Urban Leader.
Heather Love, doctoral candidate in human ecology, Gilbert, Arizona, Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Graduate Award. Love was Graduate Student Council secretary for the 2017-18 school year; Women of K-State graduate student representative from 2016- 18; Critical Conversations Committee student member from 2016-2019; and president of the Student Associates Organization of the Couple and Family Therapy program from 2018-19.
Tuan Huynh at the opening presentations for the Leo Burnett Worldwide competition at Fort Hays State University on Monday, April 22.
By KURT BEYERS FHSU University Relations and Marketing
For 25 years, one of the largest advertising companies on the planet, Leo Burnett Worldwide, has been sending people to Fort Hays State University to cultivate the talent pool with money for scholarships and for the graphic design program.
This year was Tuan Huynh’s third trip to his alma mater as part of the Leo Burnett entourage. He and two colleagues distributed a total $25,000. Huynh was offered a job as a junior art director with Burnett right after graduation with a Fort Hays State BFA in graphic design in 2014.
It feels great, he said, to come back and recognize talent with money.
“It feels fantastic,” he said, adding that it is in keeping with the culture both of Leo Burnett and Fort Hays State.
“It’s looking at the individual, and dealing with the individual, and looking at the person, looking at the human being and their talent,” he said, “and on the Fort Hays State side, Chaiwat and Karrie have always embodied that. It’s about the person first and foremost and how they teach us, from ideas to projects. They care about us as individuals not just as students. In their classrooms, they care about us as persons.”
That is Chaiwat Thumsujarit (pronounced chye-WHAT TUM-sue-jair-it), professor of art and design, and Karrie Simpson Voth, chair of the Department of Art and Design and graphic design professor.
The good feeling about what was happening was evident in the awards ceremony, which was far less ceremonial than it was like a pre-party for the celebration that followed at Gella’s Diner.
Huynh (pronounced hwin) and his Leo Burnett colleagues, Kerri Soukup, a 1997 FHSU grad, and Tracie Roberson, were obviously having a good time giving Leo Burnett money to FHSU students.
Announcing the top prize, the $10,000 Pencil Award, they joined together in a chorus for the winner’s name: “rrr-ray-AAAY-von!” for Rayvon Lewis, a Blue Springs, Mo., junior who gave up football to follow his dreams in art.
After the program, Huynh talked for a few minutes at table in a corner of the back meeting room at Gella’s. The little room held around 40 people – students, the people from Leo Burnett, Simpson Voth and Thumsujarit, friends and other alumni of the FHSU graphic arts program come to help celebrate.
“I think as a student, as a former student, you can only appreciate someone coming back and recognizing your talent because someone gave you the opportunity by recognizing your talent,” he said.
In Huynh’s memory, it is the people in the program, students and faculty, who stand out. Born in Vietnam, he grew up in Wichita and came to Fort Hays State at age 33 with an associate degree in liberal arts and humanities from Donnelly College in Kansas City. He had no art or design background, but he had raw talent.
“My professors, my classmates, they all accepted me, despite me not knowing a lot about graphic design going into the program,” he said.
“I was never shunned because of my ignorance of what graphic design is. They have taken me under their wing and been patient with me and taught me everything. My classmates embodied the same spirit. We helped each other.”
Asked specifically what makes FHSU’s graphic design program special, his answer came with no hesitation.
“A hundred percent, it’s the conceptual aspect of it,” he said. “I consider our design program a conceptual design program – not just a design program – a conceptual program, a conceptual design program, because we put so much into ideation of a project to conceptualize an idea before the work is created.”
He illustrated what he meant with an example.
“One year I had an intern from here. I put her in every project I worked on. I challenged her as we were talking and concepting. I put her in big meetings, and I asked her, ‘What do you think about that?’ because I valued what she had to say, because she comes from good stock.”
He repeated that for emphasis. “She comes from good stock. I’d bring any of these kids” – he indicated with a wave of his arm the students talking and laughing at the tables next to him – “into a Leo Burnett brainstorming session. I would. I would.”
He continued, “When I do portfolio reviews in Chicago, all the top universities I do portfolio reviews for – I do judging and I do all kinds of stuff – one of the things they lack is conceptual idea, and that was taught that here every day.”
After about 15 minutes, he was ready to go join the students, to hear their stories share his own, but he summed up his work, the day, the money he and his colleagues had distributed, the party going on around him.
“All glory to God, man,” he said. “I’m so thankful for it. I’m living the dream, brother. I’m living the dream. I’m living on grace.”
Several homeowners, including Terry Blide, who spoke to the Hays city commission Thu., oppose the proposed extension of 37th St. as part of the north Vine Street roundabout project.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Before the Hays city commission voted 3-1 Thursday night to approve an engineering design supplement to the North Vine Street Corridor roundabouts project, two residents spoke during citizen comments against a portion of the project affecting 37th Street.
The $49,904.65 supplement agreement with WSP Engineers, Lenexa, includes the scope and fee for services related to right-of-way property acquisition. The original $396,895.26 engineering contract was approved May 25, 2018 with WSP. Both will be funded out of the Convention and Visitors Bureau contingency fund.
Four traffic roundabouts are to be constructed on Vine Street/U.S. Highway 183 at 32nd/33rd, 37th, 41st Streets, and a partial roundabout at the eastbound exit ramp of Interstate 70.
A portion of the engineering contract for the Vine Street traffic roundabouts includes extension of 37th Street to the west. (Click to enlarge)
In addition, the corridor project calls for W. 37th to be extended west to the new development area and for W. 41st – the west frontage road – to be realigned to meet W. 37th further west than the existing intersection location. A new public street would be constructed south of the new intersection to maintain access to the existing gas station south of W. 37th.
Some nearby homeowners are concerned about increased traffic with the extension of 37th and the possibility of falling property values.
Bill Lovewell lives in the 100 block of W. 37th.
“It’s a safe neighborhood with slow traffic and my granddaughter can ride her bike there without worrying about every kind of vehicle coming through,” Lovewell told commissioners, “and I’ve put in thousands of dollars in improvements on my home.
“I have concerns about traffic and the fact my home is not going to be as valuable it is now. … Who wants to buy a house on our street if all that traffic is going to go through?”
Lovewell said he doesn’t have a problem with the roundabout but questions why 37th needs to be extended to the west.
“Every kind of vehicle in the world is going will coming down that street,” Lovewell believes.
Mayor Henry Schwaller noted the city commission has not taken action and has had only informal planning discussions about the project.
“One of the options that we are considering but has not yet been brought to public discussion is connecting 37th across from the old (Ambassador) motel property to Skyline Drive.
“We have not made a decision where that road will terminate because if it comes through the middle of the lot, it won’t be 37th or 38th. It would be in the middle, approximately where the alley is,” Schwaller explained. “So, there may be a consensus one way or the other, but we have not taken any formal action.”
He encouraged Lovewell and others in the audience to attend the commission meeting when the street extension is on the agenda for discussion. “We want you to be involved as we move forward.”
Terry Blide, another homeowner in the 100 block of W. 37th, asked commissioners to “please keep it a residential street, not a business street.”
Blide is worried semi-trucks will drive into his neighborhood. “You really think they’re going to mind those signs about ‘no traffic on 37th Street’?”
The full design of the roundabout project is not yet complete, according to city manager Toby Dougherty.
“We will listen to you before we move forward, I promise,” Schwaller added.
Vice-Mayor Shaun Musil said “I one hundred percent do not think 37th Street should be a direct-through street. I am for connecting to Skyline because I believe – I know – it’s going to grow north of 38th Street. Some of us here don’t agree, but I’d like to see it more of a “T” from left to right.”
Musil and Schwaller both said they had talked with concerned residents earlier Thursday.
“Nothing has been voted on,” Musil reiterated. “Nothing has been designed. I promise you there will be more information before anything will happen.
“I live very close where you guys live. … I personally agree with you.”
Later in the meeting Schwaller voted against the supplemental engineering contract. “I don’t support the project as designed,” he said, “so I didn’t want to spend the money this way.”
Commissioner Sandy Jacobs was absent from the meeting.
The Western Kansas Human Resource Management Association will hold its monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. May 8 at the Robbins Center (Eagle Communication Hall), One Tiger Place.
Registration is from 11:15 to 11:30 a.m., with a short business meeting starting at 11:30 a.m. The program for the May meeting will be “Managing Employees with an Attitude,” presented by Mike Henke. The program will be submitted for SHRM continuing education credits.
Members can RSVP at wkhrma.shrm.org. The deadline to RSVP is noon on May 3. WKHRMA is an affiliate chapter of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), a local professional organization for persons engaged in personal or human resource management.
For more information on WKHRMA, visit wkhrma.shrm.org.
Fort Hays State Athletics will be giving away 100 Tiger Nation t-shirts at the Fort Hays State vs. Nebraska-Kearney softball doubleheader on Saturday. Get out to Tiger Stadium to cheer on your Tigers in their quest to qualify for the MIAA Tournament. The doubleheader begins at 2 pm.
The top eight teams in MIAA play make it to the MIAA Tournament next week in Edmond, Oklahoma. Fort Hays State is currently one game back of seventh place in the MIAA standings. Three teams (Nebraska-Kearney, Pittsburg State, and Lindenwood) all enter the weekend of MIAA play tied for seventh. The Tigers are looking to vault into one of the last few spots in the tournament up for grabs this weekend in MIAA play. Only four teams are mathematically locked at qualifying for tournament entering this weekend.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs effectively suspended Tyreek Hill from all team-related activities Thursday night while they investigate an audio recording that aired on a local TV station in which the star wide receiver’s fiancee accused him of abusing their 3-year-old son.
Chiefs hold a late Thursday media conference. General Manager Brett Veach announces the suspension of Tyreek Hill -image courtesy KCTV
The recording surfaced one day after prosecutors said they believed abuse had occurred in Hill’s home last month but that they could not press charges because it was unclear who committed the crime.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach read a statement after the conclusion of the first round of the NFL draft that said the team became aware of the recording between Hill and his fiancee, Crystal Espinal, in “real-time” — just like the general public.
Afterward, Veach called Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and informed him that Hill would no longer be allowed to work out with the team. The Chiefs are in the midst of voluntary offseason workouts.
“We were deeply disturbed by what we heard. We have deep concern for Crystal, and are concerned for Tyreek, but we have real concern for the child,” Veach said in his statement. “We are going to continue to gather information and we will make the right decision.”
Veach declined to take any questions. Chiefs coach Andy Reid and chairman Clark Hunt, who also were in the building for the start of the draft, were not made available.
Police were called to Hill’s home twice last month and investigators determined their child had been injured. On Wednesday, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said charges would not be filed but that he was “deeply troubled” by the situation and said “we believe a crime has occurred.”
Howe also said the case could be reopened if new information surfaced.
Tyreek Hill -photo courtesy KC Chiefs
Hill released a statement through his attorney earlier Thursday in which he said his “son’s health and happiness is my number one priority.” Hill said his focus is on “working hard to be the best person for my family and our community that I can be, and the best player to help our team win.”
Less than eight hours later, KCTV in Kansas City aired part of an 11-minute audio file in which Espinal tells Hill that when asked about an injury to the child’s arm, the boy replied:, “Daddy did it.”
Hill denied any role in what happened to the child, saying: “He says Daddy does a lot of things.”
Espinal also tells Hill their son is “terrified of you.”
Hill replies, “You need to be terrified of me, too, bitch.”
Later in the conversation, Espinal asks Hill, “What do you do when the child is bad? You make him open up his arms and you punch him in the chest.”
KCTV said the audio was sent to the station without disclosing from whom. The station said it had shared the audio with Howe’s office, which did not return a message late Thursday.
Hill is a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver with a history of domestic issues, including a case in which he was accused of punching Espinal while she was pregnant and they were attending Oklahoma State.
Hill’s attorney, Trey Pettlon, has said that the wide receiver has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation. Pettlon also said that Hill waived his Fifth Amendment rights, answered questions from law enforcement and the Department of Children and Families, and that he would continue to cooperate with authorities as they provide a safe environment for the child.
That statement was thrown into question by the audio, during which Espinal indicates she covered for Hill while answering questions from investigators: “Now I really want you to sit and think about it,” she tells Hill, “because I rode for you against that detective.”
Howe would not say who has custody of the child other than to say he is safe.
“We’re talking about a minor, a child, and the system and DCF and in child investigations, we have to be very cognizant about protecting the rights of the child,” Howe said Wednesday. “We have to respect the wishes of the individuals involved in the case.”
Hill is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Chiefs have little depth at wide receiver. That means it is possible the Chiefs could target a pass-catcher when they make one of their three picks Friday night — they traded their first-round pick to Seattle earlier this week as part of a package to acquire pass rusher Frank Clark, who has his own history of domestic violence.
Last year, the Chiefs released star running back Kareem Hunt following a video that showed him pushing and kicking a woman in a hotel hallway.
Before the audio of Hill was broadcast, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell warned about making any judgments before getting all the facts. But he did make it clear that Hill could be punished under the league’s personal conduct policy, regardless of the legal situation.
“You don’t make a decision without having those facts,” Goodell said.
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OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A television station aired audio Thursday it says shows Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill telling his fiancee about punching and using a belt to discipline their son one day after prosecutors reluctantly declined to file charges in a domestic incident.
Police were called to Hill’s home twice last month and investigators determined the 3-year-old child had been injured. On Wednesday, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said charges would not be filed, but acknowledged he was “deeply troubled” by the situation and said “we believe a crime has occurred.” He said there was not enough evidence to conclusively establish who committed it.
Hill released a statement through his attorney earlier Thursday in which he said his “son’s health and happiness is my number one priority.” Hill also said that his focus is on “working hard to be the best person for my family and our community that I can be, and the best player to help our team win.”
Hill denies any role in what happened to the child’s arm, adding: “He says Daddy does a lot of things.”
She also tells Hill their son is “terrified of you.”
Hill replies, “You need to be terrified of me, too, bitch.”
Later in the conversation, Espinal asks Hill, “What do you do when the child is bad? You make him open up his arms and you punch him in the chest.”
KCTV said the audio was sent to the station without disclosing from whom. The station said it had shared the audio with Howe’s office, which did not return a message left late Thursday. Howe has acknowledged that the case could be reopened if there was new evidence.
Neither the Chiefs nor an attorney for Hill responded to a request for comment.
Hill is a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver with a history of domestic issues, including a case in which he was accused of punching Espinal while she was pregnant and they were attending Oklahoma State.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach sidestepped questions about Hill’s legal situation last week, even as the wide receiver reported for the start of offseason workouts.
Howe said the NFL attempted to contact the district attorney’s office to gather information for its own investigation. The league could still punish Hill even if he is not charged with a crime.
Hill’s attorney, Trey Pettlon, has said that the wide receiver has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation. Pettlon also said that Hill waived his Fifth Amendment rights, answered questions from law enforcement and the Department of Children and Families, and that he would continue to cooperate with authorities as they provide a safe environment for the child.
Howe would not say who has custody of the child because of an ongoing DCF investigation.
“We’re talking about a minor, a child, and the system and DCF and in child investigations, we have to be very cognizant about protecting the rights of the child,” Howe said. “We have to respect the wishes of the individuals involved in the case.”
Hill is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Chiefs have little depth at wide receiver. That means it is possible the Chiefs could target a pass-catcher when they make one of their three picks Friday night — they traded their first-round pick to Seattle earlier this week as part of a package to acquire pass rusher Frank Clark, who has his own history of domestic violence.
It’s unclear whether the new audio of Hill will change the Chiefs’ approach, though they did set a precedent late last year when it comes to domestic violence cases. That’s when they released star running back Kareem Hunt following a video that showed him pushing and kicking a woman in a hotel hallway.
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OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Chiefs star wide receiver Tyreek Hill maintained his innocence Thursday after prosecutors in suburban Kansas City declined to charge him in a domestic incident involving his fiancee and 3-year-old son even after concluding a crime occurred.
Hill said in a statement provided by his attorney that his “son’s health and happiness is my number one priority.” Hill also said that his focus is on “working hard to be the best person for my family and our community that I can be, and the best player to help our team win.”
Police were called to the Hill’s home twice last month, and investigators determined that his child had been injured the second time. On Wednesday, the district attorney in Johnson County, Kansas, declined to press charges because he could not determine who was responsible for the injuries.
“We are deeply troubled by this situation,” DA Steve Howe said. “We believe a crime has occurred, however, the evidence in this case does not conclusively establish who committed this crime.”
The Chiefs said they were aware of the prosecutor’s decision but declined further comment. Howe said the NFL attempted to contact the district attorney’s office to gather information for its own investigation. The league could still punish Hill even though he was not charged with a crime. The league has declined to comment on the case.
Hill’s attorney, Trey Pettlon, said that the receiver has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation. Pettlon also said that Hill waived his Fifth Amendment rights, answered questions from law enforcement and the Department of Children and Families, and that he would continue to cooperate with authorities as they provide a safe environment for the child.
Howe would not say who has custody of the child because of an ongoing DCF investigation.
“We’re talking about a minor, a child, and the system and DCF and in child investigations, we have to be very cognizant about protecting the rights of the child,” he said. “We have to respect the wishes of the individuals involved in the case.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach sidestepped questions about Hill’s legal situation last week as the wide receiver reported for the start of offseason workouts.
Hill is a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver with a history of domestic issues, including a case in which he was accused of punching his fiancee, Crystal Espinal, while he was at Oklahoma State.
Hill is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Chiefs have little depth at wide receiver. That means it is possible the Chiefs could target a pass-catcher when they make one of their three picks Friday night — they traded their first-round pick to Seattle earlier this week as part of a package to acquire pass rusher Frank Clark.
“I don’t know if it changes the priorities. We have a good group of guys that we really like,” Veach said of Hill’s situation. “I think we have some guys that are still here that maybe people don’t know about or realize that we know more about. But receiver, if there is a receiver that we like, early on we absolutely wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”
Donnie L. “Don” McDonald, 70, Wentworth, Missouri, died Wednesday, April 25, 2019 at his home in Wentworth.
