KANSAS CITY, KAN. – For the second time, a Kansas man has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Curtis Allison, 56, Leavenworth, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of possessing child pornography. In his plea, Allen admitted he was on supervised release from a prior child pornography conviction when investigators found more than 5,000 images of child pornography and 1,012 child pornography videos on his computer and storage devices.

In 2006, Allison pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in child pornography and sentenced to 121 months in federal prison. In October 2014, he began a three-year term of supervise release. Within six months, he violated the terms of his release by using the internet to search for child pornography. The court revoked his supervised release and sentenced him to 24 months. He began a second supervised release in January 2017. Investigators found the child pornography in this case on his computer in August 2017.

Sentencing is set for May 20. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just before 4p.m. Sunday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Honda Accord driven by Timothy Lee McKown, 51, Wichita, was southbound on Interstate 135 taking the exit to Kellogg Eastbound.

The driver lost control of the vehicle. It ran off the roadway on the right side and collided with the bridge pillar.

McKown was transported to Wesley Medical Center in serious condition. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

By Kate Mays
KU Statehouse News Service

TOPEKA — Another domestic violence victim protection bill was brought to committee on last week. Senate Bill 150 focuses on protecting victims from housing discrimination and making it easier for them to relocate to a safe place.

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill, during which domestic violence advocates testified as proponents for the bill.

The bill addresses several obstacles that domestic violence victims face when it comes to obtaining housing. Primarily, the bill would prevent landlords from denying domestic violence victims from tenancy or evicting them based on their status as a victim and because they could be in danger again. Often times, a potential landlord will see the victim had several 911 calls made to their previous address which stops them from offering tenancy to the victims.

“We have to empower these women and men and take down this barrier. They’re taking that step out of their situation, so we have to do what we can to take down those barriers for them,” bill sponsor Sen. Dinah Sykes (D-Lenexa) said.

SB150 would also allow victims to end their leases early in order to protect themselves from further violence. Without this bill, the victims are at the will of the landlords to terminate their leases, which often leads to victims being forced to continue to pay rent for housing they’re not using or having to continue to live there because they can’t afford to pay multiple rents. Additionally, SB150 would allow victims to break their lease without their abuser’s signature.

This bill is one of several introduced during this legislative session to protect domestic violence victims. HB2270, which would require law enforcement to notify victims of domestic violence the earliest date their abuser could be released on bond, was introduced in February. Sen. Oletha Faust-Gordeau (D-Wichita) also introduced a bill that would increase penalties for domestic violence abusers. Sykes speculated that the increase in legislation could be due in part because people have been more vocal on these issues since #MeToo movement gained popularity in late 2017.

“I am disappointed that more of the bills that have been introduced in Kansas have not had hearings or weren’t blessed, so they’re kind of dead at this time and I was very fortunate to get bipartisan support on this bill and hopefully it will move out of committee next week,” Sykes said.

Two of the sponsors, Sykes and Sen. Barbara Bollier (D-Mission Hills), made headlines last year for switching their party affiliations from Republican to Democrat. The other sponsors are all Republicans.

The bill was iintroduced Feb. 12, the day before the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence’s 16th Annual Advocacy Day at the Capitol.

Kate Mays is a University of Kansas senior from Lenexa majoring in journalism.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute carfentanil after a teenager who ingested half of one pill nearly died of an overdose.

Gage Lankas, 21, pleaded guilty in October and was sentenced Friday.

Carfentanil is a synthetic drug. A dose is about 5,000 times more powerful than the same amount of heroin.

The investigation began in 2017 after a 17-year-old from Grain Valley was rushed to a hospital with an overdose. The teen survived and told police he acquired pills from Lankas. He said he snorted just half of one bill that he mistook for oxycodone.