By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

A 22-year-old Hays man was sentenced to more than two years in prison Monday for his role in a robbery at a Hays hotel in December.

Pascual Rueda Guzman was sentenced Monday in Ellis County District Court to 32 months in prison.

According to the Hays Police Department, Guzman and Dean Joseph Manning were arrested Dec. 9 after they forced their way into a man’s hotel room at gun point in the 3400 block of Vine Street.

They held the victim down and, according to police, the man was shot in the face with a CO2 powered handgun.

Police believe the men were looking for a gun and money that was allegedly stolen from them.

According to the plea deal, Guzman was sentenced to 32 months in prison for aggravated battery and 18 months for intimidation of a witness. The two sentences will run concurrently for a total of two years, eight months in prison.

Manning was also sentenced to 32 months in prison for his role in the incident in February.

OFFICE OF GOV.

TOPEKA – Recent rains for many areas of the state have led to evaluating current drought conditions and today Governor Jeff Colyer updated the Drought Declaration for Kansas counties with Executive Order 18-17. The update downgrades 55 counties.

“Kansas has been blessed with much needed rains recently and we are able to declare many areas of the state now drought free,” said Governor Jeff Colyer. “We are still experiencing drought in the eastern portion of the state and continue to appreciate our federal partners at the Natural Resources Conservation Service as well as the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts for the producer assistance they are able to provide.”

With improvements in drought conditions the updated drought declaration now has 50 counties in emergency status, and five in watch status. This action was recommended by Tracy Streeter, Director of the Kansas Water Office (KWO) and Chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team.

“Recent moisture has eased some of the drought conditions but we are still experiencing livestock water shortages, and forage production was less than half for most producers in eastern Kansas.” said Tracy Streeter. “Some areas of northeast Kansas are still behind more than 10 inches of moisture for the year.”

Counties in emergency stage are eligible for emergency use of water from certain state fishing lakes due to the KWO Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Kansas Department of Wildlife (KDWPT). They also become eligible for water in some Federal reservoirs. For more information about this availability contact KWO.

This Executive Order and any authorized upgrade shall remain in effect for those counties so identified until rescinded by Executive Order or superseded by a subsequent Executive Order revising the drought stage status of the affected counties. Effective immediately:

• Declare a Drought Emergency, Warning or Drought Watch for the counties identified below;
• Authorize and direct all agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor to implement the appropriate watch or warning or emergency level-drought response actions assigned in the Operations Plan of the Governor’s Drought Response Team.

The Governor’s Drought Response Team will continue to watch the situation closely and work to minimize the effects the drought has on Kansans.

For more detailed information about current conditions, see the Kansas Climate Summary and Drought Report on the Kansas Water Office website at: www.kwo.ks.gov.

County Drought Stage Declarations: 

Drought Emergency: Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Cherokee, Clay, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Ellsworth,  Franklin, Geary, Greenwood,  Harper, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kingman, Labette,  Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pottawatomie, Reno, Rice, Riley, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wyandotte

Drought Watch: Allen, Chautauqua, Elk, Wilson, Woodson

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

A Hays man pleaded not guilty this week to three sex charges involving two minors.

Andrew Bayle Claude pleaded not guilty Monday in Ellis County District Court to one count each of criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties with a child and aggravated sexual battery.

According to court documents, Claude allegedly had sexual contact with a 15-year-old in December of last year.

He is also accused of forcibly touching a 16-year-old in March.

Claude is also facing six other felony counts, including rape of two other underage girls, in a separate incident that occurred in November of last year.

The court will schedule a hearing in the next few months to determine if both cases can be tried at the same time.

A trial date in both cases could be set for early next year.

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission approved updated fees for the Ellis County Health Department on Monday.

County Health Administrator Kerry McCue said the changes reflect the addition of a nurse practitioner in April.

The fees are before insurance covers any costs.

According to McCue, the updated fees also bring the county in line with other medical facilities in the community.

One service that saw a small increase was flu shots according to McCue.

“The regular flu (vaccine) went from $30 to $35,” McCue said. “Same thing with the high-dose (vaccine), it went from $60 to $65 and that’s reflective of the price of vaccines.”

The county also now offers FluBlok. McCue said the FluBlok vaccine is an egg-free vaccine that is recommended for people ages 50 and 65.

Also with the addition of Nurse Practitioner Maren Moody, the Health Department now offers physicals, something it had not offered before.

With flu season set to ramp up in the next several weeks, McCue said Monday they are now offering flu shots at the Ellis County Health Department.

“They can come in anytime now,” McCue said of people who may be interested in receiving a flu shot. “We’re starting to establish some of our clinics that we do in the community.”

Businesses in Ellis County who wish to set up a clinic can contact the Health Department.

In other business, the commission and the Public Building Commission approved three-year agreements with Adams Brown Beran and Ball for the firm to continue providing annual financial auditing services through 2020.

The commission also voted to adopt the new personnel policy effective Jan. 1.

WICHITA — A federal grand jury Tuesday returned a series of criminal indictments in separate cases charging defendants with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

On one of the cases, Roberto Sanchez-Salas, 49, a citizen of Mexico, has been charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found in September 2018 in Ellis County, according to a news release from McAllister.

If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett is prosecuting.