Listen to Mike Cooper interviewing Bryan Noone and Jeremy Martinson from the Sleep and Neurodiagnostic Institute at HaysMed; by clicking the link above and then clicking the play button
Author: Hays Post
Ellis native in Emporia State production of ‘The Odd Couple’
ESU
EMPORIA– Drew Keller of Ellis, Kansas, is part of the Emporia State University cast and crew presenting “The Odd Couple” by Neil Simon.
Simon’s classic comedy opens in Oscar Madison’s (Harriel Mack, Newton) slovenly apartment at his weekly poker game. Felix Unger (Lucas Coble, Olpe) arrives late and depressed. Felix and his wife have recently separated, and he is trying to hold it together. But, he has nowhere to go, so Oscar invites him to move in with him. Felix’s love of order seems the perfect answer to Oscar’s messy house, careless spending and gambling. But soon Felix’s fussiness and hypochondria prove extremely annoying and the two polar-opposite friends have to figure out how to reconcile their differences.
Keller, a freshman theatre major, plays Roy.
The show is under the direction of Emporia State alum Fran Opheim (BSE, 2018). Period costumes from the 1960s are designed by scenographer Rick Rasmussen celebrating his 25th season with the company this season. Rasmussen also designed the set for the production. Amanda Dura is the costume coordinator and manages the costume crew. Chris Lohkamp is the technical director and manages the scene shop.
“The Odd Couple” runs June 27-30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Karl C. Bruder Theatre in King Hall at Emporia State University. Tickets cost $12 (adults), $10 (seniors) and $5 (students) and are available from the Memorial Union Ticket Office. Tickets are also available online at tickets.emporia.edu or by calling 620-341-6378.
In Case You Missed It: Eagle Morning Show 6/18-6/22
It was another busy week on the KAYS Eagle Morning Show. Here’s what you missed!
Monday
Cortney Dale – Bob Schwarz Financial
Cortney made her weekly visit to the Eagle Morning Show to talk about the importance of professional financial advice:
- Importance of getting a second opinion
Tuesday
Ellis County Commission Meeting Recap
County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes and County Commissioner Marcy McClelland joined Jonathan Zweygardt on the Eagle Morning Show to recap the Ellis County Commission meeting:
- Budget requests for Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center. Also, what the Northwest Kansas Planning & Development Commission does.
- Spray Truck (Weed Control Supervisor Gary Haas)
- Medical Billing Specialist position (Health Services Administrator Kerry McCue)
Wednesday
Protect & Serve: Fort Hays State University Police
Police Chief Ed Howell and Officer Kody Ellis were on the Eagle Morning Show to talk about an opening at the FHSU police department (apply by calling 785-628-5304 and the joing child abduction rapid deployment (JCARD) program Officer Ellis took with the FBI:
- JCARD training with the FBI
Hays Arts Council Executive Director Brenda Meder
Brenda made her monthly visit on the show to recap the summer art walk and preview upcoming classes available at haysartscouncil.org:
- Summer Art Walk
- Upcoming classes through the Hays Arts Council
Thursday
Registered dietitian and Fort Hays State University Professor Glen McNeil
Glen was on the show to talk about recalled foods:
- The process of recalling foods
- How foods get contaminated
Coming up next week on the Eagle Morning Show:
- USD 489 Superintendent John Thissen
- Protect & Serve: Hays Fire Department
- Cottonwood Extension District Agriculture Agent Stacy Campbell
- Leonard Schoenberger – Germans from Russia Convention
UPDATE: Kansas does snap inspection of homes with immigrant children
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ child welfare agency conducted a snap inspection Friday of Topeka group homes housing unaccompanied immigrant children after Democratic state lawmakers accused Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer of not being aggressive enough in pressing for information about the children.
The afternoon inspection ordered by Colyer resulted a few hours later in a two-paragraph report from the state Department for Children and Families that the five homes operated by The Villages on a wooded 400-acre site just outside Topeka are meeting the immigrant children’s needs. The statement from agency spokeswoman Taylor Forrest did not elaborate on the inspector’s findings.
The Villages has had a contract with the federal government — worth more than $5.9 million over two years — to house 50 unaccompanied immigrant children ages 6 to 18 since February 2017. It’s not clear exactly how many now in the homes were separated from their parents during a recent crackdown on illegal crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Colyer spokesman Kendall Marr said the state “does not manage or have control over” The Villages’ contract but can inspect its homes to ensure that they meet state standards. DCF licenses youth residential centers; The Villages also has two other group homes in Lawrence.
“Our hope and expectation is that these children are returned to their families as soon as possible,” Marr said.
Colyer ordered the inspection only hours after Democratic legislators criticized him during a Statehouse news conference. They suggested that he’s been too passive about seeking answers because he’s in a tough Republican primary race to retain the governor’s office this year.
One of Colyer’s leading GOP rivals is Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a conservative firebrand nationally known as an advocate of tough policies against illegal immigration, and he’s advised President Donald Trump on homeland security issues.
“I believe that would explain his reluctance to enter the fray,” Hensley said of Colyer during the Democrats’ news conference.
Two other Democrats at the news conference, House Minority Leader Jim Ward, of Wichita, and Rep. John Alcala, of Topeka, said Colyer’s decision to order an inspection was a good first step. The three lawmakers, joined by Rep. Ponka-We Victors, a Wichita Democrat, demanded more transparency and details about how the federal dollars are being spent.
Alcala said he also wants to know whether immigrant children are being mixed with troubled youth. He said checking on conditions at The Villages’ homes was his “lowest priority.”
“I don’t think there are any questions about the condition of the facilities,” Alcala said. “They’ve had a pretty good reputation.”
Forrest said in the DCF statement that Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel was satisfied that the immigrant children “are being provided excellent service.”
“From our visit, the children seem to be adjusting well, and are having their needs met,” Forrest said.
Trump on Wednesday ordered an end to family separations amid the political backlash it inspired. Marr said Colyer “stands behind the president and his executive order” ending separations.
The Villages had not been saying how many immigrant children in its care were separated from their parents, as opposed to those who were unaccompanied. Executive Director Sylvia Crawford told Kansas News Service on Friday that The Villages began taking children separated from their parents about two weeks ago but a majority of the immigrant children in the homes were unaccompanied.
The Democrats said they called their news conference after Colyer’s office told them it had no information about the immigrant children at The Villages. Also, they said, The Villages told them it needed two weeks’ notice for a tour — something they had hoped to do Thursday.
Ward and Hensley said they’re skeptical that Trump’s administration did not at least notify a Republican governor that children separated from their parents would come to his state. Ward later said he doubts the federal government would bring the children to Kansas if Colyer objected.
But Marr said it’s unfair for Democrats to accuse Colyer of “colluding with the Trump administration” when they don’t have “any sort of evidence.”
————–
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers are demanding that Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer be more aggressive in seeking answers about immigrant children housed in northeast Kansas group homes.
Several Democrats had a news conference Friday to argue that Colyer is too passive about reports that children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border are being housed by the nonprofit agency The Villages.
Colyer spokesman Kendall Marr said the federal government didn’t notify the administration of its plans and the state has sought information.
The Villages confirmed Thursday that it has a federal contract to house 50 unaccompanied immigrant children at its seven group homes in Topeka and Lawrence. But it would not say whether any of them had been separated from their parents during recent crackdown at the border.
WINKEL: Leaf curl on tomatoes
This year there has been a number of inquiries from both within and outside of the office from gardeners who have tomato plants with leaves that are curling up. If that is what they are doing, the problem could be environmental, chemical, or biological. There are basically four reasons that can cause the leaves to curl up; weather stress, non-parasitic leaf roll, herbicide damage, or virus (TYLCV).
The first problem, leaf curling due to the weather can and usually does take care of itself. For instance, when tomato plants grow vigorously in mild, spring weather the top growth often exceeds the root development. When the first few days of warm, dry summer weather hit, the plant ‘realizes’ that it has a problem and needs to increase its root development. The plant tries to reduce its leaf area by rolling its leaves. The leaves curl along the length of the leaf (leaflet) in an upward fashion. It is often accompanied by a thickening of the leaf giving it a leathery texture.
Though rolling usually occurs during the spring to summer shift period, it may also occur after a heavy cultivating or hoeing, high winds with blowing dust and low humidity, a hard rain, or any sudden change in weather. This leaf roll is a temporary condition that goes away after a week or so when the plant has a chance to acclimate, recover from injury, or the soil has a chance to dry out.
Non-parasitic leaf roll is another environmental problem. Irregular irrigation and improper pruning cause the leaf edges to roll inward, sometimes to the point of overlapping. When most of the leaves on the plant are showing this condition it may look serious, but it too is only temporary. The cure for the curl is deep, even watering regularly, with careful pruning.
Even if you are a conscientious gardener, and don’t use herbicides in your garden, overspray and wind-blown droplets may find their way to your tomato plants. Leaf curl is one sign of herbicide damage, and can plague the plant for some time, causing little to no growth, as well as little to no fruit production. Depending on the herbicide, leaves may tilt down with curled edges to form cupped leaves, or the leaves may pucker and curl. Vegetables can also be damaged by herbicides left in mulch or compost made with hay or manure from fields where herbicides have been sprayed. Avoid using herbicides in general and never use herbicide-treated lawn clippings as mulch. Watering affected tomato plants regularly may help them recover if the herbicide damage is mild.
And the last possible reason for your tomato leaves to be curling, is if the tomato plant has been infected by certain viruses. There are certain strains of the Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) that can cause leaf malformation and “fernleafing,”. But the most common symptom of this virus is a light- and dark-green mosaic pattern on the leaves. Another example is the yellow leaf curl disease, caused by the pathogen ‘tomato yellow leaf curl virus’ (TYLCV). An aggressive education program curbed the spread of the disease, but it has not been completely eradicated. Diseased plants are stunted, with small leaves with edges that curl upward. Blossoms drop and the plants don’t fruit. Virus, however, as being the cause of the leaf curling on your tomatoes is probably the least frequent reason of them all.
Rip Winkel is the Horticulture agent in the Cottonwood District (Barton and Ellis Counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at [email protected] or calling either 785-682-9430, or 620-793-1910.
Wild West Festival Spotlight 2018: Aaron Woods
Wild West Festival Spotlight 2018 is made possible by support from: State Glass, Paul’s Lawn & Tree Service, Coldwell Banker Executive Realty, Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, Patty Baconrind Appraising, and Diamond R Jewelry.
Aaron Woods will take the Wild West Festival stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 5.
Hailing from the Red-Dirt capital of Stillwater OK, Aaron Woods has established himself as one of the brightest up and coming acts in the mid-west.
Gritty vocals, top 60 charting singles, matched with a road troubadour attitude, it’s a perfect combination to find success in the OK/TX scene. Touring approximately 100 shows per year for 4 consecutive years, Aaron has developed a following and friendship, with thousands of music lovers alike. “Signal From The South,” released in 2012 saw Aaron’s first step into radio success with his first single, “Hangin’ By The River”.
Reaching top 60 on The Texas Regional Radio Charts accompanied by the sophomore follow up single, “Feels Like Rain” which continued the path with over 20 consecutive weeks on the Texas Regional Radio Report as well as gaining national attention as a top 100 single release of 2015 by Texas Music Pickers Regional Radio. Having shared multiple stages with Randy Rogers, Casey Donahew, Cody Johnson, Phil Vasser, Turnpike Troubadours, Jason Boland, and sever others, the band continues to hold true to the Red-Dirt scene as well as building upon the success found only though countless miles touring. Signed with one of the biggest staples in Texas, “Smith Music Group,”
Aaron continues to climb mountains with a nation wide distribution deal to land music on the store shelves nationwide, proving through hard work and determination, goals and dreams can be reached.
Audit: Next Wildfire Could Catch Kansas Flat-Footed
By STEPHEN KORANDA
A legislative audit released this week concluded that while wildfires in Kansas are becoming more frequent, a lack of resources and coordination are hampering the state’s ability to fight them.
Firefighting duties and resources are spread across three separate agencies, which auditors said is complicating wildfire response and communication between state and local officials.
The Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office is the lead agency for wildfire response, but it has no firefighting resources. Those resources are held by the state Forest Service, which doesn’t have enough funding to deploy the equipment. The Division of Emergency Management also serves a supporting role.
The state agencies join firefighting efforts when they’re requested by local officials.
“Local jurisdictions do not always know when to call for state assistance, what resources are available through the state or how the state wildfire suppression system is supposed to work,” the report found.
It’s a similar situation when it comes to training 13,000 local firefighters, the audit found. The Forest Service has the expertise, but not enough funding to provide adequate training.
Republican Rep. Melissa Rooker, one of the lawmakers who requested the audit, says she wasn’t surprised by the results.
“We have a lot of work to do. I think the most significant thing we can do is provide (funding),” she said. “It won’t take a lot of funding. A million dollars more would make a significant difference.”
According to the audit, Kansas spends less per square mile on preparedness and fighting wildfires than other Great Plains states. At the high end, Texas spends $144.83 per square mile. At the low end, South Dakota spends $19.20 per square mile. Kansas spends much less — just $4.50 per square mile.
More dollars would be used to boost staff, equipment and especially training, says State Forester Larry Biles.
“At this point, we’ve got the equivalent of one full-time (teacher) trying to serve 13,000 students,” he said.
If the agency receives more funding, Biles says they would hire more staff for teaching and establish regional offices that can more easily coordinate with local agencies.
“If we’re going to be responsive to the wildfire challenges,” he said, “additional staff will make a great deal of difference.”
Kansas Fire Marshal Doug Jorgensen agrees more funding is needed, but he is pushing back on some of the details.
Jorgensen says the audit overcounts the number of fires in recent years, making the situation appear worse than it really is. He says the audit relied on a study using satellite fire tracking and that study didn’t differentiate between wildfires and purposeful fires like controlled burns.
While some large recent fires have led to a hundreds of thousands of acres burned, the state fire marshal says responders have had fewer to deal with.
“Overall, actual fires have decreased in the last three or four years,” Jorgensen said.
And he says recent recent improvements to training and communication aren’t reflected in the audit.
“There wasn’t anything in the report about the improvements that we’ve made and how we lessened the amount of fires and the length of fires this year,” he said.
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for KPR a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.
‘Marketing 101’ and ‘Sales Training 101’ to be offered in July
FHSU University Relations
The Management Development Center at FHSU will offer a crash course on marketing and sales on July 11.
In “Marketing 101,” participants will learn about common marketing myths as well as fundamentals including “segmentation, targeting and positioning” (STP), strategic and tactical marketing decisions, and database marketing.
“Sales Training 101” will cover selling basics, including prospecting, understanding customer needs, matching needs with benefits, closing, and good customer follow-through.
“Marketing 101” is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to noon and “Sales Training 101” from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Both workshops will be Wednesday, July 11, in Hansen Entrepreneurship Hall on the FHSU campus.
Dr. Mary Martin, professor of marketing at FHSU, will facilitate the morning session. Dr. Mike Martin, associate professor of marketing, will facilitate the afternoon workshop.
Each person who completes a half-day workshop will receive 0.3 continuing education units; both courses are worth .6. The cost for one workshop is $119 or $200 for both. Hays Area Chamber of Commerce members can call to receive a discount code for 15 percent off registration (discount not available if purchasing both courses).
Registration is available online through the sidebar Registration link at www.fhsu.edu/mdc. To learn more about this workshop or additional upcoming trainings, contact Hannah Hilker by phone at 785-628-4121 or by email to [email protected].
Sunny, warm Saturday
Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. West southwest wind 5 to 8 mph.
Tonight
Increasing clouds, with a low around 65. South southwest wind around 7 mph becoming southeast in the evening.
Sunday
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Some of the storms could be severe. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. East southeast wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Sunday Night
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Northeast wind 7 to 11 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. West northwest wind around 9 mph.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 95.
Tuesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 70.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 98.
Grab, gig or dip for bullfrogs starting July 1
KDWPT
PRATT – A summer in Kansas isn’t complete without getting your feet a little wet – while frogging, that is. Yep, there’s a season on bullfrogs in Kansas and come July 1-October 31, farm ponds, puddles, shallow creeks and marshes will be teeming with the sounds of splashing and bullfrogs croaking.
Once you’ve purchased a 2018 fishing license, you can legally take bullfrogs using hook and line, dip net, gig, bow and crossbow, or of course, the old-fashioned but time-tested method of using your bare hands. The daily limit of bullfrogs is eight and the possession limit is 24.
While frogs can be caught during the day, most frogging is done at night. Stealth and a good light are “musts” for a successful frogging foray. Frogs’ eyes shine in a flashlight beam and the light seems to freeze them in place, so have a buddy hold a light for you or take a headlamp to keep your hands free. Approach the frog slowly and carefully, minding your foot placement; Heavy footfalls on shore or ripples in the water will send a bullfrog hopping every time, light or no light. Once the frog is in your possessions, place it in a 5-gallon bucket drilled with small holes, a burlap sack or fish basket.
The ultimate challenge is to catch bullfrogs by hand. This requires a low, quiet approach from behind, then a lightning-fast snatch. Aim to grab them mid-body, just in front of the rear legs. Should you decide to keep your catch, frog legs make for fun and surprisingly tasty table fare. Serve them dipped in batter and fried.
For more on bullfrog season in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com/Fishing/Fishing-Regulations and click “Bullfrogs.”
Kan. native, ex-Cowboys running back sentenced on 4 charges
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors say they have reached plea deals with former Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle that allow him to be released on probation as long as he stays out of trouble.
The Sedgwick County district attorney’s office said in a news release Friday the agreements cover four cases against Randle. He has already been in jail more than two years.
Taken together, the pleas call for a controlling sentence of 80 months that allows him to be free on probation for 60 months. If he violates probation, prosecutors can seek imposition of the prison sentence.
Randle was sentenced Friday for aggravated battery, aggravated burglary, criminal threat and marijuana possession.
He will be sentenced on Aug. 17 on cases related to a jail fight, interference with a law enforcement officer, breaking a jail TV and threatening a guard.
Amber Alert canceled; Kansas City teen still missing
KANSAS CITY —The Amber Alert issued for a missing 15-year-old Kansas City girl was canceled Friday afternoon but she is still missing.
Based on extensive investigation today, we can no longer confirm that Brajean Sledge was abducted, according to Kansas City police.
Police believe Sledge is in the company of a person of interest Anthony King.
Authorities described King as an 18-year-old black male, 5-feet-8 and weighs 140 pounds.
King is considered to be a person of interest in several crimes in connection with this incident, according to police.
Sledge was reported missing after her grandfather was found shot.
Police were called Thursday night to a home where the grandfather was found wounded. He is hospitalized in stable condition.
The man told police he didn’t know the suspect who shot him before leaving with the victim’s granddaughter, Brajaean Sledge. The suspect drove away in the victim’s car.
————–
KANSAS CITY —Authorities have issued an Amber Alert for a 15-year-old girl abducted in Kansas City on Thursday.
Brqajaean Sledge was reported missing after her grandfather was found shot.
Sledge is described as 5-foot-8, weighs 125 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Police are searching for a 2017 Kia Forte with the Missouri license plate, MB5-G5B.
The suspect drove away in the victim’s car.
Authorities believe the suspect is between the ages of 18 and 20 and may be armed and dangerous.
A potential motive for the shooting has not been disclosed.
Inmate charged in shooting deaths of 2 Kan. deputies
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 30-year-old inmate was charged Friday with capital murder in the shooting deaths of two Kansas sheriff’s deputies who were overpowered by him while they were trying to move him between a courthouse and jail.
Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree announced that his office charged Antoine Fielder with two counts of capital murder in the deputies’ deaths. In Kansas, the intentional, premeditated killing of a single law enforcement officer is eligible for the death penalty.
“We will do our best to bring justice,” Dupree said during a news conference.
Wyandotte County deputies Patrick Rohrer and Theresa King were killed June 15 when, according to police, they were apparently overpowered by Fielder in a gated area behind the courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas, possibly with one of their own guns. He was being transported between the jail and courthouse for a hearing in another case.
“He then overpowered one of the deputies and caused the incident that ultimately caused us to charge these crimes,” Dupree said.
Rohrer, 35, died shortly after the shooting and King, 44, died the next day at a hospital. A joint funeral service was Thursday.
Fielder was shot but survived. He has an extensive criminal history.
Fielder was tried twice for the June 2015 killing of 22-year-old Kelsey Ewonus, a single mother of a 1-year-old son whose body was found in a parked car in Kansas City, Kansas. But the murder charge was dropped in September after a second trial ended in a hung jury.
Authorities allege that Fielder then fatally shot 55-year-old Rosemarie Harmon in December in Kansas City, Missouri, and wounded her friend. Ballistics testing on a gun stolen during a carjacking in Kansas City, Kansas, earlier in December tied him to Harmon’s slaying.
At the time that the deputies were shot, Fielder already was facing a first-degree murder charge in Jackson County, Missouri, in Harmon’s death as well as multiple charges in Wyandotte County in the carjacking.
Online court records don’t list an attorney for Fielder.
He could face charges for additional crimes.
According to court records filed in Harmon’s killing, Fielder bragged to a woman whom he allegedly held at gunpoint that he had killed four people. The court records don’t provide details about those alleged crimes, but Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has said the claims are “under investigation.”
Mark Dupree, the Wyandotte County district attorney, has said that prosecutors did “everything we could to prove to a jury that he was guilty” of killing Ewonus. The charges against Fielder in Ewonus’ killing were dropped in such a way that they could be refiled if new evidence arises.
Ewonus’ father, Kent Ewonus, told WDAF-TV in an interview that he “knew without any doubt” when Fielder was freed that he would kill again.
“I think I am disgusted with a system that would allow such an evil individual to be out on the streets,” he said.
———
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 30-year-old inmate was charged Friday in the shooting deaths of two Kansas sheriff’s deputies who were transporting him between a courthouse and jail.
The Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office on Friday announced charges against Antoine Fielder, 30, but didn’t immediately specify what he is charged with. A news conference was scheduled for later Friday afternoon.
Wyandotte County deputies Patrick Rohrer and Theresa King were killed June 15 when they were apparently overpowered by Fielder in a gated area behind the courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas, possibly with one of their own guns.
Rohrer, 35, died shortly after the shooting and King, 44, died the next day at a hospital. A joint funeral service was Thursday.
Fielder was shot but survived. He has an extensive criminal history.
Fielder was tried twice for the June 2015 killing of 22-year-old Kelsey Ewonus, a single mother of a 1-year-old son whose body was found in a parked car in Kansas City, Kansas. But the murder charge was dropped in September after a second trial ended in a hung jury.
Authorities allege that Fielder then fatally shot 55-year-old Rosemarie Harmon in December in Kansas City, Missouri, and wounded her friend. Ballistics testing on a gun stolen during a carjacking in Kansas City, Kansas, earlier in December tied him to Harmon’s slaying.
At the time that the deputies were shot, Fielder already was facing a first-degree murder charge in Jackson County, Missouri, in Harmon’s death as well as multiple charges in Wyandotte County in the carjacking.
Online court records don’t list an attorney for Fielder.
He could face charges for additional crimes.
According to court records filed in Harmon’s killing, Fielder bragged to a woman whom he allegedly held at gunpoint that he had killed four people. The court records don’t provide details about those alleged crimes, but Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has said the claims are “under investigation.”
Mark Dupree, the Wyandotte County district attorney, has said that prosecutors did “everything we could to prove to a jury that he was guilty” of killing Ewonus. The charges against Fielder in Ewonus’ killing were dropped in such a way that they could be refiled if new evidence arises.
Ewonus’ father, Kent Ewonus, told WDAF-TV in an interview that he “knew without any doubt” when Fielder was freed that he would kill again.
“I think I am disgusted with a system that would allow such an evil individual to be out on the streets,” he said.