SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after an arrest near a day care facility.

On Monday, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and the Rossville Police Department assisted Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on a narcotic search warrant in the 3500 Block of SE California Avenue, according to Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.

DEA agents arrested Dwayne A. Zinn, 57, of Topeka, and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for Possession of Narcotics with Intent to Distribute. They seized approximately 5 oz of methamphetamine, with a street value of around $5000.

With a daycare facility nearby, neighbors spoke with Law Enforcement and expressed their appreciation of the drug enforcement efforts in reference this ongoing investigation.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A 31-year-old Leavenworth woman has pleaded not guilty in the death of her 19-month-old son.

Catherine Smith is charged with second-degree murder after her son’s death in November 2018. She pleaded on Monday.

Smith allegedly left her son in a room where the temperature exceeded 90 degrees without checking on him for an extended time.

Smith is free on bond. Court records indicate she was released Sept. 16 on a $25,000 bond.

The trial is scheduled for Jan. 21.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 5:30a.m. Tuesday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1996 GMC Suburban driven by Bruce Lee Strawder, 61, Wichita, was northbound on Interstate 235 in the right lane when he lost control of vehicle. The SUV struck the guardrail and overturned.

Strawder was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Sedgwick County Coroners Office. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

MANHATTAN, KANSAS —Dr. Alfonso Clavijo has been appointed as Director of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), a state-of-the-art U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research and diagnostic facility designed to protect the nation’s agricultural systems and stakeholders against the threat and potential impact of serious animal diseases.

“Dr. Clavijo brings with him a wealth of technical knowledge in the diagnosis of transboundary, emerging and zoonotic diseases,” said Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Administrator for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). “As NBAF’s first permanent director, his extensive leadership experience will be a great asset in helping NBAF achieve its vision of being a national asset that protects U.S. agriculture and consumers through cutting-edge research, diagnostics, training, and development of vaccines and other countermeasures.”

ARS partners with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to operate NBAF. The facility is currently under construction by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with commissioning scheduled for completion in 2021.

Clavijo, who starts October 13, will play a key role in ensuring the smooth transition of responsibility from DHS to USDA once the 574,000 square-foot facility becomes fully operational in 2023.

Prior to his appointment at NBAF, Clavijo served as Laboratory Executive Director of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) National Centres for Animal Disease, which operates laboratories in Winnipeg and Lethbridge. As Director, Clavijo oversaw the administration of diagnostic services, related technology development and research to detect and prevent transboundary, emerging and zoonotic animal diseases.

He also directed the management of biosafety level (BSL) 2-4 facilities that allow for the contained study of pathogens that cause foreign animal diseases, including foot-and-mouth, African swine fever, classical swine fever and highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Under Clavijo’s leadership, CFIA’s National Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases in Winnipeg was named by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as reference center for emerging and zoonotic pathogens.

Clavijo’s leadership also earned him Canada’s 2018 President’s National Award in “Leadership in People Management.” This prestigious honor cited Clavijo’s exemplary people-management skills and his demonstration of excellence in advancing CFIA goals, values and ethics as a human resources manager.

Clavijo has held leadership or advisory positions at CFIA laboratories, as well as Kansas State University, Texas A&M University, the Pan American Health Organization, and National University in Bogota, Colombia.

Clavijo earned a doctorate degree in Veterinary Microbiology/Virology while attending the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, from June 1990 to March 1995 and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from National University in Bogota, Columbia, 1986.

Clavijo has published numerous scientific works and continues to serve as an adjunct professor or advisor at affiliate organizations.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man who attacked staff members at a Kansas television station in 2012 is now charged with assaulting a county corrections officer.

Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced Monday that Ray Miles is charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery.

Prosecutors allege Miles attacked Shawnee County Corrections Officer Kourtney Flynn in July while she was trying to get him to return a phone. Investigators say the attack continued until other officers intervened. Flynn was treated at a hospital for several injuries.

During a court appearance Tuesday, Miles said he wanted to represent himself.

Miles assaulted several employees of WIBW-TV in May 2012, stabbing two of them. His sentence was scheduled to end in November. He is being held on $500,000 bond on the new charges.

BARTON COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug charges after a finding him hiding in an attic and making arrest.

Just after 3:30p.m. Monday, Sheriff’s Officers were looking for Roosevelt T Henderson of Great Bend. Henderson wanted for outstanding warrants from Barton and Russell Counties, according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

The Sheriff  located the suspect vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop at which point the vehicle fled. A short vehicle chase ensued in the west part of Great Bend. The driver of the 2007 GMC Yukon pulled into the driveway at 5918 Aspen and attempted to enter the garage. The vehicle struck part of the building, at which time the suspect fled on foot to the backyard while carrying a package. He was able to enter the house. With permission of the occupants of the residence Sheriff’s Officers entered the house and determined Henderson was hiding in the attic. After a short standoff Henderson surrendered to deputies without incident.

During the course of the investigation Sheriff’s deputies discovered nearly 5 pounds of methamphetamine. The estimated street value of the seizure is in excess of $100,000. Henderson has been booked into the Barton County jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of a school, criminal possession of a firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia, attempt to flee and elude law enforcement, as well as resisting arrest and numerous traffic violations. Henderson also had a no bond warrant issued from Barton County as well as a no bond warrant from Russell County. At the time of his arrest Henderson was out on bond stemming from charges in the drug raids on September 13, 2019.

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on the execution of Russell Bucklew in Missouri (all times local):

6:48 p.m.

A Missouri man has been executed for killing a man during a violent 1996 crime spree, despite concerns that the inmate’s rare medical condition would cause a gruesome lethal injection.

Russell Bucklew was executed Tuesday evening at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It was Missouri’s first execution since January 2017.

Bucklew looked around and twitched his feet beneath the sheet as he lay on the gurney just before the lethal injection. He suddenly took a deep breath and all movement stopped.

There were no outward signs of distress.

Bucklew had twice previously been within hours of execution, only to have the U.S. Supreme Court grant last-minute reprieves over concerns that Bucklew might suffer during the execution process. He had a condition called cavernous hemangioma and had blood-filled tumors in his head, neck and throat.

Bucklew’s attorneys said in a clemency request to Gov. Mike Parson that a throat tumor could burst, causing Bucklew to choke to death. Parson denied clemency earlier Tuesday.

Bucklew killed Michael Sanders in March 1996, raped his former girlfriend, shot a state trooper and, after escaping from jail, attacked his ex-girlfriend’s mother and her boyfriend with a hammer.

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10:30 a.m.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has denied clemency for a convicted killer hours before the man is scheduled to be put to death.

Russell Bucklew has a rare medical condition that his attorneys say could result in a gruesome execution, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Defense attorney Cheryl Pilate confirmed Parson denied clemency.

Bucklew was convicted of killing Michael Sanders in 1996.

He suffers from cavernous hemangioma. He has blood-filled tumors in his head, neck and throat. A permanent tracheostomy in his throat helps him breathe. His attorneys said in the clemency request that if one of the throat tumors bursts, Bucklew could choke to death.

The U.S. Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the execution in April; Pilate didn’t say if any last-minute court appeals are planned.

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KANSAS CITY (AP) — The fate of a condemned inmate rests with Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, who must decide if the risk posed by Russell Bucklew’s unusual medical condition is grave enough to halt his execution.

Parson, a Republican supporter of the death penalty, is still weighing a clemency request, a spokeswoman said Monday.

Bucklew suffers from cavernous hemangioma. The rare disease causes blood-filled tumors in his head, neck and throat. A permanent tracheostomy in his throat helps him breathe. His attorneys say in the clemency request that if one of the throat tumors bursts, Bucklew could suffer an excruciatingly painful death.

“These unstable tumors are highly likely to hemorrhage during the stress of the execution, causing Russell to cough and choke on his own blood,” the clemency request states.

The execution would be the first in Missouri since January 2017.

Missouri uses a single dose of pentobarbital as its execution drug but refuses to say where it gets it. The source is believed to be a compound pharmacy since large pharmaceutical companies prohibit the use of their drugs in executions.

It wasn’t known if the Missouri Department of Corrections planned any extra precautions to address the risk that Bucklew could suffer, in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A spokeswoman for the department said aspects of the state protocol are confidential, including what medical personnel are involved.

Bucklew was within hours of execution in 2014 and again in 2018 , only to get reprieves from the U.S. Supreme Court amid concerns about whether he might suffer.

Human rights groups and death penalty opponents, including all four Roman Catholic bishops in Missouri and the American Civil Liberties Union, have urged Parson to intervene. The ACLU and Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty presented the governor’s office on Thursday with petitions that they say had more than 57,000 signatures.

Shortly after the 2018 reprieve, Bucklew contracted meningitis, requiring insertion of the tracheostomy tube , said one of his attorneys, Jeremy Weis. The tube is narrow and could fill with blood if the tumors burst, Weis said.

In 2017, the execution of twice-convicted killer Alva Campbell, who suffered from smoking-related breathing problems, had to be halted in Ohio when a usable vein couldn’t be found to administer execution drugs. He died in 2018 at age 69.

In 2018, Alabama halted the lethal injection of Doyle Lee Hamm when the execution team had trouble getting the intravenous line connected. Hamm had damaged veins because of lymphoma, hepatitis and drug use. A doctor hired by Hamm’s lawyers wrote in a report that Hamm had at least 11 puncture sites and bled heavily from his groin during the attempts to connect the line.

Bucklew’s girlfriend, Stephanie Ray, left him on Valentine’s Day 1996. Over the next few weeks, according to court records, he harassed her, cut her with a knife and punched her in the face. Ray feared for her life and the lives of her children, so she moved into the Cape Girardeau County mobile home that her new boyfriend, Michael Sanders, shared with his children.

On March 21, after stealing his nephew’s car and taking two pistols, handcuffs and duct tape from his brother, Bucklew followed Ray to Sanders’ home. Sanders confronted Bucklew with a shotgun inside the home. Bucklew fired two shots, one piercing Sanders’ lung. He bled to death.

Bucklew then shot at Sanders’ 6-year-old son and missed. Court records say he struck Ray in the face with the pistol, handcuffed her and dragged her to his car. He later raped Ray before heading north on Interstate 55.

A trooper spotted Bucklew’s car and eventually became engaged in a gunfight near St. Louis. Both men were wounded. Bucklew later escaped from the Cape Girardeau County Jail. He attacked Ray’s mother and her boyfriend with a hammer before being recaptured.