LEAVENWORTH COUNTY — A Kansas man died in an accident just before 10:30p.m. Wednesday in Leavenworth County.

The Kansas Turnpike Authority reported a 2000 Honda passenger car driven by Damon Anthony Butler, 40, Topeka, was westbound on Interstate 70 just east of Tonganoxie.

The vehicle drifted onto the right shoulder and the tires left the road. The driver overcorrected and the vehicle crossed two lanes of traffic. It struck the barrier wall head-on, rolled and the driver was ejected.

Butler was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The militia member who tipped off law enforcement to an alleged plan to bomb Somali immigrants in Kansas is expected to take the stand in the case against three men charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.

On Thursday, jurors will get a chance to hear for themselves the testimony from Dan Day. He is the paid informant who wore a wire for the FBI, capturing months of profanity-laced recordings key to the prosecution’s case.

Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen are charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy against civil rights. Stein also faces a weapons-related charges and Wright faces a charge of lying to the FBI.

The three men, who were indicted in October 2016, have pleaded not guilty.

WICHITA, KAN. – A load of methamphetamine that investigators followed from Amarillo, Texas, to Kansas is sending a Guatemalan man to federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Jose Adrian Cua-Garcia, 30, was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The investigation began when law enforcement officers stopped an SUV near Amarillo, Texas, and found more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a spare tire. Investigators arranged for part of the load to be delivered while they kept it under surveillance.

Co-defendant Jorge Vazquez-Rodriguez, 30, Kansas City, Kan., met the load in a hotel parking lot near I-70 and 78th Street. He took the drugs to a house in Kansas City, Kan., where he met Cua-Garcia. Later, Cua-Garcia left the house carrying the tire in the back of his truck. Investigators pulled him over after a chase and arrested him.

Vazquez-Rodriguez pleaded guilty and sentencing is set for June 4.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Sheriff’s deputies in Sedgwick County rescued an injured eagle Tuesday. According to the department’s Facebook page, ” We go on some pretty cool calls every now and then. Last night was one of those nights! We got a call from a concerned citizen in the south part of the county about a eagle that was hurt down in the Big Ditch.

Deputies responded and found the female, Golden Eagle injured. She could walk but not fly. A deputy called and made contact with a wildlife rescue. The female eagle is expected to make a full recovery and will be release back to the wild when she is healthy.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on charges filed in the death of a 10-year-old boy on a waterslide at a Kansas waterpark (all times local):

5p.m.

The co-owner of a Kansas City, Kansas, water park will not oppose his extradition to Kansas, where a 10-year-old boy died on a water slide in 2016.

For now, Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeffrey Wayne Henry will remain in Cameron County Jail in Brownsville, Texas, without bond. However, Magistrate Judge Luis Sorrola said he’d entertain a request to grant Henry bond if Kansas officials don’t pick him up by Tuesday.

Henry is charged with murder, aggravated battery and child endangerment in an indictment in Kansas. He and water slide designed John Schooley are charged in an indictmen in the decapitation death of 10-yuear-old Caleb Schwab at Schlitterbahn’s the Kansas City, Kansas, water park.

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11:55 a.m.

Kansas says it will conduct a full audit of the inspection records of a Kansas City water park where a 10-year-old boy died in 2016.

The state Department of Labor said Wednesday that it will conduct the audit before the Schlitterbahn park opens its annual season May 25.

Department spokeswoman Barbara Hersh said the park is required to have qualified inspectors examine its rides daily and to keep reports on those inspections. She said the department will ensure that the inspections have been done.

A grand jury has indicted the park, its former operations director, a Schlitterbahn co-owner, a ride designer and a construction company on multiple criminal charges.

The charges arise from the August 2016 death of Caleb Schwab on the world’s largest waterslide at the park.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Legislation designed to strengthen Kansas schools against gunmen passed in the House Wednesday, though some lawmakers argued the bill is more ploy than policy.

The measure would set aside $5 million for schools to upgrade infrastructure to slow or thwart a potential school shooter. The bill passed on a 119-5 vote and heads next to the Senate for consideration.

The bill won Democratic Rep. Jason Probst’s vote, but not his support.

“This is a nice way for the Republican party to try and control a conversation about school safety without having to address the proliferation of firearms,” Probst said.

Funds included in the legislation would allow schools to purchase equipment like security cameras and metal detectors, or to outfit classrooms with thicker doors and blast-resistant glass.

Probst called the $5 million “a pittance,” and nowhere near what would be required to properly secure schools against armed threats.

The measure would also require school districts to work with local law enforcement and state agencies to develop guidelines to prepare, and respond to, mass shootings.

Bill supporter Rep. Eric Smith, a Republican of Burlington, said there is no cost estimate for securing all Kansas schools, and establishing relationships between law enforcement and school districts is the best way to find out.

Following the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, last month, Kansas legislators have been looking for measures to prevent similar shootings. Proposals have ranged from limiting access to firearms to putting guns in the hands of teachers. The bill passed in the House does not directly address the gun issue.

Included in the legislation is a recommendation that schools add the National Rifle Association’s Eddie Eagle firearm educational video program to their curriculums. While it is not required, many House democrats voiced opposition to the NRA program specifically being included in the bill, seeing it as an attempt to promote the organization and its values.

Kansas National Education Association lobbyist Mark Desetti expressed concern over the measure, arguing that lawmakers should consider gun control and mental health solutions.

“By all means, please do pass this legislation,” he said. “But don’t think this will adequately address the issues of mass murder in our state, our nation, and in our schools.”

WICHITA— A man is facing federal charges stemming from a March 8 holdup of a Wichita credit union.

On Tuesday, a federal indictment was handed down in U.S. District Court against 32-year-old Jerry Anderson Jr. of Hutchinson.

The indictment states that Anderson Jr. entered the Meritrust Credit Union at 2900 S. Oliver in Wichita just after 11 a.m. where he passed a note to one of the tellers stating, “This is a robbery, nothing funny, give me the money.”

The KBI affidavit states that Anderson left the credit union with approximately $3,100. Surveillance video from the credit union identified a car that was loaned to Anderson by a friend. The affidavit also states that still photography from cameras were matched against a Department of Corrections Supervised Population photo showing Anderson as the alleged robber. Anderson Jr. was released from prison in July of last year after serving a sentence for aggravated robbery and flee and elude in Leavenworth County.

Anderson faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former Wichita police officer has been charged with felony aggravated battery for shooting a dog and injuring a 9-year-old girl.

Dexter Betts was called to a home for a domestic issue in December when he shot the family dog. The family’s attorney, Charley O’Hara, says the dog was wounded from bullet fragments and the girl from ricocheted fragments.

Betts was fired following the shooting.

The felony charge against Betts says he “unlawfully and recklessly” caused bodily harm to another person when he fired “a handgun at a dog while a child was in the room.”

Betts’ attorney, Jess Hoeme, says he believes his client didn’t act recklessly “and we look forward to presenting our defense in court.”

His next court appearance is April 11.

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with Tuesday’s bomb threat in Salina.

Just before  9:30 am, Tuesday, officers of the Salina Police Department were dispatched to the United States Postal Service, 211 E. Ash, in regards to an unidentified package that possibly contained a bomb, according to a media release.

The Postal Service and surrounding area were immediately evacuated. Upon request, the Riley County Police Department Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit (EOD) responded and removed the package. The package was placed in a safe location and a water shot was used to disrupt the package. The package was found to be inert but it was designed to simulate an explosive device.

A coordinated response from several agencies including the United States Postal Inspection Service, Kansas Highway Patrol, and other Federal agencies assisted in the investigation that ultimately led to the arrest of Robin Carol Stewart, a 56-year-old female from Salina. During the evening of March 27th, a search warrant was executed at Stewart’s residence and additional evidence was collected.

Stewart was arrested without incident and  authorities are requesting charges of Aggravated Criminal Threat, Criminal Use of Explosives, and Interference with the Conduct of Public Business in Public Buildings.

 

MARSHALL COUNTY — Two people were injured in an accident just before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Marshall County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Peterbilt semi driven by Michael Richard Harne, 29, St. Joseph, MN, was southbound on U.S. 77 two miles north of Blue Rapids.

The vehicle attempted to pass a 2018 John Deere Tractor driven by James Norman Borgerding, 81, Blue Rapids, that was making a left turn into a field entrance. The semi collided with the tractor.

Harne was transported to Community Memorial Healthcare in Marysville.

A private vehicle transported Borgerding for treatment, according to the KHP.

The semi driver was properly restrained at the time of the accident.

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN & STEPHEN KORANDA

At school, Kansas students learn what to do in case a shooter attacks. Lock classroom doors. Turn out the lights. Huddle out of view from the window in the door.

In the Statehouse, lawmakers are searching for consensus on better ways to prevent, or cut short, school shootings. Arm teachers? Fortify schools? Train kids about guns?

On Tuesday, the feelings clashed in a committee hearing and on the floor of the Kansas House just days after gun control activists drew crowds to March for Our Lives protests in Kansas City, Wichita, Topeka and across the country.

One bill Kansas lawmakers are mulling hopes to protect schoolchildren by making it more likely their teachers would have a weapon handy. A hearing on the measure drew an overflow audience, including students and parents, to a committee room of both supporters and opponents.

“The more guns you have in a school building,” said Shisato Kimura, member of a new student group at Lawrence High School advocating gun reform, “it just increases the chance of violence.”

Kansas has allowed teachers to carry guns in schools since 2013. But when lawmakers approved that, the state’s main school insurer saw a bad business prospect and promptly notified districts it wouldn’t cover that. Districts with armed teachers, EMC announced, wouldn’t have their insurance policies renewed.

In the wake of the Parkland, Florida, shooting that killed 17 students and school employees last month, Kansas lawmakers are revisiting the topic with a bill that would prevent insurers from taking that stance. The measure does allow them to deny coverage if they show the liability risks would be unreasonable.

The legislation would also make school districts more vulnerable to lawsuits after a school shooting — if it turns out they didn’t allow staff to arm themselves. In court, those districts would face a presumption of negligence.

Sen. Ty Masterson told them would-be shooters are likely to assume there aren’t armed employees in Kansas schools, putting them at greater risk. Insurance companies, he said, should recognize when schools work to fix that.

“You can contend that rates should be lower in the schools that protect their children more appropriately,” the Andover Republican said. “Mentally deranged shooters are looking for soft targets.”

       Read a summary of the proposal here.

Jason Watkins, a lobbyist for the Kansas State Rifle Association, called the bill “common sense.” His group supports provisions in the bill that would prevent the public from knowing which teachers carry guns.

“A trained, certified and armed teacher will save lives,” he said, “in those precious minutes before law enforcement arrives.”

Kansas’ main teachers union and its school board association testified against the bill.

The Parkland shooting took just six minutes, said Mark Desetti, of the Kansas National Education Association. It’s ridiculous to think a teacher can get his or her students into safe positions, retrieve a handgun from a secure location, make sure it’s loaded, and successfully chase down a heavily armed killer in that time.

“And I’m going to face a guy with an AR-15, rapid firing, perhaps with a bump stock and a very large capacity magazine?” he said. “And I’m going to take that person down? No.”

Later, on the House floor, Democratic Rep. Brett Parker pushed an amendment to another bill in hopes of revoking the ability of teachers carry concealed weapons in school.

Parker, a teacher, said adding guns to classrooms distracts from learning and could make it harder to attract teachers to Kansas.

“We are having a hard enough time filling our teacher shortages,” Parker said.

His effort failed after other lawmakers said local school districts should have the option of choosing to arm teachers.

“Making a target hardened is the best deterrent to armed confrontation,” said Republican Rep. Eric Smith, a sheriff’s deputy. “Advertising a place to be unarmed is the worst thing you can do to deter the tragedies we are seeing.”

The House advanced a bill calling for state guidelines for safer schools, but some lawmakers said it lacks enough money for meaningful security upgrades. A $5 million state grant would help pay for building updates and plans to deal with emergencies such as shootings.

Democratic Representative Cindy Neighbor said she likes the planning requirements, but she said the Shawnee Mission School District recently went through a security upgrade and spent significantly more than the $5 million being offered in the bill. She said lawmakers could be looking for more money in the future to help pay for upgrades.

“This is a very expensive endeavor,” Neighbor said.

The bill also sets guidelines for optional gun safety training that schools can offer to students. The chamber rejected efforts to remove references to an NRA training program named in the bill.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ. 

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for KPR, a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.