CHEROKEE COUNTY— One person died in an accident just after 9p.m. Wednesday in Cherokee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Jeep Commander driven by Russell, Julissa Russell, 50, Rincon, GA., was westbound on Kansas 66 one mile west of Galena.

The Jeep struck a bicycle ridden by David Furry, 47, Galena, that had crossed in front of the vehicle travelling from South to North crossing the highway.

Furry was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics.

Russell was not injured and was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Lawrence man has been sentenced to 17 months in prison for shooting and wounding a 17-year-old girl as several people shot fireworks at him.

21-year-old Rashan Gill apologized at Tuesday’s hearing, saying through tears that he “will never forget” what happened and that he could have killed the girl. In the early morning hours of July 5, 2018, he shot at a group of people who were firing Roman candle fireworks at him and his apartment.

One of the shots hit the girl who was in the group’s car. She suffered serious injuries but survived.

After a judge rejected Gill’s argument that he was justified in the shooting under Kansas’ stand-your-ground law, he pleaded no contest in January to attempted aggravated battery.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a case of alleged child abuse and have made an arrest.

At  2:30 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to a call of a 2-year-old girl not breathing at a residence in the 1700 block of south Faulders in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Upon arrival, officers contacted the girl, her stepmother  28-year-old Amanda Rogers-Moore, her 27-year-old father and several other children, ages 4, 7 and 8.

The 2-year-old girl was transported to an area hospital for medical treatment and remains hospitalized, according to Davidson.

The investigation revealed the 2-year-old girl vomiting and then not breathing awakened Rogers-Moore and her boyfriend. The boyfriend began life saving techniques on the girl. At the hospital, the girl was found to have critical head injuries, according to Davidson

Investigators arrested Rogers-Moore and booked her into jail on requested charges that include felony child abuse. The other three children have been placed in police protective custody.

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for criminal damage to property after an alleged incident in Salina.

Just after 11:30p.m. Tuesday, police responded to Salina Billiards, 1215 West Crawford.

Kiel Bale, allegedly broke a flower pot ashtray on the patio area of the establishment after he reportedly propositioned a bartender, according to police captain Paul Forrester.
Bale was asked to leave the establishment. As he exited, he allegedly threw a shopping cart through the window.

Bale was arrested a short time later in the parking lot on requested charges of criminal damage to property, unlawful assembly, and interference with a law enforcement officer

Damage to the window was estimated at $800 and damage to the flower pot ashtray was estimated at $10.

COWLEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with multiple vehicle burglaries that occurred in January.

Officers investigating a rash of vehicle burglaries in Arkansas City identified a suspect as 23-year-old Trevor Scott Brown, according to a media release.

A search warrant was obtained and executed at his residence in the 400 block of North Second Street. Several stolen items were located inside the residence, as well as marijuana, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Brown was located in the home with meth and paraphernalia in his pocket.

Through investigation, police were able to recover several stolen items and return them to owners.

Officers arrested Brown on suspicion of four felony counts of burglary of a motor vehicle, as well as one felony count each of possession of methamphetamine and no drug tax stamp.

He also was arrested on suspicion of seven misdemeanor counts of possession of stolen property, plus one misdemeanor count each of criminal trespass, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

Brown has made a first court appearance, according to Undersheriff Christina McDonald.  He is being held in the Cowley County Jail in Winfield in lieu of $22,250 bond through Cowley County District Court in Arkansas City.

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 7a.m. Wednesday in Pottawatomie County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Chevy Blazer driven by Ann Marie Lochner, 67, Manhattan, was southbound on Elbo Ridge Drive.

Due to snow and ice, the vehicle left the road at the intersection of Elbo Ridge View landed on its top in a ravine.

Lochner was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics. She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

By DAN MARGOLIES

A medical group that provides anesthesia services to Kansas City metro hospitals has notified 3,472 patients that some of their personal information may have been compromised after surgery schedules were stolen from an employee’s car.

Anesthesia Associates of Kansas City posted a notice on its website that the surgery schedules may have included some patients’ names, dates of birth, types and dates of surgery, and the name of the patients’ surgeons.

Patient addresses, Social Security numbers, insurance and financial information were not included on the schedules.

“We had an employee that was doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing,” said Mark Meisel, Anesthesia Associates’ CEO.

Meisel said the employee, a nurse anesthetist, put his backpack containing surgery schedules in a visible part of his car – a violation of the medical practice’s data security protocols.

“Unfortunately, you can tell people what the rules are, but this person didn’t follow the rules,” Meisel said.

Meisel declined to say whether the employee had been fired or disciplined.

The theft, which occurred in December, did not affect all of Anesthesia Associates’ patients. But Meisel said that out of “an abundance of caution,” it notified patients who underwent surgery between April 4, 2018, and Dec. 4, 2018.

The theft was reported to police but the backpack and its contents have not been recovered.

Anesthesia Associates, which is based in Overland Park, Kansas, provides anesthesiology services to Children’s Mercy Hospital as well as hospitals owned by HCA Midwest Health, including Belton Regional Medical Center, Lee’s Summit Medical Center, Menorah Medical Center, Overland Park Regional Medical Center and Research Medical Center.

With about 240 anesthesiologists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, pain management specialists and other clinicians, it’s the largest anesthesiology practice in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

The data breach is one of several that have occurred in the last few months at local and regional health care practices. Last month, Sunflower Health Plan, one of the managed care organizations that insures Kansas Medicaid patients, reported a data breach affecting 1,625 plan members after it sent ID cards and welcome packs to the wrong recipients.

Also last month, Valley Hope Association, which operates drug and alcohol rehab clinics in Kansas, Missouri and five other states, said that an unauthorized individual accessed the email account of an employee and may have viewed patients’ health information. That breach affected 70,799 individuals.

Dan Margolies is a senior reporter in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.