RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities successfully located a man missing in flood waters in Reno County after a jet ski broke down.

According to the Reno County Sheriff, three men with jet skis went around barricades and entered flood waters in attempt to retrieve farm animals in the 3300 Block of N Pennington.

Deputies made contact with two of the riders when they returned to their vehicle.

A search and rescue for the third began after it was reported his jet ski broke down and he was possibly stranded at unknown location with no phone on hand.  Authorities reported overnight the man had been located and he was in good condition.

The sheriff’s department reminded followers on social media, the search for the man was about trying to locate a missing person and not about punishing anyone rescuing animals in flood water.

Dozens of roads in Reno County remain closed due to flooding.
 

JOHNSON COUNTY — Overland Park police have arrested a suspect in a hit-and-run collision that killed two students.

According to booking records, Bradley Edwin Woodworth, 45, Olathe,  was arrested Thursday on suspicion of failing to stop after an accident resulting in death.

Police say the crash on Saturday killed 18-year-old Matthew Bloskey, of Overland Park, and 20-year-old Samuel Siebuhr, of Kansas City, Kansas.

Overland Park police say a van belonging to the suspect may have hit Siebuhr’s car as both vehicles were driving east.

Siebuhr apparently lost control, clipped another vehicle, then crashed head-on into a vehicle driven by Bloskey. Both drivers died at the scene.

Siebuhr was studying Kansas City Kansas Community College. Bloskey was a senior at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

RENO COUNTY— After nearly two hours of deliberations on Wednesday, a jury found a Kansas man  guilty in a series of robberies that occurred over two years.

Jeffrey Howell, 60, who according to the Kansas Department of Corrections has previous convictions for burglary, theft, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, criminal threat, aggravated escape from custody and contributing to a child’s misconduct can add kidnaping and multiple counts of aggravated robbery to his criminal record.

The the latest convictions were for the robbery of Hutchinson area businesses in October of 2016 and in August and September of 2017.

Howell declined to participate in his trial. His attorney sat alone at the defense table.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 16.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for attempted murder after an altercation

Just after 5p.m. Wednesday, police responded to reported of a wanted suspect at the Union Rescue Mission in the 2800 Block of North Hillside Street in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.

Officers made contact with a suspect with an active warrant from the Kansas Department of Corrections identified as 53-year-old Darren Hutcherson.   As officers approached, Hutcherson grabbed a butter knife from a nearby table and stabbed the officer in the chest just below his neck, according to Cruz.

The suspect dropped the knife and ran.  Police arrested him after a brief foot pursuit.

The knife did not penetrate the officer’s vest and he was not injured, according to Cruz.

Hutcherson was booked for attempted murder of an officer, aggravated assault, resisting arrest and the KDOC warrant.

Hutcherson has two dozen previous convictions for burglary, theft, aggravated assault and DUI, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita school’s officials are raising concerns about trains stalling for long periods of time on nearby tracks, which is leading students to crawl under boxcars and across the couplings to get home.

Hamilton Middle School Principal Justin Kasel says that trains traveling just north of the school sometimes are stopped for up to an hour, tying up traffic.

“It can be stuck there between five and even over 60 minutes,” Kasel said.

More than two-thirds of the school’s 600 students don’t qualify for a bus, so they either walk or get rides.

Kasel said stalled trains blocked several intersections both before and after school on Tuesday, which led to at least 150 students being a half-hour late for school. But he said that children crawling through or underneath stalled trains are far more worrisome than the delays.

Kasel held assemblies Wednesday to warn students about the dangers of crossing railroad tracks. He also planned to send a notice to parents about the issue.

Tom Wilcox, a school employee, posted a video to Facebook after witnessing students taking dangerous risks Tuesday when a train stalled. The video was later taken down but prompted the school to issue a warning.

“It was terrifying. The train would move back and forth all of a sudden, and one of those couplings could crush a kid,” Wilcox said. “That could have been a tragedy.”

The tracks and crossing near Hamilton Middle School belong to Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, which didn’t return a request for comment Wednesday. It’s unclear what caused the hour-long delay on Tuesday.

A Texas-based railroad company, BNSF Railway, is currently challenging a Kansas law that bars railroads from blocking a crossing for more than 10 minutes.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating after two officer involved shooting incidents occurred Thursday morning in Topeka.

According to a media release, just before 10a.m., the Topeka Police Department requested the KBI conduct an officer involved shooting investigation. It was the second shooting incident that occurred on Thursday involving officers of the Topeka Police Department and a male subject. However, the subject is believed to have only suffered injuries during the second shooting incident.

Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 9:45 a.m. officers from the Topeka Police Department, and a KBI agent, were investigating the initial shooting scene at SW 32nd St. and SW MacVicar Ave. when a subject appeared matching the description of the suspect who had fired at officers at around 3 a.m. When officers attempted to question him, he ran away which prompted them to pursue him on foot nearby Jardine Elementary and Middle School property.

As officers chased the subject, gunfire was exchanged between the subject and three officers in a parking lot of the Briarwood Condominiums, located west of the intersection of SW MacVicar Ave. and SW Briarwood Plaza. The subject was struck multiple times by gunfire. Officers secured the subject’s gun. No law enforcement officers were injured during the shooting.

EMS responded and transported the subject to a local hospital where he underwent surgery. He is expected to recover. The subject has now been identified as 23-year-old Trevon L. Brown of Topeka.
The KBI will complete a thorough and independent investigation into this incident. Once completed, the findings will be turned over to the Shawnee County District Attorney for review.

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SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating  a Thursday morning officer-involved shooting and have a suspect in custody.

While officers were on scene investigating the earlier aggravated assault and officer-involved shooting, a male subject, matching the description of the subject in the overnight shooting, approached officers guarding the crime scene near the 3200 block of SW MacVicar in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Koenen.

While officers were talking with the subject, his behavior became suspicious. He then fled from officers on foot.

After a brief foot-pursuit near Jardine Elementary and Middle School, the suspect produced a handgun and shot at officers.

Three officers returned fire, striking the suspect multiple times. The officers were then able to safely take the suspect into custody, recover the suspect’s firearm and call for medical response. No police officers were injured in this event.

Officers also notified officials at Jardine to take safety precautions because of the close proximity to the school.

The suspect was then transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The three officers who fired at the suspect have been placed on Administrative Leave, per department policy, until the internal administrative investigation is completed.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation.  Authorities have not released the suspect’s name.

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SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating and searching for a suspect who shot at officers.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Two men have been charged in a string of suburban Kansas City robberies that led to one of the suspects exchanging gunfire with an officer.

23-year-old Pedro Antonio Torres and 18-year-old Mario Jimenez were charged Wednesday with five counts of aggravated robbery. Jimenez also was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. Torres had an additional felony theft charge. Their attorneys didn’t immediately return phone messages.

Olathe, Kansas, police say officers stopped a vehicle after four convenience stores were held up early Monday.

Police say Torres was arrested after a short chase. But Jimenez is accused of firing at an officer before he was arrested hours later after a manhunt that caused some schools to be locked down. No one was hurt.