WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 25-year-old Wichita man is charged with first-degree murder in a shooting that killed a McConnell Air Force Base Airman from South Carolina and injured three others.

Markeithen McClaine made his first court appearance Wednesday. He is also charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Officers responding to an apartment complex early Saturday found 20-year-old Chancelor Williams unresponsive in the parking lot. He died at the scene. Two other men and a woman were injured.

Officer Kevin Wheeler said a disturbance erupted in the parking lot after a party at one of the apartments. Investigators say McClaine fired several shots into the crowd.

Williams was an Airman 1st Class from Spartanburg, South Carolina.

McClaine’s next court date is Aug. 15. He remains jailed on $500,000 bond.

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue their investigation of Saturday’s fatal shooting at a Wichita apartment complex party.

On Saturday afternoon, police arrested 25-year-old Markeithen McClaine on requested charges of 1st Degree murder and three counts of aggravated battery in connection  the shooting of 20-year-old Chancelor Williams of Spartanburg, South Carolina and three other shooting victims, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

McClaine was scheduled to make a first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

According to police, Williams was fatally shot during a disturbance in the parking lot of Horizons East Apartments located in the 500 block of North Rock Road.

A 21-year-old man and a 22-year-old man were transported from the scene by EMS to a local hospital where they were treated and released for non-life threatening injuries. The fourth victim, a 19-year-old woman, arrived at a local hospital by private vehicle with a gunshot wound. She remains hospitalized but was expected to survive, according to Wheeler.

 

BRAYMER, Mo. (AP) — Authorities who had been searching a Northwest Missouri farm for two missing Wisconsin brothers announced Wednesday that human remains have been found there, more than a week after the pair disappeared during a trip for their livestock business.

Clinton County Sheriff Larry Fish said the remains were found Tuesday on a farm in Braymer that was operated by Garland Nelson, who is accused of tampering with a vehicle that authorities say was rented by Nicholas Diemel, 35, and his 24-year-old brother, Justin Diemel.

The brothers haven’t been seen since they missed a flight back to Wisconsin after visiting northwest Missouri on a trip for the business they operate in Bonduel, Wisconsin.

Fish said during a brief news conference Wednesday that the remains haven’t been positively identified and no cause of death has been determined. He said a forensic pathologist determined the remains were human.

Authorities said shortly after the brothers disappeared that the case was a “long-term death investigation” but they have not said why they believe the brothers are dead.

Fish said on Monday the brothers went to the farm for a business deal that “has been going on for a few months” and authorities were trying to determine what occurred during that visit to the farm in Braymer, which is about 70 miles (112.65 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City.

Nicholas Diemel’s wife, Lisa Diemel, filed a petition Tuesday in Shawano County, Wisconsin, Circuit Court asking a judge to appoint her as a special administrator for the estates. It lists the brothers’ date of death as July 21.

Authorities on Monday charged Nelson, 25, of Braymer, with tampering with a vehicle. Charging documents say Nelson abandoned the Diemel brothers’ rental truck in a commuter parking lot near Holt after they visited the farm near Braymer. GPS data showed the truck arriving at the Braymer farm and then leaving about two hours later with only one driver. Deputies found the truck in the lot on July 22. The court documents say Nelson admitted to leaving the truck there.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with a weekend shooting.

Just after 8 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a walk-in shooting call at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, according to office Charley Davidson.

The investigation revealed that a 17-year-old boy and his 19-year-old brother were outside of their residence in the 2300 block of N. Mascot in Wichita.

A white Chrysler 300 approached the residence occupied by four individuals that included 20-year-old Rogers Gomez and a 17-year-old. Gomez and the teen exited the vehicle; shots were fired shots toward the brothers, striking the 17-year-old victim in the abdomen and the second victim in the foot.  Both were treated at a local hospital for non-life-threating injuries.

On Wednesday, police reported they had arrested Gomez on requested charges of aggravated battery and the 17-year-old on requested charges of aggravated battery and criminal possession of a firearm by a juvenile.  Gomez remains jailed on a $50,000 bond, according to online jail records.

BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on.drug charges after a Wednesday arrest.

Just after 11:30 a.m. officers searched a home at 1407 22^nd Street in Great Bend, according to a media release from police. They found a large quantity of marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside of the residence.

Officers arrested 41-year old Jared Alan Disney. He was booked into the Barton County Jail on requested charges ofDistribution of marijuana. Possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held on a bond of $100,000, according to police.

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WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced Wednesday to serve a year on probation and pay a $1,000 fine for trying to get out of a traffic ticket by pretending to be an FBI agent, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Jarrod M. Andra, 36, Milan, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of impersonating an agent.

In his plea, he admitted that on Nov. 30, 2018, he was stopped for speeding in Sumner County by a Sumner County Sheriff’s Deputy. Andra claimed he was a special agent for the FBI and presented what appeared to be an FBI identification card with his photo.

 

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 26-year-old man shot by Wichita police in July is charged with making a criminal threat.

Christian Joel Washington was charged last week with criminal threat and violating a protection order.

Police have said Washington displayed “aggressiveness” toward an officer before he was shot on July 14. They say the officer thought Washington had a gun but it was later determined that he was holding a pouch with a metal piece.

The confrontation occurred when officers responded to a woman’s call saying her son was causing a domestic disturbance.

Washington was shot once in the abdomen and was hospitalized before he was booked into jail.

In court documents, Washington said he was homeless and unemployed. He is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail.

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating another case of possible swatting in Kansas.

Just after  1am Tuesday, officers from the Lawrence Police Department responded to the 2400 block of Cedarwood Ave, on what was initially called a domestic disturbance with weapons, according to a media release.

An as of yet unidentified man called dispatch claiming to have shot his wife.

After arriving at the scene, officers learned the call was a probable attempt at swatting, stemming from a disagreement in an online video game chat room. Police have not released the caller’s name or additional details.

In December 2017 two online gamers whose alleged dispute over a $1.50 Call of Duty WWII video game bet ultimately led police to fatally shoot a Wichita man not involved in the argument in a case of “swatting” that received national attention.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An Ohio woman who said she lost a job offer at Wichita State University after she revealed she was pregnant has reached a $50,000 settlement with the university.

Evangeline Heiliger sued Wichita State in December because she said the school withdrew a job offer for an assistant professor of women’s studies a day after she told Center of Women’s Studies director Chinyere Okafor that she was expecting a baby and asked about child care options on campus.

Heiliger was a visiting assistant professor of gender, sexuality and feminist studies at Ohio’s Oberlin College when she applied for the Wichita State job in 2017. She said she was offered the position after interviewing in February 2018.

A day after she told Okafor in March of that year about her pregnancy, then-department head Ron Matson told her in an email that she had been removed from consideration and also ignored a follow-up email saying she was eager to begin the job, according to her lawsuit.

Court records show that Heiliger and Wichita State agreed to settle the lawsuit following a seven-hour mediation session in May.

Wichita State spokesman Joe Kleinsasser said Wednesday that school would not comment on the settlement. The university’s general counsel, David Moses, said previously that an administrative agency investigation found the university didn’t violate any laws and that the school “remains committed to creating a fair and equitable workplace.”

As part of the settlement, Heiliger agreed to dismiss her lawsuit and never again apply for employment with Wichita State, according to a settlement agreement released by the university last week. The agreement also bars her from discussing or commenting on the settlement or her pregnancy discrimination claims.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and looking for suspects.

Just before 11:30p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a shooting near the intersection of 17th and Poplar in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

A 47-year-old man at the scene told police he was walking in the area when an unknown suspect fired multiple shots that wounded him.

EMS transported the victim to an area hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to Davidson.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact police.

WELCH, Okla. (AP) — Authorities in Oklahoma are starting a new search for two 16-year-old girls missing and presumed dead for nearly 20 years.

Craig County District Attorney’s spokeswoman Michelle Lowry said the search for Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible began Tuesday near the Picher area, about 85 miles northeast of Tulsa and where authorities have said the girls’ bodies are believed to have been dumped.

The girls disappeared Dec. 30, 1999, from Freeman’s home in nearby Welch. Freeman’s parents, Danny and Kathy Freeman, were found fatally shot in the burned home.

In April 2018, authorities charged 68-year-old Ronnie Dean Busick with four counts of first-degree murder in the case and said two other suspects are dead.

Busick has denied involvement in the case and is undergoing a mental competency evaluation.

Busick had multiple Kansas drug convictions, and was imprisoned off-and-on in the state starting in the 1980s, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A 38-year-old former researcher at Kansas State University has been sentenced to prison for trying to shoot a Manhattan police officer.

Riley County police said Mark Harrison, of Manhattan, was sentenced Monday to four years and two months in prison. He previously pleaded no contest to attempted voluntary manslaughter in the shooting of police Sgt. Pat Tiede.

The charges stem from a three-hour standoff with police in February 2018 during which Harrison fired 33 times. One of the bullets hit Tiede, who recovered at a hospital. He has returned to the police force.

Harrison was previously convicted of criminal damage to property arising from a domestic dispute that led to the standoff.

Harrison was a researcher in the mechanical and nuclear engineering department at K-State.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A jury Tuesday found a Lawrence developer guilty on charges of disposing of asbestos in violation of the Clean Air Act, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Thomas S. Fritzel, 53, Lawrence, was convicted of failing to notify authorities before removing asbestos (count two), failing to keep asbestos wet during demolition to prevent air contamination (count three) and failing to dispose of asbestos in leak-tight containers (count four).

During trial, the government presented evidence that Fritzel violated federal laws for handling asbestos during demolition and renovations at the Alvamar Country Club in Lawrence. The government presented evidence to show that Fritzel knew that the roof of the country club contained 75 percent chrysotile asbestos. The previous owners, who sold the club to Fritzel in January 2016, had decided not to replace the roof because of the cost of abating the asbestos.

On October 19, 2016, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment told Fritzel to get a licensed asbestos contractor to remove asbestos from the site and dispose of it properly. On Oct. 25, 2016, KDHE inspected the site and determined asbestos debris had been removed and hauled to Hamm Landfill in Perry, Kan., which is not approved for asbestos disposal.

Fritzel faces a penalty of up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on count two and up to five years and a fine up to $250,000 on counts three and four, according to McAllister.