MANHATTAN – Investigators in Riley County continue to investigate a Thursday morning structure fire at a Manhattan apartment building under construction.

There is a high probability that the fire at 801 Moro Street was set intentionally by an unknown subject(s), according to a media release from Riley County Police.

Just after 5 a.m., on Thursday, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to the intersection of 8th and Moro Street and found a three-story apartment building under construction with fire showing from multiple floors, according to a media release.

The fire reached a second alarm before it was contained within approximately one hour.

The building was an approximately 8,000-square-foot, three-story apartment building under construction.

When finished, the building would contain 6 apartments with 17 bedrooms with an estimated value of more than $1 million.
The owner is listed as Fieldhouse Development Inc. and RF Benchmark Construction is the general contractor.

Investigators from the Manhattan Fire Department, the Riley County Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,

Firearms and Explosives, and the Kansas Office of the State Fire Marshal conducted the origin and cause investigation.
Officials are now investigating this fire as arson.

Officers ask that anyone with information on these crimes contact the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers by phone at 785-539-7777 or online at www.ManhattanRileyCountyCrimeStoppers.com.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The former owner of the Heartland Park Topeka racetrack is suing the city of Topeka for more than $4 million.

Jayhawk Racing LLC and Heartland Park LLC allege in the lawsuit that the city breached its contract by not honoring an agreement to purchase the park and assume the plaintiffs’ debt. They also claim the city charged for storm water services for more than 12 years but didn’t ever provide the services.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports (https://bit.ly/288dWec ) city attorney Lisa Robertson declined to comment on the lawsuit.

In June 2014, the city agreed to acquire Jayhawk’s interest in Heartland Park and expand the park’s STAR bond district. After several problems arose, the city decided in May 2015 not to finance the purchase with $5.5 million in STAR bonds.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Lawrence man was sentenced to more than 23 years in prison for fatally stabbing a man to death.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports 34-year-old Joshua Back was sentenced Thursday for intentional second-degree murder and theft. He was convicted in April of killing 45-year-old Tracy Dean Lautenschlager outside a home in May 2015.

The victim was later found bleeding in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant.

During sentencing Thursday, Back’s attorney, Branden Smith, said he is planning an appeal.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Attorney General’s Office says it will review the investigation of man accused of holding Finney County’s chief judge hostage.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a statement Thursday that his office will review the investigation into the incident to determine if any criminal charges will be filed. The Finney County Attorney’s Office requested that Schmidt’s office handle the case.

Authorities say a standoff began around 7 a.m. on May 31 when Jason Nichols forced his way into 61-year-old Wendel Wurst’s Garden City home and confronted the man and his wife at gunpoint.

The woman was released, and she called police from a neighbor’s home. The standoff ended peacefully several hours later. Police say the suspect was upset over a custody case that Wurst had handled.

RILEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating a report of multiple vehicles damaged in downtown Manhattan.

All of the vehicles damaged on June 2, were located in the area of the 100 block of North 4th Street, according to a media release. The first report was taken at approximately 5:52 AM.

Investigation revealed 19 total vehicles were involved, all had tires that were punctured by unknown means.

The total damage to all of the vehicles was estimated at approximately $7,800.00.
Officers ask that anyone with information on these crimes contact the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers by phone at 785-539-7777 or online at www.ManhattanRileyCountyCrimeStoppers.com.

Community members choosing to assist law enforcement through the Crime Stoppers service can remain anonymous and could qualify for a cash reward of up to $1,000.00.

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — School administrators across Kansas are trying to figure out how a recent state Supreme Court ruling will affect their ability to provide critical summer programs and prepare for the fall semester that begins in August.

Some districts are taking a wait-and-see approach to a stalemate between the Legislature and the court, which threatened last week to cease all school functions on July 1 if lawmakers don’t find a way to resolve shortcomings in the current funding formula.

Other districts are busy creating contingency plans for what they will do if the issue is not resolved and the court follows through with its threat.

Kansas Association of School Boards lobbyist Mark Tallman says the problem for most school districts is that they aren’t sure what the court’s ruling means

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A registered sex offender from Kansas was charged in federal court Thursday with picking up a 16-year-old girl in Virginia and taking her across state lines to have sex with him, according to acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Logan Viquesney, 20, Kansas City, Kan., was charged with one count of interstate transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

An affidavit filed in the case alleges the victim was staying with her grandparents in Virginia when she and Viquesney began communicating over the Internet. On May 30, the victim was reported missing from her grandparents’ home. Investigators learned that Viquesney had driven to Virginia, picked up the girl, and taken her with him on a trip that took them from Virginia to Maryland, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas. While on the trip, Viquesney had sex with the girl.

Viquesney was arrested after he arrived in Kansas City, Kan., with the girl.

If convicted, he faces a penalty not less than 10 years in federal prison. Investigating agencies include the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Lenexa Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.

MANHATTAN – Investigators are working to determine the cause of a Thursday morning fire at a construction site in Manhattan.

Just after 5 a.m., The Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to the intersection of 8th and Moro Street and found a three-story apartment building under construction with fire showing from multiple floors, according to a media release.

The fire reached a second alarm before it was contained within approximately one hour.

The building was an approximately 8,000-square-foot, three-story apartment building under construction.

When finished, the building would contain 6 apartments with 17 bedrooms with an estimated value of more than $1 million.

The owner is listed as Fieldhouse Development Inc. and RF Benchmark Construction is the general contractor.

The Manhattan Fire Department, the Riley County Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Kansas Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) will be conducting a joint fire investigation.

HUTCHINSON— A Kansas man made a first appearance before a judge Wednesday on five counts of making false writing and theft.

Romero Lucio Jr., 26, Hutchinson, was arrested on the charges stemming from reports of phony $50 bills being passed at a number of local businesses in May.

Officials at Walmart were able to provide police with a picture of the suspect and also a tag number of the vehicle he was in.

That led to Lucio’s residence where police allegedly found the printer used as well as some printed phony money on a sheet of paper that hadn’t been cut yet.

Lucio is jailed on a $9,000 bond and is due back in court next week.

GEARY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Geary County are investigating a suspect in connection with a fatal, Kansas traffic accident.

Just after 4 p.m. on April 7, a 2008 Mazda passenger car driven by Kevin T. Runions, 27, a soldier at Fort Riley from Lincoln, NE., ran the stop sign at Interstate 70 a mile east of Marshall Field and hit a 2008 Toyota passenger car driven by Ronald L. Montgomery, 81, Manhattan, that was exiting the interstate and had the right of way.

Montgomery and a passenger Marlene Montgomery, 78, Manhattan, died as the result of injuries from the crash.

Runions, a healthcare specialist at Fort Riley, was treated and released at Irwin Army Community Hospital.

Deputies arrested Runions on May 27, according to the Geary County Sheriff’s Department Detention Center.

He is being held on suspicion of Involuntary Manslaughter While Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs.