POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are conducting a felony criminal investigation of multiple incidents of financial crimes involving credit and debit cards in Pottawatomie County.
The FBI, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Secret Service are assisting with the investigation, according to Wamego Police Chief Michael Baker, Sr.
He urged victim of the identity theft and or credit card fraud to file a police report with his department or another local agency.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the murder of a Kansas woman in her home and have a suspect in custody.
Just after 8p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 3100 Block of South Elizabeth in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Police found a woman later identified as 25-year-old Elsey Puente inside the residence with a gunshot wound. EMS transported her to a local hospital where she died.
Investigators learned a domestic violence disturbance occurred in the residence between Puente and her boyfriend 29-year-old Victor Castro and she was shot once in the upper body, according to Davidson.
On Wednesday, police arrested Castro and booked him on requested charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a firearm, according to Sedgwick County online jail records.
Puente’s four children under the age of nine were also inside the residence at the time of the disturbance and were not injured, according to Davidson. They are currently with family.
Castro is not the children’s father, according to Davidson. He has prior convictions for aggravated assault and criminal threat, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Confusion about whether pigs or kids had tumbled out of a vehicle in Kansas led to a humorous exchange between a dispatcher and an officer.
Police in Riley County posted audio of the exchange on Facebook under the hearing, “Just a typical day in Kansas.”
It starts with a dispatcher telling an officer, “We evidently have a truck that is losing pigs out the back. The officer then attempts to clarify, saying “Kids, as in children?” The dispatcher then clarified, “No, pigs. As in little pink animals with curly tails.”
Body-camera video shows the officer then arriving at the scene to find two people who had apparently captured the pigs holding them with leashes.
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was indicted Tuesday on a federal firearm charge, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Andrew Patrick Rizzo, 26, Wichita, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 11, 2019, in Wichita.
According to court records, investigators served a search warrant at Rizzo’s home in the 4800 block of east Gilbert. They found methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, a digital scale and pipes for smoking narcotics. They also found a 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun that had been reported stolen and a bulletproof vest.
If convicted, Rizzo could face a penalty of not less than five years in federal prison. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Andrusak is prosecuting.
By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
LARNED — The Fort Larned National Historical Site is celebrating Hispanic heritage with a special event Saturday, July 20. Sienna Cordoba is an intern this summer at Fort Larned and says the celebration is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include food, dance, nature activities, and living history demonstrations.
“We’ll have mariachi players, folklore dancers, a Zumba class, regular living history, and a migratory butterfly and bird component,” said Cordoba.
Cordoba has been teaching history for years, most recently in Baltimore, but wanted to get more involved with museums. She received an internship through the Latino Heritage Project and has been researching information on the Hispanic traders that frequented the Santa Fe Trail in the past.
“History is so cool and powerful, but teaching it in a classroom setting can be really isolating,” Cordoba said. “If you are at a museum, you can interact with so many different types of people.”
The event is for all ages and will especially engage children. Fort Larned is located on Highway 156, just west of Larned.
PAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with alleged domestic violence in Pawnee County.
On July 8th, deputies and the Kansas Highway Patrol Tactical Team responded to a domestic disturbance call with involved a small child and a firearm at a home near 130th Avenue and Q Road near Larned, according to the Pawnee County Attorney. A
The KHP team arrested Thomas Roscoe Roland, Jr., 55 of Parthenon, Arkansas.
On Monday, Roland appeared in the Pawnee County District Court in the custody of Pawnee County Sheriff on felony charges of Aggravated Endangering a Child and Criminal Threat. He was initially booked in on a charge of Kidnapping.
Magistrate Judge Julie Cowell released Roland on a supervised bond that included reporting requirements with Court Services and a no contact order with the victim. The court authorized that he could reside in Arkansas pending future hearings. Preliminary Hearings have been scheduled for July 24, according to the Pawnee County Attorney.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Republican state senator from Kansas has fractured vertebrae while vacationing in Colorado.
73-year-old Ed Berger, of Hutchinson, is recuperating at a Denver-area hospital after falling down steps on July 4 at an Airbnb unit west of Winter Park.
He said Tuesday in a phone interview that surgery went well and that he is undergoing physical therapy with family by his side. He is in a brace and using a walker but expects to walk unaided.
He says he hopes to return to Hutchinson early next week. He anticipates that his recovery will take about six weeks. He says his fellow lawmakers have been “very nice” and “very supportive.”
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have a suspect in custody.
At approximately 12:13 p.m. Tuesday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a call about a possible disturbance in the 1300 block of NE Forest Avenue in Topeka, according to Lt. Jennifer Cross.
While officers were en route to the area, dispatchers received an additional call that a (shooting) had just occurred at the same location. Upon arrival, officers located a man later identified as 29-year-old Daniel Dirk suffering from what appeared to be life-threatening injuries. AMR transported him to a local hospital.
A short time later, officers conducted a traffic stop in the area. Police believed Colby Dean Brown, 19, of Topeka was connected to the incident.
He was taken into custody for questioning and later booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and criminal damage to property. Brown and Dirk were known to each other prior to this incident, according to police.
JEWELL COUNTY —A small earthquake shook north central Kansas Wednesday.
The quake just after 3a.m. measured a magnitude 2.7 and was centered approximately 7 miles northwest of Mankato in Jewell County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey
There are no reports of damage or injury, according to the Jewell County sheriff’s department.
These are the first quakes in Kansas since a series of quakes reported in northwest Kansas in late June, according to the Kansas Geological Survey.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — The Department of Agriculture says fewer than 40% of the researchers whose jobs are being transferred from Washington, D.C., to Kansas City will make the move to the Midwest.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced in June that the USDA would move more than 550 jobs in two research agencies to Kansas City. A USDA spokesperson told The Star Tuesday that 145 workers will follow their jobs to Kansas City, while 250 will leave the agency, meaning about 37% accepted the transfers.
The USDA says the figures may fluctuate. Employees can change their decision until they are expected to report to Kansas City on Sept. 30.
Members of the Kansas and Missouri congressional delegations and the states’ governors praised the USDA’s move when it was announced, saying the agencies are a good fit for the region. But critics argued that moving them will make it harder for federal policymakers to get objective research that might raise questions about President Donald Trump’s policies.
It’s not yet clear whether the researchers will work in Kansas or Missouri. Economic development officials from both states worked to lure the jobs and cities in both states are working to land the USDA offices.
Perdue said that moving most employees out of Washington would bring the Economic Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture closer to farmers and agribusinesses they serve. He also said the USDA would save about $20 million a year on rent and other employee costs, freeing up extra dollars for research.
Critics said the research agencies have lost veteran employees and been unable to fill vacancies since the USDA announced last year it was considering moving their headquarters.
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents workers at the two research agencies, opposed the plan. Employees at both recently unionized.
The Economic Research Service examines a wide range of issues, including the rural economy, international trade, food safety and programs that provide food assistance to poor Americans. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides grants for agricultural research.
KDA
MANHATTAN — With Texas, Colorado and New Mexico reporting multiple confirmed cases of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), the Kansas Department of Agriculture is encouraging livestock owners to be aware and take precautions, particularly with animals that may be comingling with other animals at competitions and similar events. At this time, there have been no cases of VSV reported in Kansas.
VSV is a viral disease which primarily affects horses, but can also affect cattle, sheep, goats, swine, llamas and alpacas. The disease is characterized by fever and the formation of blister-like lesions in the mouth and on the dental pad, tongue, lips, nostrils, ears, hooves and teats. Infected animals may refuse to eat and drink, which can lead to weight loss.
There are no USDA-approved vaccines for VSV.
The primary way the virus is transmitted is from biting insects like black flies, sand flies and midges. Owners should consider treatments to reduce insects where animals are housed. VSV can also be spread by nose-to-nose contact between animals. The virus itself usually runs its course in five to seven days, and it can take up to an additional seven days for the infected animal to recover from the symptoms. Premises with animals diagnosed with VSV are quarantined until at least 14 days after the last affected animal is diagnosed.
VSV is considered a reportable disease in Kansas. Any person who suspects their animals may have VSV should contact their local veterinarian or state animal health official.
KDA has implemented increased importation requirements from the affected regions to help prevent the spread of VSV into Kansas. Likewise, many states have now enhanced their importation requirements as well. Therefore, animal health officials strongly encourage all livestock owners and veterinarians to call the animal health authority in the destination state for the most current import requirements prior to travel.
The latest VSV situation reports are available at this USDA website: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/cattle-disease-information/vesicular-stomatitis-info.
If you have questions or are seeing suspicious lesions on your animals, please contact the KDA Division of Animal Health at 785-564-6601.
WICHITA, KAN. – A man who shot at police and was wounded when officers returned fire was sentenced Tuesday, to more than 23 years in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.
Elijah K. Martinez, 22 of Wichita, was found guilty in May of attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, flee and elude, felon in possession of a firearm and other crimes that occurred on December 27, 2017, in the area of Interstate 235 and Central in Wichita.
Martinez and his girlfriend stole a car in east Wichita and were spotted stealing mail on the west side of Wichita later in the day.
A homeowner in the area of 13th and Tyler called police and followed Martinez to a small business near Central and Interstate 235.
When officers arrived at the business, Martinez pulled a gun and opened fire at the officers before fleeing in a vehicle.
Officers returned fire on two occasions, wounding Martinez in the jaw and back of the head.
After he was wounded, Martinez led officers on a high-speed chase that ended in the parking lot of a video store at Maple and Maize Road.
On Tuesday a Sedgwick County judge sentenced Martinez to a total of 281 months in prison and ordered that he register as a violent offender when he is released.
The sentence also included a series of burglaries in Wichita’s College Hill neighborhood that occurred in the fall of 2017. Martinez and two other men, Timothy Smith and Michael Baker, were convicted of five home break-ins. Of the 281 months in prison that Martinez was ordered to serve, 247 months were for the attempted murder case and 34 months for the burglaries.
Martinez also was ordered to pay $31,123.27 in restitution for property losses in the cases.
WASHINGTON – A Kansas City woman was sentenced to prison Tuesday for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to the filing of false tax returns according to Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Stephen R. McAllister for the District of Kansas.
U.S. District Court Judge Carlos Murguia of the District of Kansas sentenced Antoinette Winston, also known as Tweety, to 34 months in prison and ordered her to pay $165,392.48 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). On Aug. 21, 2018, Winston pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to documents filed with the court, from 2012 to May 2015, Winston stole and used personal identifying information, including names and social security numbers of other individuals in order to file fraudulent income tax returns requesting refunds from the IRS. Winston also used this information to obtain pre-paid debit cards in the names of these individuals, and directed the IRS to pay the fraudulent refunds to these pre-paid debit cards. After the IRS deposited the refunds on the pre-paid debit cards, Winston used the cards to withdraw cash at banks and retail stores. The intended tax loss to the IRS from Winston’s scheme was more than $250,000.
