SALINA – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a woman in connection with aggravated assault and criminal damage to property.
A Salina woman is arrested Thursday for allegedly using a rock to smash the windshield of a pickup owned by a rural Assaria man.
Tonya Stout, 33, Salina is accused of smashing the windshield of a 2002 F-150 pickup owned by Dustin Small, 35, while it was parked at 211 E. Borgmeyer Lane near Assaria, according to Lt. Mike Smith of the Saline County Sheriff’s Office.
Just after 8 a.m. on Thursday, Small’s roommate told deputies she heard a loud crash, looked out a window and saw Stout standing next to the pickup.
Stout then got into the passenger seat of a car that drove off as Small went outside.
Small got into his pickup and followed the car to the intersection of Kansas 4 and Ohio
When the car stopped, Stout allegedly got out of the car and pointed a gun at Small.
Small reported the incident to authorities and Stout was arrested late Thursday morning in Salina for aggravated assault, use of a deadly weapon, and criminal damage to property.
Small was also arrested on a charge of violation of a protect from abuse order after the confrontation with her.
SHAWNEE COUNTY – A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 9a.m. on Friday in Shawnee County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Mercury Milan driven by Justin Harrison Neeley, 26, Manhattan, was northbound U.S. 75 at Interstate 70 and Gage Avenue.
The vehicle hit a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe driven by Michelle Lee Ramos, 30, Topeka, as she attempted to make a U-turn from the right lane.
Ramos was transported to Stormont Vail.
Neeley, Eric David Weeden, 32, and a 2-year-old girl both of Manhattan were not injured.
All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Members of Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk during a November Forum at KU
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Minority students at the University of Kansas are pushing for an independent governing body to represent their interests — and have won recognition and funding to start the long process that could let them do so.
Students insist they’re not trying to set up a wholly separate student government. But they are frustrated by what they see as a lack of attention to issues they care about. They want a structure that focuses on social justice issues and multicultural students, with programs such as longer orientations for some students or funding for those with financial emergencies. They say it would complement the work of the traditional student government.
Experts see the novel approach as the latest example of the impatience minority students feel after generations of exclusion from campus government.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman has pleaded guilty to aiding a man convicted of abducting an 8-year-old girl from her Topeka home, then drugging and raping her.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 24-year-old Michelle Lee Harris, Topeka, admitted Thursday to reduced charges of attempted kidnapping and aiding a felon. As part of the plea, a third charge was dismissed.
She testified against Jeremy James Lindsey at his trial earlier this year. Prosecutors said he removed a sleeping girl from her mother’s Topeka home in 2014 and transported her in a car trunk. He raped her twice before calling Harris, who gave him and the girl a ride. Lindsey then raped the child a third time before she managed to free herself and escape.
MANHATTAN- Kansas State University Vice President for Student Life Pat Bosco issued a statement Friday after reports this week that two female students sued the University, alleging it has refused to investigate their rapes at off-campus fraternity houses.
Bosco wrote: The K-State family must continue to act together to make sure everyone is safe, respected and supported. We all share in the collective responsibility to report and respond to incidents of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and harassment.
Recently, there has been heightened awareness surrounding these issues nationwide. They are serious and must be addressed.
At K-State, we have taken many steps to educate the university community about prevention, how to respond, and the many resources available to students and employees. Please know that it is also my personal commitment to ensure we do everything we can under the law and university policy to investigate any reported acts of sexual violence. We take these situations seriously and are tireless in helping and supporting my students. However, when we receive a report, we also are committed to maintaining confidentiality to protect those involved. This means we will not comment publicly about sexual assault cases or respond to claims made in the media.
If you, or someone you know, have experienced sexual violence, please let us know. A wide array of support services are available for our students and employees. Confidential, caring help is not far away.
The K-State Center for Advocacy Response and Education, or CARE, offers confidential advocacy and support services to any member of the K-State community who has experienced sexual assault, dating violence, stalking or harassment. The CARE office is a safe place for survivors to explore their options, receive support from trained advocates and obtain referrals to other campus and community resources. Contact the office at 785-532-6444 or www.k-state.edu/care.
K-State Counseling Services and the K-State Family Center also offer confidential therapeutic support. Contact K-State Counseling Services at 785-532-6927 or www.k-state.edu/counseling; and the K-State Family Center at 785-532-6974 or www.he.k-state.edu/familycenter.
There are no easy answers to these difficult issues, but we must not waver in our efforts to keep each other safe. The K-State family is built on a foundation of respect for each other. Please help us in this important endeavor.
WICHITA, KAN. – A South Carolina man pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges of sexually exploiting a Kansas girl, Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said today.
Robert Pitya Dickson, 48, Fort Mill, S.C., pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography. In his plea, he admitted he communicated over the Internet with a 13-year-old Kansas girl. Dickson persuaded the girl to send him send him sexual images of herself. In March 2014 he traveled to meet the girl and engaged in sex acts with her that he recorded and transported back to South Carolina.
Sentencing is set for July 11. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 300 months in federal prison. Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.
WABAUNSEE COUNTY – One person was injured in an accident just after 2p.m. on Thursday in Wabaunsee County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Honda Sedan driven by Joshua Karl Olson, 33, Aurora, CO, was eastbound on Interstate 70 just before the Maple Hill exit in the passing lane.
The vehicle crossed the centerline, ran off the road to the right, entered the south ditch, struck a tree and overturned.
Olson was transported to Stormont Vail in Manhattan.
He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts legislation to prohibit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from threatening the privacy and security of charitable donors’ personal information was approved by the Senate Finance Committee. The legislation passed as an amendment to the Taxpayer Protection Act of 2016.
“Last year the IRS proposed an unnecessary and burdensome rule that threatened the security of charitable donors’ private information and would have had a chilling effect on charitable donations,” Roberts said. “Luckily they scrapped the plan, and my amendment will prohibit the IRS from simply recycling this short-sided plan and proposing a similar rule in the future.”
The attempt by the IRS to change charitable donation reporting rules began in September of 2015, when the IRS proposed a rule calling on charitable organizations to ask for additional personal donor information including the name, address, Social Security or tax identification number of any donor making a contribution of $250.00 or more. Under current law, the responsibility to substantiate the contribution is on the donor. Most non-profits provide that information to the donors for their record-keeping.
Roberts first introduced a stand-alone bill to block this rule in December 2015. To view his speech on the Senate floor about the bill, click here.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the 1988 shooting deaths of two people in Kansas City, Kansas.
Wyandotte County authorities charged Melvin L. Shields Thursday in the deaths of 27-year-old Jolene Jones and 33-year-old Steve Ray.
The Kansas City Star reports the victims were longtime friends who had a daughter together. Their bodies were found in a secluded area near the Kansas River.
Prosecutors say the initial investigation didn’t identify a suspect. The investigation was recently reopened, which led to Shields’ arrest. Prosecutors didn’t say what evidence led to the charges.
Shields is being held in Wyandotte County on $1 million bond. He was sentenced to prison shortly after the double killing for unrelated convictions and has a record of criminal convictions.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — An interactive video game has been developed to train Army command teams on how to respond to accusations of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
ELITE SHARP CTT was introduced for Army use earlier this month. Army members can download the game for free.
The Leavenworth Times reports the game was developed with help from the Games for Training Program at Fort Leavenworth. Maj. Greg Pavlichko, who heads the program, acknowledges some of the language in the interactive game is colorful, but says that makes the game more realistic.
Lt. Col. Jeff Bevington says officials involved with the ELITE game are now trying to get the word out.
Bevington says “we are trying to educate the Army on this tool.”
DICKINSON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities continue to investigate a man and woman involved in a high-speed chase and accident just after 11a.m. on Tuesday in Dickinson County.
The Geary County Attorney will make a decision on charges since the initial interaction with law enforcement and the alleged stolen Toyota passenger vehicle from Florida began in that county, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The suspect ran one vehicle off the road in a construction zone just east of Abilene and drove around deployed stop sticks just west of Abilene.
The chase ended on Interstate 70 just east of Solomon Road when the KHP used a tactical vehicle intervention, which caused the suspect’s vehicle to roll, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The man and woman in the vehicle were transported to area hospital. One by air to Wichita and the other by ground to Salina Regional Medical Center.
Until the case is presented to the Geary County Attorney, the names of those involved will not be released, according to the KHP.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sears Holdings Corp. is announcing Thursday that it will close 68 Kmart stores and 10 Sears stores as it struggles to restore profitability. The Kmart at 1320 East 30th in Hutchinson is on the list to close this summer.
The ailing company had said in February that it would accelerate the closing of unprofitable stores. The move is expected to generate a “meaningful level” of cash from the liquidation of store inventories and from the sale or sublease of some of the related real estate, it said.
The closings follow a comprehensive review of the company’s store portfolio that took into account store performance and the timing of lease expirations.
The Sears stores will close in late July; two Kmart stores will close in mid-September.
Sears has long been struggling with a sales slump, unable to keep up with rivals like Wal-Mart.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats have again blocked a Republican proposal that would have forced the Obama administration to withdraw a federal rule to protect small streams and wetlands from development and pollution.
An amendment sponsored by North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven did not get the 60 votes needed Thursday to stop the controversial rule.
Thursday’s vote was the latest effort by Republicans to check the water rule, which they call an example of President Barack Obama’s overreach. Most Democrats support the Environmental Protection Agency rule, saying it will safeguard drinking water for 117 million Americans.
The Senate voted multiple times last year on GOP measures to thwart the rule. The efforts moved forward when a simple majority was required, but failed when 60 votes were needed. Fifty-six senators supported Hoeven’s amendment on Thursday.
