MCPHERSON COUNTY —Multiple county agencies responded to a mass carbon monoxide event resulting from a vehicle problem Sunday in McPherson, according to a McPherson Fire Department Chief TJ Wyssmann.
First responders on the scene of Sunday’s incident in McPherson-photo courtesy McPherson Fire Dept.
Multiple patients being transported by several agencies to area hospitals.
At approximately 3:30p.m., McPherson Fire received a call for service to 2203 E Kansas in McPherson for a Carbon Monoxide Incident with ten victims.
First arriving crews found a Church group traveling back to Oklahoma City inside the Burger King. Ten male patients were showing signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Additional EMS crews were requested from throughout the County and surrounding Counties. All ten patients were treated and transported to Via Christi in Wichita.
It is believed that the vehicle, which the group was utilizing for transportation, had developed a mechanical issue in which carbon monoxide enter the vehicle cabin area.
The following agencies were involved in mitigating the incident:
McPherson Fire Department, McPherson EMS, McPherson Police Department, Moundridge EMS, Canton EMS, Hesston EMS and Reno County EMS, McPherson County 911, Harvey County 911, Reno County 911
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Kansas woman who entered a plea for a single charge of conspiracy to commit robbery was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.
Gresham photo Reno Co.
Amanda Gresham, 33, Hurchinson, had been charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary.
Gresham, 30-year-old John Sullivan and 38-year-old Titus Thompson were allegedly behind the abduction of 50-year-old Leon Levasseur, who was taken by knifepoint from his residence, then placed in his car and driven to an area near Burrton, where he was finally able to escape and call 911.
Police say the recovery of multiple items taken from Levasseur’s residence led them to the arrests.
Detectives determined Thompson and Sullivan were dropped off in the area of Avenue B and Elm in Hutchinson on the morning of Oct. 22, 2018, by Gresham with the intent to commit the robbery.
Gresham was also found to have violated her community corrections for cases from 2017 where she was convicted of aggravated battery, aggravated burglary and possession of drugs. Those sentences totaled seven years and were ordered to be served.
The new sentence will run concurrent to that case with her serving the 10 years in prison.
The cases against Sullivan and Thompson are still pending.
LABETTE COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 5:30p.m. Saturday in Labette County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Charlotte A. Wheeler, 68, Coffeyville, was westbound on U.S. 166 six miles east of Coffeyville at a high rate of speed.
The pickup dropped off the left shoulder and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle entered the south ditch, rolled and ejected the driver. The pickup came to rest on its roof against a fence.
Wheeler was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
LYONS, Kan. (AP) — Two Kansas law enforcement officers were shot in a traffic stop, leaving one fighting for his life.
Rice County Undersheriff Chad Murphy
David Madden shot Rice County Undersheriff Chad Murphy when he stopped Madden for a firearm charge warrant in April near the small town of Sterling, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of Wichita.
Madden fired four shots at Murphy during the traffic stop.
“All I said was, ‘Come on, David. You have a warrant. Let’s get this taken care of,’ and that is when he rolled out of the vehicle and took the first shot.”
Madden also shot Sheriff Bryant Evans in the leg when he responded to the scene and dragged him away.
Madden, a 37-year-old former Marine, killed his father before killing himself during a standoff with police after the April shooting. He was also suspected in the 2015 disappearance of his girlfriend.
Now, Murphy said forgiving Madden has helped him move on from the shooting.
“I have made peace with myself,” Murphy said. “The way I did that was, I had to forgive David.
“In order for me to have inner peace that is what I had to do, and I did that early on because I knew if I did not, then I would turn into something that I did not like.”
He’s been attending weekly therapy and rearranged his priorities.
“Before it was work,” Murphy said. “Work was priority and then family and then God.” But now, “God is number one, family is number two, and then here comes the job.”
Murphy said he’s hopeful that he’ll return to work within a year when he regains full control of his right arm.
SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a veteran Kansas police officer for driving under the influence.
Andrew Tapia photo Sedgwick Co.
On Friday evening, the Mulvane Police Department booked an off-duty Wichita Police Department officer into the Sedgwick County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence.
The officer identifies as 39-year-old Andrew E. Tapia, according to the Sedgwick County booking report is an 18-year veteran of the Wichita Police Department. He has been placed on a paid administrative assignment, according to police department spokesperson Charley Davidson.
The case is being investigated by the Mulvane Police Department and an internal review will be take place by Wichita Police, according to Davidson.
RENO COUNTY — Emergency crews rescued two more from the Arkansas River after they were displaced from their kayaks Saturday.
Photo courtesy Hutchinson Fire Department
The pair entered the water at the 4th Street bridge, according to a media release from the Hutchinson Fire Department.
Approximately a half mile down, some tree debris in the river was present. The kayakers became dislodged from their kayaks. One of the individuals was able to grasp an overhead branch and return to the bank. The other was able to hold onto the branch until Engine 5 crew members made contact assist the individual to the bank.
Meanwhile, Boat 3 was deployed and entered the Arkansas River to assist the rescued kayakers back to their vehicle due to difficult terrain. HFD was assisted by Reno County Sheriff’s Department.
Both citizens were wearing life jackets. The Hutchinson Fire department remind all those entering bodies of water to wear life jackets as “Saturday’s incident had the potential for a negative outcome.”
On July 7, Hutchinson fire crews rescued 3 from the Arkansas river after they were displaced from their tubes.
TOPEKA — A new Kansas law provides some protection for people possessing CBD oil containing limited amounts of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
CBD without the THC that gets people high has been legal in Kansas for about a year. CBD oil with significant amounts of THC is still illegal to sell, but a new law offers people with a doctor’s note some measure of possible legal protection. NOMIN UJIYEDIIN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
But it’s not full-on legalization, meaning the oil could still result in legal trouble even for people with documents confirming it’s for medical purposes.
CBD oil without THC is already legal in Kansas. CBD is made from the same plant that marijuana comes from, but the plants are bred with relatively small amounts of the psychoactive compounds.
The new law lets patients and their parents in Kansas have CBD oil containing up to 5 percent THC to treat certain conditions — if they have a physician’s note.
The new statute that took effect July 1 is aimed at helping people treat debilitating conditions such as seizures. Parents of children with those conditions asked lawmakers to approve the change.
Republican Rep. Mark Schreiber took on the issue after meeting a family with two daughters who had microcephaly, a condition where the brain does not develop fully. The parents wanted to use the oil to treat seizures and other complications.
The new law is named after their daughters, Claire and Lola. Claire died last year.
“These are families that really love their kids and they see them suffer through these seizures,” Schreiber said in an interview. “They want to be able to try this.”
The legislation doesn’t fully legalize the oil containing THC, nor does it allow any sort of production or distribution of the product in Kansas. The oil would need to be obtained in another state and carry verification that it was tested by a third-party laboratory.
That was partially a political necessity. Schreiber based the strategy on a similar law in Alabama. A proposal to fully legalize the oil with THC could open the debate to broader arguments about marijuana legalization, which might have stoked opposition to the change.
“That would be a big, big debate,” he said. “It kind of circumvented that whole discussion and possible delay.”
Schreiber’s strategy worked. But the way the law is written leaves the door open to legal complications for anyone who possesses the oil containing THC.
The law does offer people an affirmative defense for possession.
“An affirmative defense doesn’t prevent you from being arrested, and it doesn’t prevent you from being charged,” said Jennifer Roth, legislative committee co-chair of the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
So there’s no legal immunity for someone using the oil, even if they have a letter from a physician.
But it does give them the foundation for an affirmative defense during trial.
The law leaves wide discretion to police and local prosecutors, who could choose not to pursue charges if someone has the letter.
“Perhaps that person would say ‘OK, we’re not going to file charges on you,’” Roth said. “But none of that’s required by the law.”
The law is clearer on another point. Possessing or using the oil cannot be used as a reason to initiate child removal proceedings or child protective actions.
Still, Republican Rep. Eric Smith, a sheriff’s deputy, said if he pulled someone over with the oil and a letter, they’d go to jail.
“It does nothing for me as a law enforcement officer out on the side of the road,” Smith said during debate over the legislation in May. “I seize it and I arrest you. That letter doesn’t mean anything.”
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter@kprkoranda or email skoranda (at) ku (dot) edu.
JOHNSON COUNTY — The Silver Alert for a missing Kansas man has been canceled, according to the KBI. Walter has been found and is safe.
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JOHNSON COUNTY – The Overland Park Police Department requested that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Overland Park man.
Walter Whitley photo KBI
The whereabouts of Walter Whitley, 84, are unknown, and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him. Whitley was last seen on July 13, 2019 at approximately noon driving a U-Haul truck from Indiana to Overland Park, Ks. The truck has an Arizona license plate with the number AE87635.
Whitley is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 265 pounds. Whitley has brown hair, is bald, and wears glasses. Whitley has dementia and is diabetic. Whitley is prescribed medication, which he is required to take. Please see attached photograph.
If located, please contact the Overland Park Police Department at (913) 648-6200 or call 911.
JOHNSON COUNTY — Two people died in an accident just before 10p.m. Saturday in Johnson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Jason M. Huen, 37, Gardner, was northbound Interstate 35 just north of 167th Street in Gardner.
The motorcycle struck a deer then struck the guardrail.
The driver and a passenger Julie M. Huen, 27, Gardner, were thrown from the motorcycle.
A 1998 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Kevin Anthony Watkins, 22, Florissant, Missouri, was behind and struck debris from the deer. Watkins laid the motorcycle down and sustained injuries from the fall.
Jason and Juline Huen were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to First Call. EMS transported Watkins to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
All three were wearing helmet and eye protection, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment recommends Kansans take preventive measures against mosquito bites this summer.
Floods throughout the state have caused an increase in mosquito populations. Mosquito surveillance in Reno, Sedgwick and Shawnee counties has shown an increase Culex species mosquitoes which can transmit West Nile virus and other viruses that can affect humans. This species of mosquitoes is most active at dawn and dusk.
“West Nile virus can be spread to people through bites from infected mosquitoes, but it is not contagious from person to person,” said KDHE Secretary Lee Norman, MD. “Symptoms range from a slight headache and low-grade fever to swelling of the brain or brain tissue and, in rare cases, death.”
Since 2002 there have been 677 cases and 35 deaths in Kansans from West Nile virus. To date, there have been no cases of West Nile virus reported to KDHE in 2019. People who have had West Nile virus before are considered immune. Cases are most common from mid-July through late September.
KDHE has developed West Nile virus risk levels to help guide prevention efforts for both communities and individuals. These risk level reports will be posted weekly at; https://www.kdheks.gov/epi/arboviral_disease.htm. All six regions of Kansas are currently at moderate risk level.
KDHE recommends the following precautions to protect against West Nile virus:
When you are outdoors, use insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient on skin and clothing, including DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535. Follow the directions on the package.
Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn. Be sure to use insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants at these times or consider staying indoors during these hours.
The elderly or immunocompromised should consider limiting their exposure outside during dusk and dawn when the Culex species mosquitoes are most active.
Make sure you have good screens on your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.
West Nile virus in horses can be fatal. The virus can cause inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Approximately 33 percent of horses infected with West Nile virus will die. A West Nile virus vaccine for horses is available and owners are encouraged to vaccinate or booster their animals.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors in northeastern Kansas have charged a man suspected of killing two people inside a Kansas City, Kansas, market earlier this week.
Byers photo Wyandotte Co.
39-year-old Jermelle Andre-Lamont Byers has been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder and other counts. Those charges were filed Friday.
The shooting Wednesday at the Edwards Original Corner Market & Deli killed market owner, 62-year-old Dennis Edwards, and fatally injured 42-year-old Lachell Day, who died Thursday. Officers who arrived on the scene of the shooting say the suspect, later identified as Byers, pointed a handgun at them. Officers fired at the man and sought cover. He was taken into custody after a two-hour standoff.
Police say the shooting was related to a domestic disturbance between Byers and Day.
Byers is being held in the Wyandotte County Detention Center on $500,000 bail.
SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the accidental death of a 2-year-old boy.
First responders on the scene of the drowning Saturday afternoon photo courtesy KWCH
Just after 11:30 a.m. Saturday, police responded to a home in the 2200 block of south Linden in Wichita for a drowning call, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Upon arrival, officers located the boy who had been pulled from a swimming pool and was unresponsive. The boy succumbed to his injuries on the scene, according to Davidson.
The investigation revealed the boy and his parents were temporally staying at the home for the residents. The boy crawled through a dog-door and fell into the pool. The boy was found by his father who pulled him out of the pool and began live saving techniques.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hundreds have rallied in a Lawrence park to call on city officials to declare the northeastern Kansas city a sanctuary for immigrants who are in the U.S. without legal permission.
The Friday night rally was organized by a local coalition of Latino activists. The coalition says more than 300 people signed a petition urging Lawrence leaders to pass ordinances aimed at protecting immigrants, including measures to limit local police cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
State Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, told the crowd the country needed more sanctuary cities.
The rally also raised more than $1,600 for a fund to help local immigrants and refugees pay for such things as legal fees, groceries and transportation.
In 2017, the City Commission proclaimed Lawrence a “welcoming city,” but proclamations aren’t legally binding.
