HUTCHINSON – Law enforcement authorities and school officials in Hutchinson are investigating additional social media comments on possible threats at Hutchinson High School, according to USD 308 spokesman Ray Hemmen
The school district sent a message to parents on Thursday morning that indicated Hutchinson Police had become aware of a lot of social media chatter, relaying rumors of activities at the high school.
Police have interviewed almost a dozen students to determine the source of the rumor but have been unable to substantiate this as anything but a rumor.
Investigators do not believe there are any current, credible threats at the school.
The message to parents reminds them they will notice additional officers around school on Thursday as a precaution, but that classes will continue as scheduled.
HESSTON, Kan. (AP) — A woman has pleaded not guilty to giving her former boyfriend the guns used in last month’s mass shooting at a Kansas lawn equipment factory.
The Wichita Eagle reports that 28-year-old Sarah Jo Hopkins, of Newton, faces one count of transferring weapons to a prohibited person. Court records show she waived a formal reading of the charge and denied the allegations at her Wednesday afternoon arraignment in federal court.
Prosecutors say she gave Cedric Ford an AK-47-type semi-automatic rifle and a .40-caliber handgun that he used in the attack at Excel Industries in Hesston. Four people, including Ford, were killed and 14 others were injured. She has told federal investigators that she gave the guns to Ford because he had threatened her. She and Ford had two children together.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man who was convicted of child abuse but acquitted of murder in the death of his live-in girlfriend’s toddler is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
The Wichita Eagle reports that 34-year-old Sly Maples faces up 11 years and four months in prison. Sedgwick County jurors returned their verdict Monday.
Two-year-old Avry Darnell died on Jan. 21, 2015, after she was removed from life support. One day earlier, Maples and Avry’s mother took the toddler to a hospital after she fell unconscious while playing with Maples at a park. Medical staff determined she had current and prior brain bleeds and bruising around her neck
Maples claimed the girl struck her head on a playground slide. But hospital staff determined her injuries weren’t consistent with the story.
TOPEKA – A bill that would put the state in charge of refugee resettlements and possibly limit the number of people coming to Kansas has moved one step closer to reality.
The House Committee on Federal and State Affairs last week approved HB 2612. The bill, which now goes to the full House, would establish a state refugee coordinator and allow local governments to postpone refugee resettlements for up to a year if officials believe communities do not have services, such as housing, education and health, to accommodate new residents.
Proponents say the bill will allow local and state governments to coordinate with federal authorities to effectively place refugees in Kansas and will provide a measure of safety for current state residents. Opponents say the bill is unconstitutional and discriminatory.
Rep. Joseph Scapa, R-Wichita, said the bill does not ban refugees but implements a “common sense reporting requirement” in order to take the necessary steps to know who refugees are.
“Protecting our citizens is a primary function of government. It’s not an overreaction,” Scapa said.
The bill also would create a state office for refugees and would authorize Gov. Sam Brownback to appoint a state refugee coordinator. The number of refugees allowed in Kansas would be determined by Brownback in consultation with state agencies.
With Brownback’s authority over state refugees, Rep. Steven Becker, R-Buhler, fears other state officials won’t get a say in decisions.
“It is my understanding that (the bill) gives the governor unilateral authority by executive order to suspend all resettlement of refugees in the state,” Becker said. “If such an executive order is in place, then the state refugee coordinator and local refugee officers don’t have a role to play because there will be no refugees in Kansas.”
Rep. Dick Jones, R-Topeka, said he has serious doubts about the current vetting system and, even though he wants to help the refugees, he also wants to acknowledge the responsibility he has to the citizens of the state. He admits that the bill isn’t perfect, but it does some good in trying to protect Kansas.
Rep. Annie Tietze, D-Topeka, however, feels that the steps taken to admit refugees into the United States are extensive enough and thinks that helping families should be legislators’ main concern.
“It’s not like these people just say, ‘Hey, I want to go (to America), those people are rich and they can help me,’” Tietze said. “These are, as we know, predominantly families – women, children, people who want to come to our country to work.”
In response to the legislative committee’s action, Micah Kubic, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas (ACLU), said he was disappointed with the bill’s passage.
“The bill would deny public services to individuals residing in Kansas based simply on who they are and where they come from,” Kubic said. “Federal law and international treaties both assign sole power over refugee resettlement to the federal government, and this attempt by the state to assign itself some of that power is simply not permitted under the law.”
Rep. Brett Hildabrand, R-Shawnee, struggled with his vote but decided in favor of the bill because he said his faith called for compassion for both refugees and the citizens of Kansas. If government officials don’t find a way to improve the screening process, he said, then they’re being “dis-compassionate” to Kansas residents.
“If this bill banned refugees in the state of Kansas, I would be 100 percent against it. If it banned an entire religion, I would be 100 percent against it,” Hildabrand said. “But that is not what this bill does.”
Part of what the bill does do is evaluate necessary services such as medical care, educational facilities, and affordable housing that will be needed to meet the needs of the anticipated refugee population. The bill will also require quarterly meetings with the state refugee coordinator and representatives of the Kansas districts on any information regarding refugee settlement.
Rep. Jan Pauls, R-Hutchinson, who chairs the House Federal and State Affairs committee, supports the bill and says that it’s a good first step in making sure that communities welcoming refugees have adequate services available.
“This may not be a perfect effort but I would hate to see a tragedy in the future and have it based on the fact that we do not have a good idea on what type of resources we have in communities,” Pauls said.
Last year, Brownback signed an executive order prohibiting state agencies or any organizations receiving state funds from working to assist refugees relocating from Syria to Kansas.
The United States welcomed 1,682 Syrian refugees in 2015, and the federal government plans to admit at least 10,000 more in the 2016 fiscal year. Before entering the country, all refugees go through an intensive security screening that involves law enforcement agencies and the FBI Terrorist Screening Center. The U.S. government prioritizes admitting women, children, and wounded individuals first. The U.S. Department of State said in a news release that it will continue to enhance its screening process for additional security.
HESSTON, Kan. (AP) — The Excel lawn equipment factory is open for business for the first time since a gunman fatally shot three employees at the Hesston facility in February.
The first employees arrived back at work early Thursday morning.
Employees and their families were also invited for an open house to tour the facility Wednesday.
The company has been closed since the Feb. 25 shooting that left three dead and 14 injured. Police fatally shot the suspect, employee Cedric L. Ford.
The company set up a hotline offering to help employees after the incident.
Prior to Wednesday, the facility had only been reopened to allow employees to gather their belongings.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A California truck driver accused of traveling to Wichita with more than 15 pounds of methamphetamine in his truck has been indicted.
U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said in a news release Wednesday that that 33-year-old Arnoldo Perez-Ortega of Fontana, California, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Grissom said Wichita police stopped Perez-Ortega’s truck on Sunday and discovered 15.75 pounds of the drug.
If convicted, Perez-Ortega faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney.
HUTCHINSON -The Reno County District Attorney’s Office Wednesday afternoon filed charges against two teens who allegedly planned violence at Hutchinson High School.
A charge of conspiracy to commit capital murder was filed against 14-year-old Ayrton Marroquin and 15-year-old Carson Cabral.
The threat was made against officials at the school.
The two teens were scheduled for detention hearings Thursday morning, but according to District Attorney Keith Schroeder, their attorney’s waived the hearings, so no hearings will be held at this time.
According to USD 308 Spokesperson Ray Hemman several students came forward just after 8 a.m. Tuesday to express concerns about a threat to students. The school Resource Officer was notified and other officers were called into investigate.
According to Capt. Troy Hoover the two students were taken into custody and after using a search warrant, police recovered plans for making pipe bombs as well as sketches and plans of where certain teachers and staff would be so they could be targeted.
Police also recovered and confiscated items that could be used to build explosive devices.
BARBER COUNTY- A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just after 2p.m. on Wednesday in Barber County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Ford Explorer driven by Jared U. Smith, 18, Maize, was westbound on Kansas 254 just east of River Valley Road.
The vehicle failed to maintain a single lane of traffic and partially entered the median.
The driver overcorrected, veered across both lanes of the highway, entered the north ditch and flipped onto its top.
Smith was transported to Wesley Medical Center.
He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Senate committee is weighing a proposal to move up the effective date of a property tax lid from 2018 to later this year.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the lid passed by lawmakers last year bars counties and cities from increasing property taxes above the rate of inflation without a vote.
The legislation’s language makes holding an election during the current budget cycle difficult. Sedgwick County offered an amendment it says will ensure the ability to have election on property tax increases if needed.
Supporters of accelerating the implementation of a property tax lid have argued that a shortened timeline will fight current incentives counties and cities have to boost taxes.
A city of Topeka report urges lawmakers to allow local governments to retain control over taxes.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — One of just two women to graduate in 1964 from a 100-member University of Kansas School of Medicine class is making a $1 million donation.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Diane Klepper’s gift to the KU Endowment will help fund the KU Medical Center’s Health Education Building. The KU Endowment announced Tuesday that the building is under construction in Kansas City, Kansas.
After a fellowship in pulmonary disease at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, she became the dean of admissions and student affairs at the school.
The Health Education Building is expected to be complete by summer 2017. The $75 million facility is being funded by state bonds, KU funds and private donations.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Topeka store clerk has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for helping to arrange a robbery of a man who stocked ATMs with cash.
The U.S. attorney’s office says 21-year-old Ahmad Salim Salti, of Topeka, was sentenced Tuesday for conspiracy to commit robbery.
Topeka police were called in September 2014 when a masked gunman brandishing a firearm entered the store where Salti worked just as the victim was beginning to fill an ATM.
The gunman took the money and the keys to the victim’s van before escaping in the vehicle.
Investigators learned that Salti had helped to plan the robbery by providing the date and time the victim would fill the ATM. The robber has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita school district official says leaders will have to consider laying off teachers or other personnel as it faces up to $30 million in cost increases next school year and no additional state funding.
The district’s chief financial officer, Jim Freeman, projects that the cost increases for the 2017 fiscal year, beginning in July, could range from $16 million to $30 million.
The Wichita Eagle reports that revenue is expected to be flat under the state’s new block grant funding system.
Freeman says the district avoided layoffs last year by tapping into its contingency reserves and cutting other areas, such as adult education programs and classroom supplies.
School board members will meet March 21 to begin building the budget and consider options for cuts. The board may also consider moving to four-day school weeks.
FINNEY COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating a reported drive-by shooting.
Just before 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, officers of the Garden City Police Department were dispatched to the 500 block of Inge Street for a reported shooting that had just occurred, according to a media release.
When Officers arrived on scene the investigation revealed an unknown person fired one round into the front window of the residence.
The bullet entered the window and struck an interior wall. There were two adults inside the residence at the time, there were no injuries.
Witnesses in the area stated they heard approximately 3 shots fired in the 500 block of Pennsylvania Street around 1:15 am.
Additional witnesses in the neighborhood reported they heard 2 to 4 shots fired in the area of Inge Street.
No witnesses were able to provide any suspect description.
The Garden City Police Department is requesting assistance from the community, if they have any information related to this incident they should call the Garden City Police Department (620) 276-1300, Crime Stoppers (620) 275-7807, or text your tip to Garden City PD, text GCTIP and your tip to Tip411 (847411).
