WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County authorities say a man charged with killing an elderly Army veteran was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday.

The sheriff’s office said in a news release that preliminary reports indicate 36-year-old Austin Lee Stewart of Wichita died of self-inflicted asphyxiation from a bed sheet but an official cause of death has not been determined.

Stewart was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday night and efforts to revive him failed.

Stewart was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and theft in the Nov. 29 beating and asphyxiation death of 88-year-old Floyd Gilbert.

Court records say Gilbert died during an attempted robbery. Stewart and another man apparently targeted Gilbert because they thought he kept cash and guns in a safe in his home.

————–

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two convicted felons have been charged with killing an 88-year-old man in his Wichita home during a robbery.

54-year-old Landon Onek and 36-year-old Austin Stewart were charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and two counts of theft in the death of Floyd Gilbert. Bond is set at $500,000 for Stewart and $250,000 for Onek.

Glibert’s son, Abner “Corkey” Gilbert, went to his father’s home Thursday night after not hearing from in two days and found his body. He said his father was a retired aircraft sheet-metal worker who lived alone. His father’s car was missing.

Court records show Onek and Stewart have served time for theft, drug counts and other crimes. And Onek’s parole was revoked just last week in a drug case.

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an assault on a grocery store employee and have made an arrest.

Just before 8:30p.m. Monday, police responded to Dillons, 2350 Planet Avenue, in Salina after a report of battery and attempted shoplifting, according to Captain Paul Forrester.

A 32-year-old store employee stopped Shaun Brown at the front of the store as Brown tried to leave with a cart full of items valued at $180, according to Forrester.

When the employee asked for a receipt and Brown could not produce one, Brown pulled brass knuckles out of his pocket and hit the employee in the head before running from the store.

Police found and arrested Brown a short time later near the apartment complex in the 2300 Block of Chapel Ridge Place in Salina, according to Forrester.

The brass knuckles fell out of Brown’s pants when he was taken into custody, according to Forrester.

Brown is being held on requested charges of aggravated battery, theft, criminal use of a weapon, and felony interference of law enforcement officers. The state also had a warrant for Brown’s arrest. He has a previous conviction for aggravated burglary, according the Kansas Department of Corrections.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified a driver who died following a three-vehicle chase and shooting in Council Bluffs.

Police say 18-year-old Ethan Edgar, of Hutchinson, Kansas, was killed.

Police say the incident began when a man and several of his friends went looking for the man’s stolen car Monday afternoon. When the group spotted the car at a gas station, they used the two cars they were in to box in the stolen car. Police say Edgar, who was driving the stolen car, rammed the other cars in an attempt to flee.

That’s when a passenger in one of the rammed cars began shooting at Edgar, and a chase ensued before Edgar crashed. Edgar was taken to a hospital in neighboring Omaha, Nebraska, where he died. Police say his injuries included two gunshot wounds.

Police questioned but didn’t arrest the Omaha shooter or other men. The Pottawattamie County Attorney is expected to present evidence to a grand jury to determine if criminal charges will be filed.

WILSON COUNTY — Authorities are investigating a Monday train derailment in Wilson County.

The train derailment near 39 Highway and Ness Road involved 19 rail cars, according to Wilson County Emergency Management Director Gordon Deno.

No hazardous materials were involved. There were no injuries, according to Amanda Treiber with Union Pacific.

Ness Road remains closed from 39 Highway to Buffalo due to equipment in road.

This is the second train derailment in Kansas in recent weeks. A microburst was blamed cause for a train derailment near Matfield Green in Chase County April 29.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say seven people were injured after a vehicle driven by a teenager crashed into a van carrying disabled people.

Sgt. Bill Stevens says the seven people in the van were taken to the hospital but their injuries were not considered life-threatening.

The crash happened Tuesday afternoon in west Wichita. Police say the teenager’s car ran a stop sign and hit the van.

Stevens says a preliminary investigation indicates the car driver was under the influence of something. He has been taken into custody.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A Kansas water park where a 10-year-old boy was decapitated isn’t hiring lifeguards, advertising or selling tickets with less than a month left before its typical Memorial Day weekend opening date, underlining speculation that it could be put up for sale.

Schlitterbahn remains mum on its plans, but has largely removed reference from its website about the park in Kansas City, Kansas, where Caleb Schwab was killed in 2016 when the raft he was riding on the 17-story Verruckt slide went airborne and hit a metal pole. Verruckt — German for “crazy” — never reopened and was torn down last year. Season tickets have been on sale for months for Schlitterbahn’s four Texas locations, but not the Kansas park.

“Schlitterbahn has not informed us of their plans, but we are assuming they are not opening this summer,” said Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, spokesman Mike Taylor. “We are hopeful that Schlitterbahn will come under new ownership and branding, and will open next summer.”

Speculation about a potential sale was fueled by mortgage lender, EPR Properties, announcing last week that Schlitterbahn is expected to pay off its approximately $190 million loan on the property soon. EPR chief executive Gary Silvers told analysts on a conference call about its first-quarter earnings that Schlitterbahn is working with an undisclosed third-party lender on the deal.

Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio declined to comment on the Kansas park’s future, including whether it would open.

“Schlitterbahn is a privately held company and does not comment on financials,” she said in an email. “Our Texas parks are off to a strong start for the 2019 season, but we have no news to share about our KC property at this time.”

EPR said in a previous filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it agreed to advance Schlitterbahn additional amounts under the mortgage. The filing noted an offseason shortfall and the cost of legal issues stemming from Caleb’s death during a special day for elected officials and their families. Caleb’s father, Scott Schwab, then a state lawmaker, was elected Kansas secretary of state last year. With his urging, lawmakers voted to strengthen the state’s relatively lax oversight of amusement park rides.

Caleb’s family received nearly $20 million in settlements, and two women who were seriously injured while riding with him settled for an undisclosed amount.

Prosecutors also filed criminal charges against Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry, the designer of Verruckt, the park’s operations manager and two maintenance workers, alleging that shoddy planning and maintenance led to Caleb’s death. But the maintenance workers were acquitted in October, and a judge dismissedcharges against the other three in January citing improper evidence.

One issue was that grand jurors were shown clips from a Travel Channel television show documenting construction of the Verruckt, in which Henry and others emphasized the risks to riders on a raft dropping 17 stories before climbing a second, 50-foot  hump. Defense attorneys argued the video didn’t show how the ride actually worked and that prosecutors didn’t properly explain to the jury that it was a dramatization. The video showed boats flying up in a similar manner to how Caleb died.

Charges of drug possession and hiring someone for sex also are pending against Henry in a neighboring Kansas county.

Taylor, the Wyandotte County official, said the big issue is having an abandoned water park in a bustling tourist area that includes the Kansas Speedway race track, the Sporting Kansas City soccer stadium and a busy shopping area.

“From the Unified Government’s perspective we would love to see the park open in the future and be a viable tourist attraction.”

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (AP) — A shooting at a suburban Denver middle school injured seven people Tuesday, and two suspects were in custody, authorities said.

Douglas County Undersheriff Holly Nicholson-Kluth says there is a possible eighth injury and doesn’t believe there are any other shooters, but tactical teams were still searching room by room. She did not know if there were fatalities or other details about the victims or the extent of their injuries.

Lines of firetrucks, ambulances and law enforcement vehicles from multiple agencies were at the school and medical helicopters landed on a grassy field.

The shooting occurred at the middle school at STEM School Highlands Ranch, a public charter with more than 1,850 students in kindergarten through 12th grades.

The sheriff’s office said deputies responded around 1:50 p.m. to the school in the Highlands Ranch community about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Denver.

Nicholson-Kluth said police and deputies got there almost immediately and heard shots as they arrived. The school is near a sheriff’s department substation.

The sheriff’s office directed parents to a nearby recreational center to pick up their children.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —One person died in an ATV accident Monday in Montgomery County.

The ATV driven by Jacob M. Morse, 29, was traveling on the north side of the state lake in Montgomery County, according to sheriff Robert Dierks. The ATV struck a tree.

A private vehicle transported Morse to Labette Health where he died. Authorities released no additional details early Tuesday.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged kidnapping and have a suspect in custody.

At approximately 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, police responded to an abduction call at the White Glove Inn, 11430 W. Kellogg in Wichita, according to Captain Brent Allred.

Upon arrival, a 30-year-old woman reported her 8-year-old daughter had been playing outside of the inn an 8-year-old cousin.

An unknown man contacted her 8-year-old daughter and pulled her into a storage shed against her will.  The girl screamed for help and the suspect fled the area on foot.

Investigators worked diligently on this case, which led to the identification and arrest of 39-year-old Daniel Withrow.  Officers arrested Withrow at his residence early Monday morning without incident and booked him on one charge of kidnapping, according to Allred.

Withrow is sex offender after a conviction in 1999 for aggravated indecent liberties with a child, according to the KBI offender registry.

The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office later this week.

 

 

Planning a yard sale this weekend? Submit your weekend garage sale listings to Hays Post. Submissions will be compiled and published FREE on Friday and Saturday via HaysPost.com and social media. Simply fill out and submit the form below!

TIPS on having a GREAT garage sale!

 

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities have completed the investigation of a fatal Saturday crash in Wichita and have identified the victim.

Just before 2:30p.m., a Buick passenger vehicle driven by  19-year-old Christian Bocanegra of Wichita was northbound on McLean at 9th Street in Wichita, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

The vehicle left the road and struck a light pole. The driver was transported to a local hospital where he died.

Speed is believed to have been a factor in the accident, according to officer Charley Davidson.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Republican senators are scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss a new White House immigration plan.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway describes the plan as “fairly comprehensive,” saying it aims to beef up border security and maximize merit-based immigration. Conway says it will cover other changes favored by Trump, including ending some family migration and visa lottery programs.

Conway says the plan could also touch on the plight of thousands who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

The proposals are being developed by senior adviser Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. A previous attempt by Trump to reach a comprehensive immigration deal with Congress collapsed.

Trump put immigration at the center of his presidential campaign, including a promise to build a wall on the U.S-Mexico border.