KANSAS CITY (AP) — Authorities say two banks have been robbed in the Kansas City area.

The FBI says the first robbery happened around 2:10 p.m. Wednesday at the Platte Valley Bank in Kansas City, Missouri.

Authorities described the suspect an older white male, wearing a black stocking cap with only one eye visible,  jeans, black shoes and a yellow jacket with reflectors on chest and arms. He was approximately 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds.

The second robbery was around 2:30 p.m. at a Commerce Bank branch about 20 miles away in the suburb of Roeland Park, Kansas.

The black male suspect wore a black jacket, black pants and a black mask covering his face. He was 6-foot-1 with a stocky build, according to police.

CLARK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a southwest Kansas high school teacher for alleged unlawful sexual relations.

Elizabeth Wilczek, 25, Minneola, met the requirements of the $25,000 bond following her arrest March 18, according to the Ford County Sheriff’s office.

She made an initial court appearance on the day of her arrest on the charge which is a severity level 5 person felony.  She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon, according to the Ford County Attorney’s office.

Wilczek is still listed as a member teaching staff at USD 219 in Minneola, according to the school web site.

COMANCHE COUNTY — The search in southern Kansas for a 53-year-old priest who went missing from a nursing home ended Wednesday in Comanche County.

The County Communications Center received a 911 call advising that a person thought they had found human remains in a pasture on the east side of Protection, according to Sheriff Mike Lehl.

Authorities responded to the scene and determined it was human remains. The State Coroners office was notified at that time and responded to the scene to assist with the investigation.

The remains were transported to Comanche County Hospital for a positive identification and then on to Nicholson-Ricke funeral home in Hoisington.

The remains were confirmed to be that of Father Marvin Reif. The family has been notified and the remains released to them, according to Lehl.

In April of 2017, Ref went missing from the Protection Valley Manor, a nursing home where he had been living since October 2016.

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PROTECTION, Kan. (AP) — A search is underway in southern Kansas for a 53-year-old priest who went missing from a nursing home.

Thursday’s search for Marvin Reif near Protection in Comanche County was involving more than 100 people, some on horseback and all-terrain vehicles.

Reif went missing 10 days earlier from Protection Valley Manor, a nursing home where he had been living since October. That site says Reif went walking each day around town as part of his treatment.

Reif’s sister, Karen Winkelman, said her brother had a history of depression, and that their mother’s death last month was particularly difficult for him.

As a nurse who tended to Reif, Karla Harvey says Reif spent his days reading the Bible and often fed the squirrels outside.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Criminal charges against a former police officer in Kansas who shot a man last year were dismissed Wednesday after a judge ruled the officer meant to use her Taser and mistakenly drew her gun during the confrontation.

Ex-Lawrence officer Brindley Blood, 36, was charged with aggravated battery after she shot 35-year-old Lawrence resident Akira Lewis while he was attacking another officer in May 2018.

Douglas County District Court Judge Peggy Kittel ruled that evidence did not show Blood acted recklessly during the confrontation. The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled.

After the hearing, Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said he did not intend to refile the charges but would review the ruling to determine whether an appeal of the dismissal should be filed.

Lewis, who is black, was treated at a hospital after being shot and has said he has permanent injuries. He contends he was racially profiled. Blood and the other officer are both white.

Lewis was charged with battery against a law enforcement officer, interference with law enforcement and driving without proof of insurance, all misdemeanors, and failure to wear a seat belt.

A video of the confrontation shows Blood, who was a rookie police officer, yelling “Taser” before firing. She told investigators that she meant to use her Taser but mistakenly drew her gun and shot Lewis.

Kittel said she did not believe Blood acted recklessly after reviewing the evidence, hearing testimony from Lewis and several officers, and watching the video .

“There is no evidence that the defendant consciously disregarded a substantial and unjustifiable risk,” Kittel said. “She meant to use her Taser.”

Branson contended that despite “extensive training” on Tasers and firearms, Blood was reckless because she showed “gross deviation” from standards for such situations.

Blood’s attorneys, Tom Bath and Michael Riling, argued their client may have made a mistake but she wasn’t reckless, particularly given the few seconds she had to act.

The confrontation began when Officer Ian McCann pulled Lewis over for not wearing a seat belt during a scheduled seat belt enforcement campaign. The video shows Lewis becoming belligerent, cursing and refusing to get out of his vehicle or provide identification.

Blood arrived after McCann called for backup. Lewis eventually jumped out of his SUV, and is seen on the video hitting McCann and slamming him to the ground. Blood drew her gun, stood over the two men, yelled “Taser-Taser-Taser” and fired once.

After Lewis cried out in pain, Blood can be heard on the video saying, “Oh, (expletive), I shot him.”

Lewis’ attorney, Shaye Downing, has said that the officers “initiated physical contact and escalated a situation that could have been easily de-escalated by any number of interventions.”

Blood, who graduated from the police academy just six months before the shooting, resigned from the department in late January.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A single ticket sold in Wisconsin matched all six numbers in the Wednesday night Powerball drawing to win the third-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. Due to strong ticket sales, the jackpot climbed to an estimated $768.4 million at the time of the drawing with a cash option of $477 million.

Powerball said the winning numbers are 16, 20, 37, 44, 62 and the Powerball number is 12.

The $768.4 million is the third-largest behind the world record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot shared by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee in January 2016, and the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in South Carolina last October.

“It’s going to be a very green spring for our first Powerball jackpot winner of 2019,” David Barden, Powerball Product Group chairman and New Mexico Lottery CEO, said in a statement. “A jackpot of this size can make many dreams come true – not just for the winner, but for all Lottery beneficiaries and the lucky state of Wisconsin.”

Although the prize grew steadily since the previous jackpot winner on Dec. 26, the odds of matching the five white balls and single Powerball remained one in 292.2 million.

The $768.4 million estimated figure refers to the annuity option, paid over 29 years. Nearly all grand prize winners opt for the cash prize, which for Wednesday’s drawing would be an estimated $477 million. Both prize options are before taxes.

Seven tickets matched all five white balls, but missed matching the red Powerball in Wednesday’s drawing to win a $1 million prize. Those tickets were sold in Arizona, two in California, Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey and New York. Two other tickets, sold in Kansas and Minnesota, matched all five white balls and doubled the prize to $2 million, because the tickets included the Power Play option for an additional $1.

Powerball is played in 44 states, plus Washington, D.C., the U.S Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

GEARY COUNTY— Three people died in an accident just after 5:30a.m. Wednesday in Geary County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Chevy Camaro driven by Leroy AllenMyers, 58, Arab, AL., was westbound on Interstate 70 at the Kansas 177.

The vehicle entered the median, struck guard rail and vaulted over K177 highway coming to rest on the west side of K177.

Myers and passengers Joey Brannon Tidwell, 21, Albertvile, AL., and Halie Marie Davis, 23, Madison, AL., were pronounced dead at the scene. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP

GEARY COUNTY— Three people died in an accident just after 5:30a.m. Wednesday in Geary County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Chevy Camaro driven by Leroy AllenMyers, 58, Arab, AL., was west bound on Interstate 70 at the Kansas 177.

The vehicle entered the median, struck guard rail and vaulted over K177 highway coming to rest on the west side of K177.

Myersand passengers Joey Brannon Tidwell, 21, Albertvile, AL., and Halie Marie Davis, 23, Madison, AL., were pronounced dead at the scene. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP

GEARY COUNTY— First responders are working a single vehicle, fatal crash on Interstate 70 at Kansas 177 south of Manhattan, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Troopers responded to the scene just after 5:30a.m. and report three fatalities. We will report additional details as they become available.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A man convicted in the rape of a child under the age 14 and deported in February is back in Kansas.

According to the Kansas Department of Corrections Simon Rochel-Cervantes, 46, a citizen of Mexico, spent 7-years in the Ellsworth Correctional Facility for the rape and aggravated intimidation of a witness.

He was released and deported on February 19. On March 5, he was found in Sedgwick County, according to a media release from the United State Attorney.

Rochel-Cervantes is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported.

If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement HSI investigated.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka man has been convicted of participating in the stabbing or strangulation deaths of three others at a Topeka house.

A Shawnee County jury on Wednesday convicted 32-year-old Joseph Lowry of three counts of first-degree murder and several other charges in the killings in March 2017.

Lowry was one of five people charged in the deaths of 19-year-old Matthew Leavitt, 20-year-old Luke Patrick Davis and 38-year-old Nicole Star Fisher.

Prosecutors said Lowry held all three victims to help others kill them. Police said another man, Joseph Aaron Krahn admitted strangling some victims but said Lowry helped him.

Defense attorneys argued Lowry robbed the victims but no evidence showed that he intended to commit murder. They also contended he was too incapacitated by meth to kill anyone.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on protest in favor of Medicaid expansion at the Kansas Statehouse (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

Capitol Police have banned three Kansas State University students from the Statehouse for a year for participating in the hanging of huge banners favoring Medicaid expansion inside.

Four banners hung briefly from the fifth floor rotunda. They criticized Republican legislative leaders who oppose Medicaid expansion by name and said they have “blood on their hands.”

A legislative policy requires protesters to obtain permission in advance to bring banners into the Statehouse. Legislative Administrative Services Director Tom Day removed them within minutes.

Officer Scott Whitsell said he imposed the yearlong ban because of the policy violation. The banned students are Jonathan Cole, Nate Faflick and Katie Sullivan.

Sullivan questioned whether the ban is legal. But Whitsell if the students return within a year, they face being cited for criminal trespassing.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Supporters of expanding Medicaid in Kansas have briefly hung huge banners inside the Statehouse criticizing Republican legislative leaders who oppose the idea.

“Blood on their hands” banners drop in the Statehouse naming Kansas Senate President Wagle and Majority Leader Denning who are blocking over 100,000 Kansans from healthcare access #ExpandMedicaid pic.twitter.com/FpAnamSzTt

— Davis Hammet (@Davis_Hammet) March 27, 2019

The four banners hung Wednesday from the fifth floor railings of the rotunda said GOP leaders have “blood on their hands” for blocking Medicaid health coverage for up to 150,000 more Kansas residents.

Protester Thea Perry said such coverage would be life-saving for some individuals. House Majority Leader and Wichita Republican Dan Hawkins dismissed the banners as “ridiculous.”

The House approved a modified version of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s expansion plan last week over GOP leaders’ objections. The Senate has yet to consider it.

Legislative Administrative Services Director Tom Day took the banners down within minutes. He said legislative rules require prior permission to hang banners.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man involved in an autopsy of Michael Brown after the black teenager was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, has been temporarily banned from conducting autopsies in Kansas.

A judge ruled Monday that Shawn Parcells, of Leawood, Kansas, can’t resume his work until a lawsuit filed last week by the Kansas attorney general is resolved.

The lawsuit alleges Parcells is a self-taught pathology assistant who conducted coroner-ordered autopsies for Wabaunsee County without a qualified pathologist, as required by state law.

The suit also alleges Parcells billed the county for 14 autopsies that weren’t performed and collected payments for private autopsies that he also failed to conduct. The lawsuit noted that some families who sought Parcells’ services believed he had medical qualifications and was licensed to perform the exams.

Parcells, 37, also faces criminal charges filed last week by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office. Parcells is charged with theft and criminal desecration in regard to the autopsies.

His attorney, Eric Kjorlie, said they’re considering their next steps.

Parcells assisted a privately hired pathologist in a second autopsy of Brown in 2014, after St. Louis County performed an initial examination but Brown’s family and attorneys wanted an independent review.

Brown was 18 and unarmed when he was fatally shot by Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014. Wilson resigned from the police force that November, and he was later cleared of wrongdoing by a St. Louis County grand jury and the U.S. Justice Department.

The shooting and lack of charges against Wilson sparked nationwide protests and helped fuel the Black Lives Matter movement.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has approved a bill that provides legal protection for people who treat medical conditions with CBD oil containing a small amount of the chemical in marijuana that produces a high.

The House approved the bill Wednesday on an 89-35 vote.

The bill allows people charged with possessing CBD oil with up to 5 percent THC to defend themselves in court if they can prove they are using the oil to treat a severe medical condition. Parents also could give the oil to their children with chronic conditions.

Supporters say CBD oil with THC can reduce seizures and relieve pain.

But law enforcement and medical groups say the bill would be difficult and expensive to enforce.

The legislation now goes to the Senate.