SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, offices responded to a report of a shooting at Abigail’s, 3701 SW Plaza Drive in Topeka, according to Lt. Trimble.

Upon arrival, officers were unable to locate a victim, but did locate numerous shell casings and firearms in the parking lot and street.

While investigating this incident a man identified as 34-year-old Damario Brooks arrived at a local hospital with what was to be determined a critical gunshot wound. Officers were able to get a brief statement from the victim.

TOPEKA — A former Kansas elementary music teacher has been arrested in a child sex case.

Gerald Frank Boster, 65, was booked into the Shawnee County Jail on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a child. No charges have been filed.

A spokesman for the Topeka school district says the Boster worked in the district from 1986 to 2014. He worked in several elementary schools.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

STEVEN COUNTY —Officials with USD 210 Hugoton reported Thursday afternoon that the cases of meningitis are viral and not the more serious bacterial meningitis, according to the KDHE.

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STEVENS COUNTY —Officials with USD 210 in Hugoton are reporting a student with bacterial meningitis.  According to a letter sent to parents, Hugoton Middle School officials were notified Wednesday afternoon about the student who was locally diagnosed.

The letter informs parents that meningitis causes inflammation of the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Bacterial meningitis is a serious that can cause brain damage and death. It is often spread from person to person by eating or drinking after someone with the infection.

In many cases, early stages of meningitis are similar to the flu. Symptoms typically develop over 3-7 days after being exposed, according to the letter to parents. Early treatment can prevent serious complications.

The letter urges parents to seek immediate medical care if their student has any of the symptoms including  sudden high fever, stiff neck, severe headache, confusion, difficulty concentrating or vomiting.

To prevent meningitis, the letter reminds everyone should wash hands; don’t share drinks, food straws, eating utensils, lip balm or other items; cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and learn more about meningitis vaccines.

HOLTON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas man has been charged with fatally shooting his father while he was in bed and then barricading himself in the home for hours.

49-year-old Derrick Bohnenkemper, of Holton, is charged with first-degree murder and six other felonies in the death of 73-year-old Gaylen Bohnenkemper. Police responded Tuesday after a 911 caller said her son had shot his father in the head.

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse says deputies were able to extricate the woman from a bedroom window while the man tried to break down the door.

After speaking to the man on the phone for hours, tear gas was used. Morse says he fired a shotgun at deputies, striking a vehicle they were using for cover, before he eventually surrendered.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 24-year-old Kansas man has been convicted of raping and trying to kill a young girl.

A Sedgwick County jury deliberated for about an hour Thursday before finding Corbin Breitenbach of Wichita guilty of attempted capital murder, rape, criminal sodomy and burglary.

Witnesses said Breitenbach broke into a west Wichita apartment in June of 2017 where the then-7-year-old girl was staying with her brother and a family friend. Prosecutors say he choked the girl until she was unconscious and then raped her.

Breitenbach, who acted as his own attorney during the trial, was already registered as a sex offender for an aggravated sexual battery case from 2012.

His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13.

HUTCHINSON — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged sex assault and aggravated burglary.

Just before 8a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the Yes Way convenience store located at 1000 West 30th in Hutchinson regarding a “trouble with subject” call, according to a media release.

Once Officers arrived, they discovered 34-year-old Zachary Starlin driving a tan colored Oldsmobile trying to leave the store.

According to police, Starlin intentionally rammed two patrol cars causing minor damage and wrecked into the Yes Way building before he headed eastbound on 30th Street.

Starlin was later located in the area of 4th and Grandview and subsequently taken into custody by two police detectives.

Starlin was arrested for potential charges of rape, aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, aggravated burglary, felony stalking, felony flee and elude and theft. He was also served with a felony warrant.

According to authorities he allegedly broke into a residence that belonged to a woman with whom he had a prior relationship. He then drove her to the Yes Way store on west 30th.

Starlin has previous convictions for drugs and aggravated assault, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

By MADELINE FOX

The alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl while she was waiting for a foster care placement in May has many asking about consequences for the contractor, responsible that day for both the girl and the 18-year-old accused of assaulting her.

On a Facebook Live session Wednesday, Department for Children and Families secretary Gina Meier-Hummel fielded a question about why the contractor hasn’t been dropped.

A day before, lawmakers promised tough questioning of KVC Kansas officials at this month’s meeting of a task force investigating the Kansas child welfare system.

Kansas privatized its foster care system in the mid-1990s. KVC Kansas handles foster care for the Kansas City area and the eastern part of the state. St. Francis Community Services covers Wichita and western Kansas.

Since privatization, DCF has only penalized a contractor financially once, when Meier-Hummel worked in DCF’s Office of Prevention and Protection Services.

Meier-Hummel said financial repercussions were discussed after the incident at KVC Kansas’ Olathe office, and could still be on the table for a provider failing to meet expectations in child safety. But she said KVC Kansas hasn’t been financially sanctioned for the alleged assault.

That doesn’t mean the contractor couldn’t still stand to lose a lot more money.

The current child welfare contracts run out at the end of June. New four-year grants to manage foster care and family preservation will be awarded in December.

Meier-Hummel said past performance comes into play when the agency is weighing who can be trusted with the state’s kids.

She said that when kids get hurt because of “a lapse in judgment,” as KVC described the social worker leaving youth in the office unattended, that’s one factor that could swing a contract over to a different provider.

Because they’re carrying out the state’s responsibilities to foster kids, contractors are bound by no-eject, no-reject policies — meaning they have to serve every child DCF refers to them.

Taking every child has become complicated as larger numbers of kids have flooded into the foster care system over the past several years. More than 7,000 children are currently in state custody, up from 5,500 in 2013. That’s overloaded capacity and contributed to hundreds of kids sleeping in contractor offices over the past year.

May, the month of the alleged rape, was a peak month for KVC Kansas. It kept 49 kids overnight that month. The contractor then drove that number down to zero, not keeping any kids overnight again until the end of August, when three kids spent the night.

KVC Kansas spokeswoman Jenny Kutz said in an email that keeping children out of offices “is a daily challenge because of a lack of placements in communities.”

DCF and its providers have been working to add beds to the system that can help children with a range of ages and needs. Many of the children who stay in an office overnight are hard to place, often because they’re older, have acute mental health needs or have a history of violent or delinquent behavior.

Meier-Hummel said the agency is also working to divert kids away from the foster care system when it’s safely possible by working with families to connect them with resources and build parenting skills that will allow kids to remain with their parents.

The number of kids in care has been decreasing each month for the past five months, which could point to progress. However, the number of children coming into care will often slow in the summertime as teachers, who are legally required to report abuse, don’t have access to kids.

Madeline Fox is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can reach her on Twitter @maddycfox.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr says a flood over the Labor Day holiday weekend caused $17.2 million in structural damages in the city.

Fehr told the Manhattan City Commission Tuesday that four commercial and eight residential properties suffered substantial damage — meaning more than 50 percent damage from the storm or 25 percent or more damage in successive storms.

Nearly 9 inches of rain fell, causing Wildcat Creek to overflow its banks and forcing more than 300 people to evacuate their homes.

The U.S. Small Business Administration opened a disaster loan outreach center on Tuesday. It will remain open until Sept. 27. Businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters can apply for money to help repair or replace their property.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A black man alleges in a lawsuit that his face was bloodied and his jaw broken in a police beating in Topeka.

35-year-old Timothy Harris sued Wednesday in federal court. The suit says Harris’ constitutional rights were violated in January after an officer approached him as he was sitting in his car. Harris says he was cooperative but that the officer detained him without explanation. The suit alleges that the officer took Harris to the ground, punched him and used pepper spray.

Harris was convicted of parallel parking too far away from the curb and interference with a law enforcement officer. A battery against a law enforcement officer charge was dismissed.

A city spokeswoman says the city doesn’t comment on potential litigation.

RENO COUNTY— The trial for an Arizona man charged in a drug distribution case from Reno County continues.

Dominic Holder, 25, is charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

The state alleges that he had approximately 44 pounds of marijuana on April 15, 2017, and conspired to distribute with Alyssa Holler.

The state alleges that both traveled together in separate vehicles when they were stopped for speeding.

The co-defendant testified that she was approached about taking the marijuana from Mesa, Arizona to Indianapolis, Indiana. She agreed and with money provided by Holder rented a car. They left Arizona the day before the Reno County traffic stop.

Holler entered a plea in this case and was granted three years probation.

The state indicated that her testimony was the last witness, but has not yet rested its case.

ABERDEEN, Md. (AP) — Three people were killed Thursday morning in a shooting at a Rite Aid distribution center in northeast Maryland, officials said.

A law enforcement official with knowledge of the shooting stressed that the number of dead is based on preliminary information. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss details by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.

The attack came nearly three months after a man armed with a shotgun attacked a newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland, killing five staff members.

The FBI described the Aberdeen incident as an “active shooter situation” and said its Baltimore field office was assisting.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that the shooting involved “multiple victims” and warned that the situation was still fluid and asked people to avoid the area.

In a tweet, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said his office is monitoring the situation in Aberdeen and that the state stands ready to offer any support.

Susan Henderson, spokesman for the drugstore chain Rite Aid, said the shooting happened on the campus of a company distribution center in Aberdeen. She described it as a support facility adjacent to a larger building.