MORRIS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities have identified the driver who ran over and killed a man on a Kansas highway just after 1:30a.m. Sunday in Morris County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Ford Escape driven by Joshua R. Williams, 37, Herringon, was eastbound on U.S. 56 ten miles east of Herrington.

The Ford ran over Shawn Irons, 56, Herrington, who was lying in the middle of the road and then departed the scene.

Irons was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Zeiner Funeral Home. Williams and a 12-year-old passenger in the Ford were not injured.

The accident remains under investigation.

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MORRIS COUNTY — One person died in an accident early Sunday in Morris County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a vehicle was eastbound on U.S. Highway 56 ten miles east of Herrington.

The vehicle ran over Shawn Irons, 56, Herrington, who was lying in the middle of the road and then departed the scene.

The KHP reported the accident occurred between1:21and 01:44 a.m. Sunday. Irons was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Zeiner Funeral Home.

Authorities released no additional details.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A wounded Kansas sheriff’s deputy managed to kill his attacker and likely saved the lives of two witnesses before he collapsed and died from a gunshot wound, according to a Kansas sheriff.

Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said Tuesday he has no doubt that Deputy Robert Kunze “prevented loss of other life” when he shot 29-year-old Robert Greeson. Investigators say Greeson shot the deputy during a confrontation on a rural county road Sunday afternoon,

Kunze responded to a report about a man in a stolen black truck who was lurking around two all-terrain vehicles and another pickup truck about 20 miles west of downtown Wichita.

Investigators said an adult and a teen had followed Greeson and were present when shots were fired as the 41-year-old deputy arrested the convicted felon. A bullet struck Kunze above his protective vest during the fight.

The two witnesses were standing or hiding just feet away when the shooting occurred. The sheriff said Kunze easily could have turned on the witnesses, passing motorists or officers rushing to the scene.

“Without a doubt in my mind, he (Kunze) prevented loss of other life because of the two witnesses standing there” when the shots rang out, Easter said. “They’re witnesses to (the suspect) murdering a sheriff’s deputy. That puts them in harm.”

Greeson had an extensive criminal history , including a conviction for aggravated battery. He had committed a carjacking the night before the shooting, Easter said.

Emergency radio traffic showed Kunze telling a dispatcher in a strained voice, “I’ve been shot.” Easter said those were Kunze’s last words over the radio.

A preliminary investigation determined that when Kunze patted down Greeson, he found a gun in the suspect’s waistband and moved it away. When Kunze began handcuffing Greeson, the two started fighting. Easter said it was too soon to release more details from the investigation.

Kunze, a 12-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, received first aid at the scene and treatment afterward. He was pronounced dead after being taken to a Wichita hospital.

TOPEKA —The Kansas National Guard’s Joint Operations Center has received a tasking call from the North Carolina National Guard seeking support for an Emergency Management Assistance Compact request.

According to a social media report, four Kansas Army National Guard and eight Kansas Air National Guard nurses will provide support to North Carolina Public Health at local shelters in the Brunswick, North Carolina, area. The mission duration will be 14 days with two days travel time.

“We are grateful to the members of our Kansas National Guard for always being ready to lend a hand when called upon,” said Governor Jeff Colyer, “and thank them for their willingness to assist the people of North Carolina with much needed hurricane relief.

Two other Kansas Guardsmen are currently in Washington D.C. providing support to the National Guard Bureau for military intelligence and logistics, and nine Airmen from the 184th Intelligence Wing are in Wichita providing satellite imagery support.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A woman says she and her boyfriend had been “been drunk for about a week” before one of their 2-month-old twins died in a Wichita motel room where mold and curdled-milk filled bottles were found.

An affidavit was released Tuesday in the case against 39-year-old Christy Rollings and 34-year-old Kyle Kempton. They are charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Patrick Kempton, who was found dead on Aug. 30 in a motel bed. His twin wasn’t hurt.

Court records say investigators also found several empty liquor bottles in their room and papers for Alcoholics Anonymous.

Police found the couple drunk on Aug. 28 and took the twins to Rollings’ mother. But Rollings picked the babies up the next morning and returned to the hotel.

By STEPHEN KORANDA

In the wake of rape charge filed in an attack on a 13-year-old girl in the office of a foster care contractor, Kansas lawmakers said Tuesday they’ll investigate what went wrong.

One legislator said state officials and the contractor responsible for watching over the alleged victim will face tough questions later this month.

The case is the latest crisis for a foster care system dogged by criticism in recent years, including the disclosure that kids have had to sleep in the offices of foster care contractors because of a lack of available homes for them.

Now comes the rape case that prosecutors say happened in May in the Johnson County office of KVC Kansas.

KVC said in a statement that one supervisor was overseeing the alleged attacker, the girl who reported the rape and one other young person. That supervisor stepped out of the room for several minutes to get supplies, the contractor said. When the staff member returned, KVC said, the girl said she had been assaulted by an 18-year-old male.

Johnson County authorities have charged Michael Anthony Hamer with rape and indecent liberties.

Republican Rep. Linda Gallagher called the reported sexual assault shocking and disheartening.

“One of the most important things the state must do is to take care of its most vulnerable citizens,” said Gallagher, who is a member of the state’s Child Welfare System Task Force. “We have most certainly failed in that measure.”

Legislators will be investigating, she said. That process will likely start at a meeting of the task force later this month. Gallagher expects pointed questions for Department for Children and Families Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel and KVC Kansas staff.

“Where did the ball get dropped, on the part of KVC, their employees?” she asked. “Where did the ball get dropped, if any, on the part of DCF to oversee this contractor?”

Gallagher said lawmakers will need to gather information before they can respond. That could come during the next legislative session, which starts in January. Gallagher said she would back more funding for better crisis care centers equipped to serve children on short notice.

KVC Kansas said in a statement that a lapse in judgment by the worker left the three young people unsupervised.

“We deeply regret that there was any opportunity — even for a brief moment, as was the case here — for such a tragedy to occur,” the statement reads.

KVC spokeswoman Jenny Kutz said that the worker in question is no longer with the organization and that the contractor has reiterated staffing rules so employees know that children must be supervised at all times.

“We’re doing everything in our power to keep kids safe. We’re confident that we’ve put all the proper guidelines in place that are intended to prevent this from happening again,” she said in an email response to questions from the Kansas News Service.

The agency is holding the contractor responsible, DCF spokeswoman Taylor Forrest said in an email.

“KVC Kansas was cited for regulatory violations and appropriate action was taken,” Forrest said, without specifying the action.

DCF investigated the incident, Forrest said. Her email also noted that the employee in charge during the reported rape is no longer with the organization.

“Through a corrective action plan, investigation and conversations with KVC leadership, DCF has worked extensively with KVC to ensure the safety and security of Kansas youth,” Forrest’s email said.

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for KPR, a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.

WICHITA—The community held a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening at the Law Enforcement Memorial in Wichita to honor Deputy Robert Kunze. Many members of the law enforcement community, military community attended.

Funeral Services for Deputy Kunze are 10a.m. Friday, September 21, at Central Community Church, 6100 W Maple in Wichita.

Interment will be at Resthaven Gardens of Memory at 11800 W. Highway 54, Wichita.

Governor Colyer has ordered flags in Kansas at half-staff through sundown Tuesday and sun up to sundown on Friday, the day of the funeral.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to robbing a liquor store, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Jamaryus Moore, 19, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of robbing a commercial business. In his plea, he admitted he and another man robbed F & K Liquor at 902 S. Woodlawn in Wichita. During the robbery, a clerk shot co-defendant Raquan Hill, 18, Wichita. Hill was arrested at the scene. Moore was arrested later that day at work.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 10. Moore faces a penalty up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Co-defendant Hill has scheduled a change of plea hearing for Sept. 24.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union has petitioned a court seeking lists of Johnson County voters who cast provisional ballots and lists of advance mail ballots rejected because signatures did not match their voter record.

Its petition under the Kansas Open Records Act was filed Monday in the name of a liberal activist who challenged Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s listing as the GOP nominee for governor on the November ballot after he argued that hundreds of legal votes were not counted in the primary election.

Board of Canvassers approves recommendation to not count the 898 ballots as described. pic.twitter.com/mRE5RppwwH

— Johnson County Election Office (@jocoelection) August 13, 2018

It names Johnson County Elections Commissioner Ronnie Metsker as defendant. Election officials did not immediately return messages.

The ACLU says people should know whether their vote counted or if people faced any unnecessary barriers to voting. It argues the public interest is in transparency.

COLUMBUS – A Kansas man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility for parole for 25 years for multiple child sex crimes, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Timothy Russell Frobish, 28, Galena, was found guilty by a Cherokee County jury in January 2015 of two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child, one count of attempted rape, one count of criminal threat, three counts of endangering a child, one count of possession of a synthetic cannabinoid and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Three of the counts are subject to Jessica’s Law, which carries a possible penalty of life with no parole eligibility for 25 years.

Judge Oliver Lynch sentenced Frobish to life in prison to be served in the Kansas Department of Corrections. Frobish is also subject to lifetime post-release supervision and electronic monitoring. The crimes occurred in February 2013.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing and have two suspects in custody.

Just before 1:30a.m. Sunday, police responded to the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 1900 Block of South Broadway, according to officer Paul Cruz.

Investigators learned of a physical altercation between a male victim and two suspects.  During the altercation, the victim suffered head trauma and was  stabbed in the stomach one time. The suspects left the area in an unknown vehicle, according to Cruz.

Officers found the victim lying in the parking lot and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police arrested 29-year-old Christoper L. Turner on Monday, according to the Sedgwick County booking report. He is being held on requested charges of 2nd degree murder.

Police on Sunday booked Alan Price, 36, and Valerie Wilson, 27, on first-degree murder charges, according to the Sedgwick County daily booking report.

FORT SCOTT, Kan. (AP) — A 6-year-old Kansas girl who was hit in the head by an overthrown softball has come home after spending two months in the hospital.

Paizlee Crumby, of Fort Scott, was rushed to Children’s Mercy Hospital on July 14 after being knocked unconscious. Doctors removed the right side of her skull to remove a blood clot. They also operated twice to drain fluid from on her brain.

Now that Paizlee is home, she spends her time with her kittens and playing the game “Trouble.” Paizlee says she wins “all the time.” She is being homeschooled until she undergoes an operation to replace the right side of her skull. For now, a helmet protects the exposed part of her brain.

She also will need speech and physical therapy.

GREAT BEND — The feud between the Barton County Sheriff and County Attorney continues.

On Tuesday, Barton County Attorney Amy Mellor responded to a press release issued Friday by Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

Bellendir’s statement regarded the dismissal of an aggravated arson charge the previous day against Zachariah Dittrick at the beginning of what was scheduled as a preliminary hearing in Barton County District Court. Mellor stated that this charge was dismissed due to a miscommunication, not through the fault of her office.

Dittrick was never released from jail, as he is also being held in another Barton County District Court case in which he is charged with aggravated domestic battery. His bond set at $20,000.00 in that case.

Mellor explained that, in Kansas, when a person is charged with one or more felony crimes, the case is set for a preliminary hearing. At that hearing, a judge determines whether there is probable cause to hold the person for trial on those charges. The hearing judge does not, however, determine guilt or innocence.

“That’s what a trial will be about,” Mellor said.

Kansas law also dictates that the first preliminary hearing must be scheduled within 14 days of a defendant’s first appearance before a judge. The first appearance is usually the time when a defendant is advised of the charges against him or her.

Mellor continued, “When the preliminary hearing is initially set, it’s usually added to a docket that is already crowded with other cases. Typically, there may be 15 to 20 preliminary hearings that are already set on a particular day prior to another case’s first setting being added to that docket. Since it is impossible to conduct even the 15 to 20 hearings that are previously set in the seven-hour period that a judge is available for hearings, it’s not unusual for a preliminary hearing on the docket for the first time to not be heard in favor of the other cases that have been there longer. Under those circumstances, for cases that are set for the first time, subpoenas are not normally issued.”

Mellor stated the cases are moved along as quickly as possible, but the lack of time and the complexity of some of the cases often prevents that from happening. Additionally, the schedules of the defense attorneys are also crowded.

“It’s frustrating for us, for the judges, the defense attorneys, and for the people whom we call as witnesses,” Mellor said. “But when we know that a case is not going to be heard due to an overcrowded docket or lack of time, we don’t issue subpoenas to avoid inconveniencing people who would be required to take time away from their work.  We don’t want to unnecessarily take law enforcement officers away from their duties for the same reason.”

Judge Richard Burgess notified Sheriff Bellendir on Monday, Sept. 17, that Dittrick’s case was dismissed due to a miscommunication, and that it was not the fault of Mellor or her office.

Charges were refiled against Dittrick on the same day. His bond is set at $100,000 in this case, in addition to the $20,000 in his aggravated domestic battery case.

Dittrick and co-defendant Oliver Guyton Jr., both face charges of aggravated arson, arising from an incident in the Barton County jail, which occurred in mid-August.

Mellor reiterated many times when news releases are made regarding issues concerning court cases in which she or one of her assistant county attorneys are prosecuting, she is not at liberty to refute accusations made against her or her office. Kansas attorneys must adhere to the Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct, which often prohibits any response to comments, accusations and criticism against a county or district attorney.

“By saying what I’m saying now, I’m not commenting on the particular details of any case,” Mellor stated. “However, the working of the court system and the administration of justice can often seem confusing to everyone not familiar with them. After reading the sheriff’s press release last week, I felt that a response was needed in order to clear the air and help everyone understand that we are working as hard as possible to file and keep cases on track.”

According to the Barton County Attorney’s Office, over 400 criminal cases have been filed in 2018 alone; many of them have already been closed with pleas taken and sentences issued.

“At this moment, we also have an active trial docket, with 21 jury trials currently set to be heard in the next couple of months,” Mellor said. “Jury trials require an enourmous amount of time for preparation, and take the attorney handling the case away from their other duties, such as preliminary hearings. In addition to these cases, we still must continue to deal with our traffic and juvenile case loads, not to mention the criminal docket.”  And, she added, the County Attorney’s Office is representing the State of Kansas in over a dozen cases that are currently being appealed by defendants who have been convicted and sentenced.

“That’s a lot for four attorneys and a staff of nine support persons,” Mellor said. “Most counties with the case load that Barton County has employs five or six attorneys, and several additional support staff. But we’re working as hard as possible with the resources we have to continue with the administration of justice.”

ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — The second of two teenagers trapped inside an SUV that landed upside down in an Atchison County creek on Sunday has died.

Sixteen-year-old Regan Moger, of Houston, Texas, died Tuesday at the University of Kansas Hospital, where she was flown after the wreck.

Moger was a passenger in an SUV driven by 16-year-old Zachary Armontrout, of Rushville, Missouri, who died Monday. Three other students in the car escaped serious injury when the vehicle went into Independence Creek.

All the teenagers were students at Maur Hill-Mount Academy Catholic High School in Atchison.

The school confirmed Moger died Tuesday while surrounded by loved ones.

Atchison County Undersheriff Toby Smith said the vehicle crashed through a guardrail before landing in the creek.

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ATCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Atchison County authorities say a Missouri teenager has died and another teenager from Texas is in critical condition after an SUV  they were in went into a creek in northeast Kansas during the weekend. Three other teens were able to escape without serious injury.

Undersheriff Toby Smith said 16-year-old Zachary Armontrout, of Rushville, Missouri, died Monday at a Kansas City hospital. Sixteen-year-old Regan Moger, of Houston, Texas, remains in critical condition.

The vehicle they were in hit an object on a bridge and went into Independence Creek two miles north of Atchison Sunday afternoon. Investigators believe the car was submerged for about 30 minutes before first responders extracted it.

The five teenagers are all students at Maur Hill-Mount Academy, a Catholic boarding school in Atchison.

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ATCHISON COUNTY — Five people were injured in an accident just before 2:30p.m. Sunday in Atchison County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Honda SUV driven by Zachary Armontrout, 16, Rushville, MO., was westbound on River Road just west of Levy Road in Atchison.

The SUV left the roadway to the right, struck the guardrail and landed in the creek.

Armontrout and passenger Regan Moger, 16, Houston, TX., were transported to KU Medical Center.

Passengers Hamilton Snyder, 14, Whittier, CA.; Philip Saragusa, 16, Atchison; Aurora L. Dericotte, 14, Stilwell, were transported to Atchison Hospital. All five were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.