KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty Monday to producing child pornography,  according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Ronny Peters, 40, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography.

In his plea, he admitted the investigation began when the FBI received a report that Peters had turned in a company cell phone to his former employer containing child pornography. Investigators were able to identify the 10-year-old victim in the images.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 10. He faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in federal prison.

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

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ Republican U.S. senators are backing plans to examine sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Sen. Pat Roberts released a statement Monday saying he agreed with the plan to investigate the allegation. He also said he thinks Democrats have made the nomination process partisan, which he called unfortunate.

Professor Christine Blasey Ford says Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school 30 years ago. Kavanaugh denies the allegations.

Roberts say neither Kavanaugh nor Ford have been treated appropriately by the Democrats.

Sen. Jerry Moran said people who come forward with allegations of abuse or misconduct deserve to be heard. He said he appreciates that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley plans to hear directly from Kavanaugh and Ford.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors plan to retry a Kansas man for a deadly shooting after his first trial ended in a hung jury.

Jurors announced Friday that they couldn’t reach a verdict on first-degree murder and aggravated robbery charges in the case against Luqman Keys. Shawnee County District Court Judge Mark Braun says Keys was acquitted of the one other charge he faced, which was aggravated burglary.

The charges stem from the June 2017 shooting death of 18-year-old Arden King. Topeka police say King and at least one other person had been in an apartment when King was fatally shot.

Keys was the only person arrested in King’s death. He pleaded not guilty.

SALINE COUNTY —Authorities have located a Kansas man wanted for alleged  child sex crimes.

Jeremy Gabriel Romig, 20, wanted on an active Saline County District Court felony arrest warrant on charges of three counts of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child and three counts of Criminal Sodomy was in custody and bonded out of jail, according the Saline County Sheriff’s Department.

In July the sheriff’s department asked the public for help to locate Romig and advised residents not to attempt to apprehend him but call law enforcement.

Officials arrested Romig in March on a charge of failure to appear.

Authorities released no additional details.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A 12-year veteran of a Kansas sheriff’s office and a suspected vehicle thief were fatally shot when a fight broke out during the suspect’s arrest in a rural area of Wichita, authorities said.

Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said Deputy Robert Kunze was shot Sunday afternoon after receiving a call about a black truck that had been stolen. He said the 41-year-old Kunze was “an exceptional deputy.”

When Kunze arrived at the scene about 20 miles west of downtown Wichita, he found the hood open on the black vehicle. Kunze patted down the suspect’s waistband and found a 40-caliber handgun. The gun was placed away from the two of them, but a fight ensued when Kunze tried to handcuff the suspect, Easter said at a news conference Sunday.

Easter said Kunze’s service weapon was discharged, but investigators don’t know how many shots were fired or if the suspect’s handgun was fired too. Kunze was able to use the emergency button on his portable radio to summon help. Another deputy arrived about a minute later, and two witnesses hiding nearby said shots had been fired. The deputy found Kunze and the suspect on the ground. A 40-caliber handgun was found next to the suspect identified Monday as 29-year-old Robert C. Greeson, according to Lt. Tim Myers.

Kunze had been shot once in his upper torso above his ballistic vest, Easter said. The suspect was shot in his upper torso and waist. Kunze died at a hospital, while Greeson was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting is under investigation. Easter said the deputy’s vehicle was equipped with a dash camera but that footage was not yet available.

He said Greeson has been linked to several crimes in the area on Sunday — the theft of a .40-caliber weapon, a silver vehicle and the black truck. He said there are no other suspects in Kunze’s death, but that there may be more suspects in the other cases.

Easter described the deputy’s death as a “tragedy,” saying Kunze “worked with great pride, loved and encouraged the people who worked with him, but most of all he loved his family.” Kunze had a wife and child.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office posted a badge covered with a blue and black mourning band on its Facebook page to remember Kunze.

“We will always remember him for his smile, his contagious laugh and his ability to engage anyone and everyone in conversation,” Easter said.

——–

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal officer involved shooting Sunday in rural Sedgwick County.

The deputy who died has been identified as 41-year-old Robert Kunze, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter.

At 1:18 pm, Sunday deputies were dispatched to the area of 53rd Street North and 295th Street West for a suspicious character. Deputy Kunze found a subject matching the description of the suspicious character call near the intersection of 295th Street West on 21st Street North, at approximately 1:42 pm.

At approximately 1:48 pm, Deputy Kunze activated the emergency button on his portable radio. Deputy Farias arrived on scene and notified dispatch a deputy was down. Deputy Kunze was transported to St. Francis by ambulance. Deputy Kunze succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at approximately 2:55 pm.

The suspect who shot Deputy Kunze was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s department has not released the suspect’s name.

The suspect was allegedly involved in three crimes, according to Easter. Just before 1 a.m. Sunday, deputies responded to an aggravated robbery involving a stolen vehicle.

Just before 9:30a.m. Kunze responded to reported of a larceny of a vehicle. A .40 caliber handgun was reported stolen, according to Easter.
Police in Cheny located the stolen vehicle just before 6p.m. Sunday. Easter said the unidentified suspect is believed involved in each incident.

Kunze was a 12 year veteran of the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department. He is survived by a wife and child, according to Easter.

————–

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deputy involved shooting that took the life of a Sedgwick County Deputy.

The deputy was responding to a suspicious character call. A second deputy on the scene found the deputy and suspect down, unresponsive suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Harper Police.

Authorities are expected to release more information at a press conference Sunday evening, according to the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s office.

Please keep the Officer’s family in your thoughts and prayers, as well as his extended family at the Sedgwick County Sheriff office.
Rest in peace Sir. pic.twitter.com/TsBitlCEBN

— WichitaFireDept (@WichitaFireDept) September 16, 2018

By JIM MCLEAN

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt acknowledges that a multi-state attack on the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, could wipe out some popular consumer protections.

But, Schmidt said, he believes Congress will step in to preserve certain parts of the law if he and 19 other Republican attorneys general succeed in striking down the individual mandate — that everybody buy coverage or face a fine on their tax return — as unconstitutional.

“The most popular policy in the world cannot stand if the Constitution doesn’t permit it,” Schmidt said in an interview. “I am convinced that the Constitution does not permit the mandate absent the tax component.”

That is the crux of the case. The states are arguing that the mandate requiring Americans — with few exceptions — to purchase health coverage became unconstitutional when Congress repealed the tax penalties needed to enforce it.

Still, Schmidt said, the potential consequences of the lawsuit, which is now pending in a federal court in Texas, “give me pause.”

“Congress is going to have to revisit the ACA one way or the other,” he said.

Polls indicate that Americans are particularly concerned about the part of the law that says insurance companies cannot return to their pre-Obamacare practice of refusing to issue policies to people with pre-existing health conditions. They also want to keep provisions to prohibit insurers from charging sick people more for coverage.

“I have a strong suspicion that in the event we prevail, pre-existing conditions, in particular, will be revisited quickly,” Schmidt said. “There is a bipartisan group of mostly Republicans in Congress that just recently introduced legislation to do that.”

U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder is among the co-sponsors of a resolution introduced last week that calls on Congress to “support protections” for those with pre-existing conditions.

“Throughout our ongoing health care debates, I have made a promise: I will protect those with pre-existing conditions and ensure they are not denied the affordable coverage and care they need to survive,” Yoder said in a statement, which also noted his sponsorship of H.R. 1121, the Pre-Existing Conditions Protection Act.

Introduced more year-and-a-half ago that bill has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.

Still, Yoder, a four-term incumbent locked in what appears to be a competitive race against Democratic challenger Sharice Davids, could be vulnerable on the issue because of his vote last spring to repeal Obamacare.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called Yoder’s sponsorship of the non-binding resolution an “empty gesture.”

“It’s no coincidence that 54 days out from election day, vulnerable Rep. Kevin Yoder is doing damage control to hide his unpopular record of voting to gut protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions and raise health care costs on Kansas families,” the DCCC said in a statement.

The issue is also making waves in the U.S. Senate race in Missouri between incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill and Republican challenger Josh Hawley, the state’s attorney general.

Hawley, according to the Kansas City Star, is saying that he too wants to maintain pre-existing condition protections. But, McCaskill said, that is the opposite of what that he and other attorneys general are pushing for in the lawsuit. It argues that striking down the individual mandate should invalidate the entire law.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks. 

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON — Time Magazine is being sold by Meredith Corp. to Marc Benioff, a co-founder of Salesforce, and his wife, it was announced Sunday.

Meredith announced that it was selling Time magazine for $190 million in cash to Benioff, one of four co-founders of Salesforce, a cloud computing pioneer.

Meredith had completed the purchase of Time along with other publications of Time Inc. earlier this year.
The Benioffs are purchasing Time personally, and the transaction is unrelated to Salesforce.com, where Benioff is chairman and co-CEO and co-founder. The announcement by Meredith said that the Benioffs would not be involved in the day-to-day operations or journalistic decisions at Time. Those decisions will continue to be made by Time’s current executive leadership team, the announcement said.

“We’re pleased to have found such passionate buyers in Marc and Lynne Benioff for the Time brand,” Meredith president and CEO Tom Harty said in a statement. “For over 90 years, Time has been at the forefront of the most significant events and impactful stories that shape our global conversation.”
Meredith, the publisher of such magazines as People and Better Homes & Gardens, had put four Time Inc. publications up for sale in March. Negotiations for the sale of the three other publications — Fortune, Money and Sports Illustrated — are continuing.

The prospective sale is expected to close within 30 days. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Benioff said he and his wife were investing “in a company with tremendous impact on the world, one that is also an incredibly strong business. That’s what we’re looking for when we invest as a family.”

The purchase of Time by Benioff continues a trend of acquisitions of old-line media institutions by wealthy tech giants. The Washington Post was purchased by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2013 for $250 million.

Time, like other magazines, has struggled with continued declines in print advertising and newsstand sales.

Started by Yale University graduates Henry Luce and Briton Hadden, Time first went on sale in March 1923.

ATCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Atchison County authorities say a Missouri teenager has died and another teenager from Texas is in critical condition after a car 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.

————-

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.

WASHINGTON — A Kansas sheriff’s deputy and a suspect were killed after a fight broke out as the suspect was being arrested in a rural area of Sedgwick County on Sunday. State and Federal legislative leaders have issued statements on the death of Sedgwick County Deputy Robert Kunze.

My deepest condolences to the family of @SGCountySheriff Deputy Robert Kunze who lost his life yesterday in the line of duty. We honor him for his bravery and send our thoughts and prayers to all his fellow deputies during this difficult time. #ksleg #ThinBlueLine

— Governor Jeff Colyer (@GovJeffColyer) September 17, 2018

Susan and I are praying for the family and friends of Sedgwick County Deputy Robert Kunze who was killed in the line of duty today. Full statement: pic.twitter.com/XVKtfaxOzg

— Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) September 17, 2018

My heart goes out to Deputy Robert Kunze’s family, friends, and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office as they mourn the loss of a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice. Franki and I are thankful for our law enforcement who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe.

— Pat Roberts (@SenPatRoberts) September 17, 2018

Robba and I join Kansans in praying for the Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputy who was killed in the line of duty yesterday. We respect and admire the courage of our law enforcement as they work to make this state a safer place, and we grieve the loss of a dedicated public servant.

— Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) September 17, 2018

AG Derek Schmidt statement on death of Deputy Robert Kunze https://t.co/6QBEh4jbT2

— Kansas AG’s Office (@KSAGOffice) September 17, 2018

Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said Deputy Robert Kunze was shot Sunday afternoon after receiving a call about a black truck that had been stolen.

When Kunze arrived at the scene about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of downtown Wichita, he found the hood open on the black vehicle. Easter says Kunze patted down the suspect’s waistband and found a 40-caliber handgun. The gun was placed away from the two of them, but a fight ensued when Kunze tried to handcuff the suspect, The Wichita Eagle r eports.

Easter says Kunze’s service weapon was discharged, but investigators don’t know if the suspect’s handgun was fired too. Kunze was able to use the emergency button on his portable radio to summon help. Another deputy arrived about a minute later, and two witnesses hiding nearby said shots had been fired. The deputy found Kunze and the suspect on the ground. A 40-caliber handgun was found next to the suspect, whose name hasn’t been released.

Kunze had been shot once in his upper torso above his ballistic vest, Easter said. The suspect was shot in his upper torso and waist. Kunze died at a hospital, while the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting is under investigation. Easter said the deputy’s vehicle was equipped with a dash camera but that footage was not yet available.

He said the suspect has been linked to several crimes in the area on Sunday — the theft of a 40-caliber weapon, a silver vehicle and the black truck. He said there are no other suspects in Kunze’s death, but that there may be more suspects in the other cases.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office posted a badge covered with a blue and black mourning band on its Facebook page to remember Kunze. Easter described the deputy’s death as a “tragedy,” saying Kunze “worked with great pride, loved and encouraged the people who worked with him, but most of all he loved his family.” Kunze had a wife and child.

SUMNER COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing and have a suspect in custody.

The stabbing happened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday in Wellington, according to police.

Officers who arrived on the scene found a 26-year-old man with chest injuries. He was taken to a Wichita hospital, where he later died.

Police booked 29-year-old Ashley Nicole Pearson on requested charges of 2nd-degree murder, according to Sumner County Jail records. She is being held on a $100,000 Bond.

Authorities have not released the victim’s name.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on theft and weapons violation.