Officers in Independence, Missouri, responded to the scene around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police spokesman Officer John Syme says the shooting happened “during some type of altercation.” The child is in stable condition at a hospital.
The suspect was arrested more than 20 miles away at a restaurant in Kansas City. No other details were immediately released, including the child’s age or what led to the altercation.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident that left a child dead just before 7 p.m. Thursday.
According to officer Paul Cruz, a Lincoln Navigator driven by a 32-year-old woman was southbound on West Street and turned east onto Taft in front of a jeep SUV driven by 28-year-old man who was northbound on West Street. The vehicles collided, the Lincoln overturned and ejected an 8-year-old girl. She was transported to a local hospital where she died.
The Lincoln then collided with a Dodge Challenger driven by a 39-year-old man that was stopped on Taft at a red light.
In addition to the driver, the19-year-old man, a 5-year-old girl a 2-year-old girl and a 33-year-old woman were passengers in the Lincoln.
Cruz released no additional details Friday morning.
This is the front design of the shirt the suspect was wearing during Monday’s stabbing -photo courtesy Wichita police
SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing, are asking the public to help identify a suspect and have released new video images.
Just after noon Monday, police responded to report of a stabbing in the 7400 Block of East 17th Street North in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.
Investigators have learned that an unknown suspect approached a 28-year-old woman who was standing by her vehicle. The suspect stabbed her multiple times and walked away on 17th Street and left the area.
Officers located the victim at the scene. EMS transported her to a local hospital where she remains in serious condition, according to Cruz.
Police believe this is a random act and Thursday released new video images of the suspect described as a white male, 40’s, 5-foot-9 in height and thin build. He has red to blond colored short hair, with a short beard and dark colored camouflage pants. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
Rick Miller with the Kansas Geological Survey explains to the audience the science of earthquakes during a public forum held Thursday at the Hutchinson Public Library.
HUTCHINSON — Since July of last year, three public forums have been held in the area regarding the seismic activity that has rattled the Hutchinson area. That included one Thursday evening at the Hutchinson Public Library where a group of panelists answered questions ranging from the cause of the tumblers to the possible effect on property values.
The latest activity in August resulted in more than 40 earthquakes over a week with two measuring above four on the Richter scale. The quakes are thought to be from an increase in deep injection well activity from increased oil and gas production in Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Rick Miller with the Kansas Geological Survey says they do have a little better understanding of what is happening in the Hutchinson area.
“What we think is going on is a whole sequence of faults, like taking a sheet cake and just cutting it up into pieces, all of those slices in the cake are faults and you have a whole series of faults laying side by side,” Miller said. “The earthquake cluster is about three miles long east and west and about two miles wide north and south.”
Miller says the area is too small to generate an earthquake as strong as we have experienced, so a number of these faults are moving simultaneously in the area.
While the stronger earthquakes have caused some superficial damage, engineer Brent Engelland says it is not significant and is confined to older, taller buildings in the city. “There were a number of cosmetic cracks in commercial buildings around town,” Engelland said. “The only thing that would border on structural with the magnitude four that we had were buildings that were already in disrepair.”
As far as predicting earthquakes, several websites have boasted that they accurately predicted the August earthquakes. Miller took time to address that. “There is no current scientific accepted methodology for predicting earthquakes,” Miller said. “I can tell you, based on the number (of quakes) we’ve had, that it would not be unreasonable to predict a four. I can do that. Can I tell you what day? No. Can I tell you what month? No. Can I tell you what year? No.”
Citizens have been concerned with what will happen to property values and what people new to Hutchinson are saying about the earthquakes. Cindy Rehlander with the Reno County Appraiser’s Office says realtors are getting questions from potential homebuyers.
“We’re not seeing anybody in Reno County balking or not wanting to buy a new house or upgrade their home,” Rehlander said. “A couple of the realtors did mention that it is a little bit of a concern. Someone coming in from Colorado or somewhere will question what is going on with the earthquakes.”
Engelland and Rehlander said they don’t expect valuations of property to fall nor insurance rates to increase with the activity. Engelland says people are a little bit hypersensitive to the quakes, but that should decrease with time.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Presidential historian Jon Meacham, guest speaker at the 26th annual Missouri Western State University Convocation on Critical Issues in St. Joseph, says President Donald Trump’s phone conversation with the president of Ukraine raises serious questions.
“Highly unusual and almost certainly inappropriate,” Meacham tells reporters during a news conference prior to his speech. “The conversation, as I read the transcript, struck me as a very clear attempt to pressure the Ukrainian president to take part in American domestic politics.”
A whistleblower accuses the president of abusing his office, claiming the president attempted to solicit the aid of a foreign country against a political rival. It appears Trump in the summer telephone call attempted to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy into investigating whether then-Vice President Joe Biden interfered with a Ukrainian investigation involving his son, appearing to suggest the U.S. could withhold military aid requested by Ukraine.
A prosecutor investigating the energy company, Burisma, was dismissed in 2016. Hunter Biden served on the company board.
The White House released a transcript of the Trump conversation with Zelenskiy.
Meacham characterizes it as Trump putting pressure on the Ukrainian president to play a role in the 2020 presidential election.
“And I don’t think it is all that complicated. I think we’re going to see over the next x number of days and weeks and months attempts to normalize what is not normal,” according to Meacham.
Meacham joined with other historians on the book Impeachment: An American History, published last year. He sees similarities between Trump and the actions taken by President Richard Nixon during Watergate, asserting both presidents used the power of the office for explicit personal gain.
Meacham isn’t hesitant when asked whether Trump committed an impeachable offense.
“Gerald Ford said an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives decides at any particular moment it is. My view historically is yes,” Meacham replied.
“Yes?” a reporter asks to clarify.
“Yes, it’s an impeachable offense,” Meacham reiterates. “Now whether you want to remove him from office, I don’t know. But to answer your question quite directly, yes.”
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drive by shooting.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, police responded to a drive-by shooting call at a residence in the 2500 block of north Burns in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers observed bullet strikes to the home and shell casings.
A 34-year-old woman had transported her 15-year-old son to an area hospital who had been shot in his body for treatment of a non-life-threating injury. Several other individuals were at the home at the time of the incident but were not injured.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to land at Kansas City International Airport after an unruly passenger threatened the safety of the aircraft.
Photo courtesy KCI
A statement from Alaska Airlines said flight 411 landed safely in Kansas City Thursday afternoon and the passenger was taken into custody.
The flight was bound from New York to Los Angeles with 177 passengers and six crew members aboard.
The airline said the passenger threatened crew members and the aircraft’s safety.
Federal officials interviewed crew members and continue to investigate the incident. No further details were immediately available.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old old while the two were staying overnight at a Kansas child welfare office.
Hamer is accused of the sex assault -photo Johnson County Sheriff
Twenty-year-old Michael Hamer accepted a plea deal Thursday to two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The second charge of indecent liberties with a child was added in exchange for prosecutors dropping a rape charge.
Prosecutors said Hamer assaulted the girl in May 2018 while they were both in the foster system and spending the night at a KVC Health Systems office in Olathe.
The girl was sleeping in the conference room when Hamer assaulted her. The social worker who was supervising them is no longer working for KVC.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man charged in the shooting death of a former Washburn University football player and the wounding of current New York Giants cornerback Corey Ballentine has pleaded not guilty.
The pleas were entered Thursday on behalf of 18-year-old Francisco Mendez, who faces 12 charges after the April 28 shooting that killed Dwane Simmons.
Mendez is charged with first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder and seven counts of aggravated robbery. Simmons, Ballentine and three other Washburn players were shot at as they celebrated after Ballentine was drafted by the Giants earlier in the day.
The robbery charges stem from crimes prosecutors say were committed before and after the shooting.
Investigators have said at least three guns were used in the shooting and the investigation is continuing.
GEARY COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Thursday in Geary County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford Explorer driven by Nancy C. Barnaby, 72, Manhattan, was northbound on Kansas 177 highway.
The SUV crossed over the center line, traveled into the west ditch, hit a culvert and went air bound.
After striking the ground, the SUV rolled and caught fire.
Barnaby was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Johnson Funeral home. Her seatbelt usage is unknown due to fire but suspected to be wearing it, according to the KHP.
FINNEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man wanted on felony warrants after a standoff in Finney County.
Morales photo Finney Co.
On Wednesday afternoon, police were called to the area of 112 W. Kansas Avenue in Garden City for a disturbance involving a woman running into the store and a man, later identified as Javier Morales, chasing her, according to Sergeant Lana Urteaga.
Officers were able to track Morales to an apartment building at 1309 N Main Street in Garden City.
Officers were notified Morales held two outstanding Felony Warrants out of Ford County for Possession of Amphetamines, Possession of Methamphetamines, Aggravated Domestic Violence Battery, Aggravated Battery, and Possession of Paraphernalia, according to Urteaga.
The area was secured at 1:30 PM. The Garden City S.W.A.T. team made entry into the residence around 3p.m. and Morales came out of the residence just after 4p.m.. without incident.
The 1300 block of Main Street was not accessible to the public from 1:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. The Garden City Police Department notified the school district of the situation. The schools in the area were not locked down. Horace Good Middle School exited the school from alternate doors located away from the incident following the release of school, according to Urteaga.
Finney County EMS was on scene as a precaution. However; there were no injuries reported during this incident. An affidavit will be filed with the Finney County Attorney’s Office requesting the charge of Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer.
SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a stabbing and have made an arrest.
Akers photo Sedgwick Co.
Just after 9:30p.m. Tuesday, police responded to a disturbance call at a motel in the 5700 Block of West Kellogg in Wichita, according to officer Paul Cruz.
Officers located a 25-year-old man with multiple stab wounds and a 26-year-old woman with a minor hand injury. EMS transported the man to a local hospital for treatment. He remains hospitalized in serious condition.
Investigators determined a suspect identified as 31-year-old Garrett Akers of Douglas arrived at the motel room occupied by his 26-year-old ex-girlfriend, a 25-year-old man, a 32-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man. A physical disturbance ensued and Akers pulled a knife, stabbed the man and fled on foot.
Police arrested Akers and he is being held on requested charges of aggravated battery.
BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a bomb threat at the hospital in Great Bend.
Just after 3p.m. Thursday, the Great Bend Police Department was dispatched to University of Kansas Hospital Great Bend Campus, 514 Cleveland, in reference to a bomb threat.
Some areas of the hospital were evacuated and the rest of the building was placed on lock down. Emergency personnel from the GBPD, Barton County Sheriff’s office and Kansas Highway Patrol, along with hospital staff, conducted a search of the building and the property.
No suspicious items were located in the area.
Anyone with information about this crime, or any other crime, is asked to call the Great Bend Police Department at 620-793-4120 or Crime Stoppers at 620-792-1300.
