OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A man has been convicted of holding a woman against her will in her suburban Kansas City apartment for several weeks and sexually assaulting her.

Jurors found 38-year-old Anthony Darryl Allen guilty Wednesday of one count aggravated kidnapping and two counts of rape.

Police arrested Allen in August 2015 after officers were dispatched to the woman’s apartment in Lenexa, Kansas, for a welfare check. Allen initially refused to come out of the apartment but eventually surrendered to police.

Charges were filed after the woman told police Allen wasn’t allowing her to leave the apartment and had raped her.

His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 7.

AUGUSTA, Kan. (AP) — The Butler County Sheriff’s says at least 60 cats — some of them dead— were removed from a home in Augusta.

Sheriff Kelly Herzet says crews cleared the animals from the home Thursday. He said a dead and decaying dog was found inside the house and it’s possible more animals would be found.

KAKE -TV reports Stephanie Heinz, who lives next to the home, said the woman who rented the home would show up periodically to feed the animals and then would leave again.

Herzet said because the renter paid her utilities, crews couldn’t go into the home until she recently surrendered her rights to the animals.

Sheriff Herzet said his office hopes to forward a criminal case of animal cruelty to the Butler County attorney.

TOPEKA, KAN. – A Topeka man who appears to have accidentally shot himself was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a gun, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Keeno D. Collins, 26, Ozawkie, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

In his plea, he admitted Topeka police found him wounded on the grounds of the Topeka West High School.

He had a gunshot wound to his upper left arm. Collins told police he didn’t know what had happened. After police found a gun nearby, they matched DNA on the weapon to Collins. He was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of a 2015 conviction in Shawnee County District Court on a felony drug charge. He has additional convictions that include forgery and aggravated battery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

PAWNEE COUNTY — A Kansas man entered a plea agreement Thursday in connection a burglary in Pawnee County.

Thomas L. Robison, 20, Larned, Kansas, entered a No Contest plea in the Pawnee County District Court to felony burglary  of the community owned State Theater in Larned on July 20, 2019, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett. Robinson also agreed to pay full restitution.

The defendant confessed to the theater burglary following his arrest on suspicion of burglarizing the Subway restaurant in Larned on July 25, 2019.  Robison told law enforcement he’d hid in the cry room of the theater following a movie and waited for all of the staff to leave before stealing cash and other items.

Following the plea, District Judge Bruce Gatterman denied the defendant’s request for release on bond.  Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines the defendant faces a prison sentence between 11 months and 34 months in the custody of the Department of Corrections depending on his criminal history.  Sentencing has been scheduled for October 24, 2019.

 

COWLEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue to search for a suspect who fled a traffic stop in Winfield Thursday morning that prompted USD 465 officials to place all schoos in the district on lock-out and hold in place.

Just after 8:15a.m., police attempted the traffic stop on a vehicle in the 1400 Block of Bliss Street, according to Winfield police. The driver sped away at a high rate of speed and for the safety of the public, police discontinued the chase in the 1400 Block of John Street.

A local citizen reported finding the vehicle in the 1600 Block of Pearl Street after the driver fled from the scene. Police did detain a female passenger but late Thursday afternoon had not reported an arrest.

The school district returned to normal operation just before 2p.m., according to USD 465.
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COWLEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and USD 465 officials placed all schools in Winfield schools a lock-out, hold in place Thursday morning.

Law enforcement is continuing an active search for a fleeing suspect in the Winfield area, according to a social media report from the school district.

In a separate incident Monday, Winfield High School received information regarding a possible threat. As a result, USD 465 administration and the City of Winfield Police conducted a thorough investigation which follows appropriate School Board Policy, district procedures and safety protocol. The threat was not deemed to be credible.

The school district released no additional details.

BARTON COUNTY –  The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issued an arrest warrant for Erin M. Baker, 27, for crimes connected to the April 29 shootings of the Rice County Sheriff and Undersheriff.

Just after 9 a.m. Wednesday, the Barton County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Baker at her residence at 517 E. 5^th Street in Ellinwood, according to a media release from the KBI.

She was arrested for interference with a law enforcement officer, aggravated child endangerment, and obstruction of apprehension.

The charges allege Baker put her 7-year-old child in danger in continuing a relationship with David Madden, who she knew was a convicted felon who possessed a firearm, which culminated in the child being present when Madden shot the Undersheriff. She is also accused of obstructing the investigation into the shootings of the Undersheriff and Sheriff, and the murder of Thomas Madden, by leaving the scene and not attempting to notify authorities of the crimes that occurred.

Baker was booked into the Barton County Jail. The Rice County Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case. Nothing further will be released at this time.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Jurors have ruled against a teacher who alleged that she was fired from a Catholic school in Kansas City, Missouri, because she was pregnant, unmarried and refused to have an abortion.

Jurors sided Wednesday with the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, which said St. Therese School teacher Michelle Bolen was let go in 2015 because of poor performance. Bolen testified that a priest told her that had she terminated her pregnancy, the school would not have to deal with the “scandal” of a pregnant, unmarried teacher.

Her attorney, E. E. Keenan, says state law exempts churches from being sued for pregnancy discrimination. Instead he argued that the diocese violated a state law that protects women from being fired for refusing to have an abortion.

HUTCHINSON — The Kansas State Fair announced that they saw an increase in attendance for this year’s event from last year. Officials say the great weather, along with new programming helped boost Kansas State Fair attendance by about 3 percent in 2019. according to a media release.

More than 337,400 people came to the state’s largest gathering, which ended Sunday. Those figures don’t include visitors who came in free before 11 a.m. on the Fair’s kickoff day — Friday, Sept. 6. Fair officials estimate another 6,000 to 10,000 people strolled through the gates on that first morning. About 328,000 people attended the 2018 Kansas State Fair.

“This year’s Fair took an already wonderful Kansas event to new heights, bringing residents from all across the state together to celebrate everything that makes Kansas so special,” General Manager Robin Jennison said. “We had beautiful weather, and we also made some positive improvements.”

The Fair launched a new logo and new brand in January that focuses on “Celebrating All Things Kansas.” To incorporate the mission, the Fair added an Explore Kansas Festival the first weekend, which showcased more than 40 Kansas communities in Gottschalk Park. The event was so successful that community officials have expressed an interest in coming back in 2020 to help expand the festival.

The Fair ended its 10 days on a high. The final Sunday focused on promoting Kansas outdoor tourism with children and families learning more about fishing and shooting sports. The Fair’s first-ever Pronto Pup eating contest was so successful it will be expanded next year. The All-Star Monster Truck Tour packed the grandstand with more than 5,000 people attending the event. Children 5 and under were free and were not included in that count.

“This event replaced the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull, which drew about 2,500 people for the past several years,” Jennison said. “We wanted to find a family-friendly event, and the monster trucks worked. Many fairgoers told me that it was the most people they have seen in our grandstands in a long time. It was a great show and a great way to end the Fair.”

Fair officials are still figuring vendor revenue. However, many vendors said the strong weekend crowds will help boost this year’s bottom line. Pat Repp, with North American Midway Entertainment, the Fair’s carnival company, called it one of the best fairs the company has experienced in several decades. The carnival saw a 13.3 percent increase in midway sales over 2018. “That is the highest gross in the history of the Kansas State Fair on the carnival side,” Repp said. “We had perfect weather. The attendance was awesome. The Fair did a great job with promotions. We had one of those dream fairs where everything worked out, and we hope to keep up the momentum next year.”

Jennison noted while there were many successes, there are always areas that need improvement. Those changes will be explored in the coming months as the staff begins to work on the 2020 Fair.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Two suspects are being penalized after they allegedly stole a life-sized cutout of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, then had a wreck as they fled.

Lawrence police spokesman Patrick Compton says a man and woman grabbed the cutout at a McDonald’s restaurant Monday, ran out the door, then jumped into a car and sped away.

Officers investigating a two-car accident nearby saw the cutout in one of the vehicles. Compton said the vehicle also matched the description of the car that drove away from the McDonald’s.

The two were issued notices to appear for theft and were cited in the accident. One person was treated for minor injuries.

The cutout of the popular Chiefs quarterback wasn’t damaged and is back on display at the McDonald’s.

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SALINE COUNTY — Two people were injured in an accident just after noon Wednesday in Saline County.

The Saline County Sheriff’s office reported a 1998 Chevrolet pickup driven by Chris Giroux, 22, of Marquette, was eastbound on Water Well Road behind a Dodge pickup kicking up a lot of dust near South Burma Road.

The pickup in in the disorienting dust cloud collided nearly head-on with a 2002 Chevy Utility pickup driven by Randy Choitz, 40, Salina.

Giroux was ejected through the driver’s side window, according to Saline County Sheriff’s Captain Jim Hughes.

Choitz was trapped and had to be extricated from his pickup.

EMS transported both drivers to Salina Regional Health Center with serious injuries that did not appear to be life threatening, according to Hughes.

The drivers were not wearing seat belts, according to Hughes.

 

 

KANSAS CITY(AP) — Four families who don’t want to vaccinate their children allege in a lawsuit that the children’s schools and state health officials have made it increasingly difficult to file religious exemptions.

A federal judge has already ruled that one of the unvaccinated students may continue going to a charter school in Kansas City while the case continues. The child’s grandfather, Linus Baker, of Stilwell, Kansas, is representing his grandson’s family as well as families from Bates, Christian and Miller counties in Missouri.

Baker also sued last month in Kansas to keep from having to vaccinate his 4-year-old son.

The lawsuit says exemptions are harder to get, with parents required to fill out a form provided by the health department. He says, “The agency has gone rogue.”

By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN
Kansas News Service

The Kansas Board of Regents voted Wednesday to change the benchmarks for in-state students to attend the state’s six public universities, and class-rank requirements are out.

The move is meant to increase the number of Kansas high schoolers who are eligible to attend Kansas State University, Emporia State University, Pittsburg State University, Fort Hays State University, Wichita State University and the University of Kansas.

It’s also expected to help more first-generation college students attend Kansas universities and simplify the required list of academic prerequisites. But critics say they’re concerned changing standards could reduce high schoolers’ readiness for college.

Currently, Kansas high school students who want to attend a public university must take a specific number of classes in English, math, science, social sciences and electives. To attend any university except KU, they must have at least a 2.0 GPA in those classes; KU requires applicants to have a GPA of 3.25 in all classes and an ACT score above 21, or a GPA of 3.0 and an ACT score above 24.

“This has resulted in a pretty complicated process that creates confusion among the applicants and the counselors and the parents,” said Daniel Archer, vice president of academic affairs for the Board of Regents, at the meeting in Topeka.

Archer said it was hard for universities to keep track of which high school classes met which admissions requirements. “It’s a pretty onerous process to review individual courses,” he said, “because it’s not something you can automate.”

Under the new admissions criteria, the classes will be recommended, but not required.

Plus, students will be admitted if they meet the same ACT minimum or if they meet a new overall GPA requirement. Emporia State, Pittsburg State, Fort Hays State and Wichita State will require either an ACT score of 21 to get in or a GPA of 2.25. K-State will require either an ACT score of 21 or a GPA of 3.25.

Class rankings, which are currently taken into account, will go away. That’s because, Archer said, it’s easier to compare GPA across different high schools, while class rank is a less useful marker of academic ability.

This story has been corrected to show that the 2.0 GPA requirement at five schools only matters for the currently required set of classes, not a student’s overall GPA.

Nomin Ujiyediin reports on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas News Service. Follow her on Twitter @NominUJ or email nomin (at) kcur (dot) org.

RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the case involving an abandoned infant.

Just after 7p.m. Wednesday, police received the report of an infant found alive in the 2000 block of North Manhattan, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department.

The baby was transported to Stormont Vail in Topeka as a precaution.

On Thursday morning, police reported they had identified the mother of the infant and she is in good health.

Further investigation leads police to believe the mother’s intent was to follow the safe haven law, according to RCPD. Police have released no additional details.