RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating after encouraged motorists keep an eye on their bank account if you use cards to pay for fuel.
Police found two skimming devices on a gas pump in Riley County Wednesday. While it’s good that these two were found, there is a chance there may be others that haven’t been located, according to a social media report.
In March police in Manhattan responded to separate calls from local gas stations reporting they had found “skimmers” or devices that can be used to obtain credit or debit card information from customers paying at the pump.
In July police reported skimmers on Bank ATMs in Garden City and Salina.
Police reminded there are different types of skimmers. Some are external on gas pumps or ATMs, but can blend in and other are internal and steal your information electronically.
They encouraged motorist be aware when you fill up, and notice if something is different at the pump
Look to make sure security seals are not broken, watch your bank statements regularly and Report criminal activity when it happens
KANSAS CITY —The FBI is seeking the public’s assistance across the nation with obtaining identifying information regarding an unknown female who may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in an ongoing sexual exploitation investigation, according to a media release.
The unidentified woman being sought—known only as Jane Doe 39—can be seen in a video with a child who is being sexually exploited.
The video was obtained during an FBI investigation and forwarded to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), an organization that works closely with the Bureau to stop child predators. Further investigation revealed that the images have surfaced elsewhere online, said Special Agent Susan Romash, who investigates child exploitation cases as part of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Against Children program. “We know the video has been traded on the Internet,” Romash said, “and we know this child is a victim who needs our help.”
In the video, an adult woman is heard speaking Vietnamese, and at one point her face is shown. “Our hope,” Romash said, “is that someone will recognize this individual’s face—or her voice—and come forward with information.”
The publicity efforts to identify and apprehend Jane Doe 39 are part of the FBI’s Operation Rescue Me and Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) initiatives.
Operation Rescue Me identifies child victims of sexual exploitation by using sophisticated image analysis to obtain evidence. ECAP seeks public and media assistance to help identify the John and Jane Does who display their faces—and other distinguishing characteristics such as tattoos—in pornographic images and videos of children.
The FBI has a longstanding partnership with NCMEC, which maintains a database of pornographic images traded online to help law enforcement coordinate and solve investigations. Working closely with NCMEC, FBI investigators look for metadata embedded within images that might contain GPS or other details that can reveal critical information.
“We also search for clues within the images,” Romash said. “Those clues often help us determine where the image was produced or who created it. If those approaches don’t work,” she explained, “but there is an adult in the image whose face is shown, we publicize it through ECAP and ask for the public’s help.”
“We know the video has been traded on the Internet, and we know this child is a victim who needs our help.” said Susan Romash, special agent, FBI Headquarters
The video depicting Jane Doe 39 and a child victim was first noted by NCMEC in April 2016. The woman is described as an Asian female, likely between the ages of 25 and 35, with long black hair. She is wearing a white, yellow, blue, and red floral dress. In addition, she could be heard speaking Vietnamese.
Anyone with information can submit a tip online or call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
Since its inception in 2004, ECAP has resulted in the identification of 26 of the 39 John/Jane Does, and in the recovery of more than 40 child victims. Operation Rescue Me, established in 2008, has resulted in the recovery of more than 200 child victims. “These programs work,” Romash said, “and we are again asking for the public’s help to save an innocent child from being victimized.”
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas inmate accused of stabbing and injuring a corrections officer has been charged in the case.
Allen Thomas Schroeder Jr., 27, was bound over to for trial after a preliminary hearing Tuesday. He’ll be arraigned Thursday.
Shawnee County corrections officer Lacy Noll alleges Schroeder became angry after she threatened to write him up for screaming and inciting a riot in April.
She says Schroeder was initially upset because all the inmates in the module he was in were on lockdown at the same time.
Witnesses testify that Schroeder sharpened a broken drawer handle to stab Noll. She says she was struck on her face, back and shoulder.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A third teenager has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to a fatal shooting outside at a fast-food restaurant in Kansas.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 19-year-old Ernest Williams IV has been charged in the death of 18-year-old Justice Mitchell.
Topeka police say Williams was in the passenger seat of a car driven by Mitchell on June 26, when another suspect, 17-year-old Lamero Dunstan, was trying to buy marijuana from Mitchell.
Authorities say Dustan told investigators he heard a click of a gun held by Williams that failed to fire. Authorities say Dunstan then fired two shots at Mitchell because he assumed Mitchell had a gun.
Williams is jailed on a $1 million bond. A court date hasn’t been scheduled.
Dunstan and another 17-year-old are also charged in the case.
HARPER COUNTY — A third earthquake this week shook portions of Kansas Wednesday. The quake at 6:29p.m. measured a magnitude 3.1 and was centered approximately ten miles northwest of Harper, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
On Tuesday a magnitude 2.5 quake was centered approximately 19 miles southeast of Salina, according to the USGS. On Sunday a 2.6 magnitude quake was centered four miles east of Harper.
There are no reports of damage or injury from Wednesday’s quake.
SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a scam that cost a woman hundreds of dollars.
According to Salina Police Sgt. James Feldman, a 67-year-old Salina woman had been allowing the suspect who claimed to work with a company called Front Ridge allegedly from California to access to her computer for an unknown amount of time as they optimized it and removed viruses.
The woman received a call Tuesday saying that they were going to send her a refund check but accidentally deposited an extra $5,000 into her bank account.
Sgt. Feldman said that it was later determined that the money came from a different bank account that also belonged to the victim, but when she called the bank it looked like there was an extra $5,000 in her account.
She was informed that they needed the money back and they requested a wire transfer. Sgt. Feldman said that the woman told them that she didn’t want to do a wire transfer. Then the computer firm informed her that they would also take Walmart gift cards.
The victim gave the suspect the card numbers and personal identification numbers to $4,500 worth of gift cards. She became suspicious and called authorities after they requested another $6,000.
Sgt. Feldman said that the victim is out $4,500 because once a suspect has the card information for gift cards, they can transfer the money and it is untraceable. He added that a legitimate business will never ask for gift cards.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Kansas law prohibiting state contractors from participating in boycotts against Israel.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit Wednesday for a Wichita public school curriculum coach. It says Esther Koontz was denied a state teacher training contract because she wouldn’t sign a statement saying she wasn’t boycotting Israel.
The lawsuit says Koontz is boycotting Israeli products because of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and that the Kansas law violates her free speech rights.
The law took effect in July. The pro-Palestinian group Palestine Legal says 21 states have such laws, but the ACLU says this is its first challenge.
The Kansas attorney general’s office didn’t immediately reply to phone and email messages seeking comment.
Phyllis Gilmore, secretary of the Kansas Department of Children and Families-photo Kansas News Service
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) on Wednesday issued more information on the agency’s policies and procedures for handling situations involving missing and runaway children.
The DCF Policy and Procedure Manual (5245) outlines the departments guidelines for handling situations involving children missing from the foster care system. The policy presents clear guidelines for the reporting of a missing child, including the filing of a missing person’s reports, notification of the child’s biological and foster families, the legal steps to be taken with the court and weekly check-ins with local law-enforcement. The department’s policy also provides steps to be taken after the child’s safe return.
“We made the decision to highlight the protocol for handling situations involving runaways and missing children because of questions that arose during the final minutes of the Child Welfare System Task Force meeting on Tuesday,” DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore said. “We want to assure the public that protocols are in place, and have been for many years, to ensure that when children run away from their foster care placement, every effort is made to locate them and return them to a safe and appropriate foster care home or facility.”
“There are more than 7,000 children in the foster care system,” Secretary Gilmore said. “These children who run away are not under lock and key; they are generally in family foster homes, older youth, who attend school and activities, and they often miss their biological families. We work closely with our foster care contractors, law enforcement, the school system and affected families to locate missing children as quickly as possible.”
While it is unfortunate when any child runs away from the foster care system; this issue is not unique to Kansas. In our state, 1 percent of children in foster care are considered missing, which correlates with the national average. Often, children who run away are located quickly and returned in a short amount of time. In some cases, the missing children are considered on the run with a parent who is attempting to keep them from State care.
DCF and its contracted partners, KVC and Saint Francis Community Services, take seriously their obligation to protect children. We encourage anyone who has information about missing children, from foster care or otherwise, to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. Visit www.missingkids.com to learn more about missing Kansas children.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Lawmakers are expressing outrage after learning more than 70 foster children are missing in Kansas.
The Kansas City Star reports that foster care contractors discussed the issued Tuesday. The discussion was prompted by the disappearance in August of three sisters from a northeast Kansas foster home. Democratic Sen. Laura Kelly, of Topeka, says she’s “flabbergasted.”
The Kansas Department for Children and Families’ chief, Phyllis Gilmore, says in many cases children went to their biological families or other people with whom they have a relationship.
Chad Anderson, an official for one contractor, KVC Kansas, says the number of missing represents about 1 percent of the foster care population and is in line with the national average. But Anderson acknowledged more could be done to share day-to-day information about missing youth.
DICKINSON COUNTY — A Kansas woman died in a fire Tuesday in Dickinson County.
Just before 8:30a.m fire crews responded to the fire at a home in the 200 Block of South Lincoln in Enterprise, according to Sheriff Gareth Hoffman.
Fire crews found the home fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. Once inside, they found the body 48-year-old Patricia Humes, according to Hoffman.
Cause of the fire is ruled undetermined and possibly accidental, according to Enterprise Fire Chief Cecil Thrush.
Two dogs and a cat also perished in the fire. The home is considered a total loss, according to Thrush.
Fire District Number One and the Abilene Fire Department assisted the Enterprise Volunteer Fire Department in fighting the blaze.
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DICKINSON COUNTY —The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the cause of fatal Tuesday fire in Dickinson County.
Just before 8:30a.m fire crews responded to the fire at a home in the 200 Block of South Lincoln in Enterprise, according to Sheriff Gareth Hoffman.
Fire crews found the home fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. Once inside, they found the body 48-year-old Patricia Humes, according to Hoffman.
Fire District Number One and the Abilene Fire Department assisted the Enterprise Volunteer Fire Department in fighting the blaze.
Republican Ed O’Malley announced his campaign for Kansas governor during a series of stops Tuesday across Kansas, including a morning event in Overland Park. JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Kansas gubernatorial candidate Ed O’Malley came out swinging Tuesday at a campaign launch event in Overland Park.
The Republican former state legislator from Johnson County, who for the last decade has served as president and CEO of the Wichita-based Kansas Leadership Center, swung for the policy fences by pledging that his primary goal as governor would be to make Kansas public schools the “best in the world.”
“That is not rhetoric, and that is not beyond our reach,” O’Malley said. “We can be known literally as the very best in the world. And it will fuel our economy for generations to come.”
O’Malley, who started in politics as an aide to former Kansas Gov. Bill Graves, also took some aggressive swings at one of his rivals for the Republican nomination, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, calling him a divisive candidate who is running for governor to further his national political ambitions.
“Let me be incredibly blunt,” he said. “Kris Kobach will divide us in order to try to win. And make no mistake, if he succeeds he’ll keep dividing us so he can win an even higher office.”
Supporters of Republican Ed O’Malley, a former state legislator from Johnson County, attended a Tuesday campaign kickoff event in Overland Park. CREDIT JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Kobach’s aggressive efforts to combat a voter fraud problem that many argue does not exist have made him a high-profile but controversial figure in Kansas and nationally. At his urging, Kansas legislators passed anti-fraud measures that among other things require new Kansas voters to provide proof of citizenship for state registration.
“Secretary Kobach is the only candidate for governor with a proven record of achieving conservative results,” wrote Samantha Poetter, Kobach’s campaign spokesperson, in an email response. “He led the effort to pass bipartisan election security reform through the Kansas legislature, which was supported by two-thirds of House Democrats and three-fourths of Senate Democrats.
“Kobach’s proven record of results show that he is ready to lead and fix Topeka’s problems,” Poetter wrote.
Plenty of candidates
O’Malley, 41, is the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to explicitly criticize Kobach, the perceived front-runner for the GOP nomination.
Reporters recently had to push Mark Hutton, a former legislator and owner of a Wichita construction company, to acknowledge that he was referring to Kobach when he compared his pragmatic approach to that of candidates “with a little more of a grenade-throwing mentality.”
Even Democrat Josh Svaty hesitated before acknowledging that he was referring to Kobach when he said “a hyperpartisan bomb-thrower” would not be the best choice for Kansans wanting a problem-solver in the governor’s office.
Svaty represented Ellsworth in the Kansas House before former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed him to head the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
Others competing for the Democratic nomination for governor are Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Ward and former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer.
In addition to O’Malley, Hutton and Kobach, the crowded Republican field includes Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer, Wichita oil executive Wink Hartman and former Kansas Sen. Jim Barnett, a loser to Sebelius in the 2006 governor’s race.
Orman as independent?
Candidates in both parties are bracing for an expected announcement from Olathe businessman Greg Orman, who sources say will run as an independent.
Greg Orman, who mounted a strong independent challenge to U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts in 2014, is expected to join the Kansas governor’s race as an independent. CREDIT FILE PHOTO
Orman, who mounted a strong independent challengeto U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts in 2014, has done preliminary polling and is putting together a campaign staff, according to several sources who would only speak on background.
“Based on my last conversation with him, I believe he’s going to run,” said one source. “But as far as I know, he hasn’t made a final decision.”
That decision is expected soon.
If he runs, Orman — a multimillionaire who sources say intends to self-fund his campaign — would appeal to the same moderate Republican voters whose support O’Malley, Barnett, Hutton or Selzer would need to capture the nomination over Kobach, the leading conservative in the race.
Perhaps anticipating Orman’s candidacy, O’Malley urged all who attended his Overland Park announcement to vote in the GOP primary.
“I need you to be registered as a Republican,” he said. “We have to win this primary election.”
The conventional wisdom among Kansas political observers is that if Kobach prevails in the primary, Orman running as an independent would increase Kobach’s chances of winning the general election with a solid bloc of conservative votes.
BUTLER COUNTY —One Kansas Turnpike Authority employee remains hospitalized after lightning strike Monday in Butler County.
Just after 4:30 Monday, KTA crews were working approximately 12 miles north of Cassoday, according to Rachel Bell, the KTA Director of Business Services.
A thunderstorm rolled in more rapidly than expected. The crews had a difficult time loading a piece of equipment they were using. Two employees were outside a vehicle and one inside when lighting hit, according to Bell.
Emergency medical crews transported all three to an area hospital.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a case of animal cruelty and asking the public for help
Early Monday, a resident reported seeing a blue van in the alley in the 1800 block of N. Arkansas in Wichita drop something off and leave, according to officer Charley Davidson.
The resident went to see what was left and found a brown, female Pitbull that was nothing but skin and bones and apparently, left for dead.
The resident took the dog to a local vet clinic where it is being treated but is in extremely critical condition.
The only description police have is the van is a 1990’s model blue van. Police are asking for any information from the public to try and locate the suspect(s) responsible for the mistreatment of this dog.
Please crime stoppers at 267-2111 or WPD animal services bureau at 350-3360 with any information.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a man wanted in connection with a weekend shooting death in Mississippi.
After acting on information the suspect may be hiding in a residence in the 2700 Block of SE Jefferson Avenue in Topeka, officers and K9 located the subject in an attic area of a residence shortly after 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, according to Lt. Colleen Stuart.
Police transported Travis R Conners, 27, to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on a Fugitive from Justice warrant.
Police in Meridian, Mississippi, say witnesses identify Conners as the man who shot Donnikia Clark in the face after an argument. Clark later died at a hospital.
Meridian Police Chief Benny Dubose says Conners could be charged with manslaughter or murder depending on the investigation. Dubose says Conners has indicated he will waive extradition and could be back in Meridian by the weekend.
Police say Conners is also suspected in the September robbery of a store in Meridian.
