SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Kansas Bureau of Investigation the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigation Division are investigating the weekend death of an inmate.
The inmate identified as 47-year-old Sean C. Decker, who had chronic medical issues prior to incarceration became unresponsive in the medical clinic in the Sedgwick County Jail at about 1:18 p.m. on Saturday, according to a media release.
After immediate medical attention from onsite staff and responding EMS personnel, he was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead shortly before 3:25 p.m. The preliminary cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy.
Decker was being held in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility on felony charges.
He had previous convictions for theft, robbery, aggravated sexual battery, indecent liberties with a child and criminal damage to property in Osage, Sedgwick and Ellsworth County.
The Sedgwick County Detention Facility has currently booked over 17,022 persons in 2017. This is the third in-custody death for 2017.
RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a man in Manhattan. Just after 5 a.m. Sunday, police filed a report for involuntary manslaughter, according to Monday’s Riley County Police Activity Report.
Just after 11:50 p.m. Saturday, the Riley County Police Department was dispatched to 2220 Green Avenue in response to a 911 call, according to a media release.
When officers arrived on scene, they found an unconscious man identified as 60-year-old Randy Jay Abarr of that address.
EMS transported Abarr to Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan where he was pronounced dead.
In Monday’s activity report, police indicated there is no danger to the public. Police did not report any arrest in the case.
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RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a man in Manhattan.
Just after 11:50 p.m. Saturday, the Riley County Police Department was dispatched to 2220 Green Avenue in response to a 911 call, according to a media release.
When officers arrived on scene, they found an unconscious man identied as 60-year-old Randy Jay Abarr of that address.
EMS transported Abarr to Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan where he was pronounced dead.
Police released no additional details early Sunday.
LYON COUNTY — Law enforcement and additional first responders are on the scene of a fatal Monday crash on U.S. 50 in Lyon County. The Kansas Department of Transportation closed two miles of the road west of Emporia.
Traffic Alert:
U.S. 50 westbound is closed two miles west of Emporia at mile marker 342.5 due to a fatality collision in Lyon County.
Police investigating Sunday night shooting in Topeka-photo courtesy WIBW TV
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting.
Just after 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Topeka Police officers on patrol were alerted to the sound of gunshots and responded to a shooting in the 2600 Block of SE 10th in Topeka, according to police.
Officers found two female juvenile victims were suffering from non-life threatening injuries consistent with having been shot.
Both girls were transported to a local hospital. Both victims and witnesses to the armed criminal action were interviewed. Police released no additional details.
Anyone with information relating to this crime, please call Topeka Police Department Detectives at 785-368-9400 or Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007.
HARVEY COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating five suspects in connection with a drive-by shooting.
Just before 5p.m. Sunday, police were made aware of a drive by shooting near NW24th and Hoover in Harvey County.
Police located the suspect vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle led Newton police on a short chase, coming to a stop near the intersection of Lazy Creek Drive and Split Oak Drive. The occupants of the vehicle fled on foot and were all apprehended a short time later. A handgun was recovered at the scene.
Four Juveniles and one adult were taken into custody. will be interviewed by investigators with the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office.
Police reported no injuries and did not release names of the suspects.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas high school teacher is educating his students about sexual assault by rapping about it.
The Kansas City Star reports that David Muhammad’s song “Fallen” was released Sept. 5. The social studies teacher wrote the song under the name “Brotha Newz.”
The song is inspired by things that trouble Muhammad about the way society talks about and addresses sexual violence.
@Oprah I’m a high school teacher from KS & I just released a song about sexual assault. Bless it with a listen? 🙏🏾💯https://t.co/tyIpe2Fj1H
Reports of two sexual assaults at Shawnee Mission East shook the school community at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. One of the victims was Muhammad’s student, prompting him to want to speak more about preventing sexual assault.
Muhammad hopes his song will spark a conversation about the importance of men talking to men about sexual assault, and challenge the ways some mend are conditioned to sexualize women.
SALINE COUNTY — A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after noon Sunday in Saline County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a military vehicle driven by Caelan E. Simpson, 21, Wichita, was northbound on Interstate 135.
The driver attempted to exit onto Interstate 70, was traveling too fast and the vehicle rolled into the median.
Simpson was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center. A passenger Joshua R. Nicholson, 24, Grain Valley, MO., was not injured. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Despite an inquiry, the KHP did not release any additional details on the vehicle or those involved in the accident.
There is growing evidence that as Kansas has fallen behind in educational funding, we are also falling behind in student success outcomes,” said Mark Tallman, KASB associate executive director. “We are in danger of falling from a top achieving state to average or worse,” Tallman said.
The analysis shows Kansas has maintained its 10th rank among states over numerous student academic measurements and every state that ranks higher than Kansas spends more per pupil.
But the report also shows that Kansas student outcomes have started to fall as total funding per pupil in Kansas fell behind most states since 2008.
The percent of Kansas students scoring at the basic and proficient level in NAEP tests have declined. In addition, the Kansas high school graduation rate, while 20th in the nation, has seen a lower rate of improvement over the past few years than the average of all states.
Another trouble spot is in higher education achievement.
Kansas exceeds the national average in the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds with some college or higher, but the state’s rate of increase in this area since 2005 ranks near the bottom of states. This comes at a time when studies show within three years seven out of 10 jobs will require some post-secondary achievement and states with the highest average incomes are generally those with the most educated population.
Meanwhile, Kansas’ ranking for K-12 dollars fell from 29th to 31st between 2014 and 2015 and the percent increase in per pupil funding in between 2008 and 2015 ranked 39th and was much less than the states that outperform Kansas in education results.
“This report validates the 2017 Legislature’s action to increase school funding significantly for the first time in almost a decade,” Tallman said. “It also supports the Kansas Supreme Court’s ruling that funding has not been adequate. Finally, it adds urgency to the State Board of Education’s Kansans Can vision and goals.”
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City, Kan., man who sold methamphetamine and guns to undercover investigators was sentenced this week to 11.5 years in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Eric Castillo, 28, who is citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of unlawful possession of firearms by a person who is not in the United States legally.
In a series of transactions monitored by investigators, Castillo sold methamphetamine for about $500 an ounce. Along with the drugs, he sold guns including rifles and handguns made by Beretta, Browning and Smith & Wesson. One of the handguns was a .380 pistol with a built-in laser.
The first transaction took place at a McDonald’s restaurant in Kansas City, Kan. Castillo offered guns for sale by asking undercover investigators if they were interested in buying some “toys.”
TOPEKA – Every September, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), sponsors National Recovery Month to increase awareness of behavioral health conditions. Mental and substance use disorders are prevalent in Kansas communities, and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) believes it’s imperative that individuals understand how and where to seek help.
KDADS supports programs in prevention, treatment and recovery. Focus on recovery includes initiatives that provide one-to-one support services from peers who have been successful in the recovery process in Kansas communities. These services can effectively extend the reach of treatment beyond the clinical setting into the everyday environment.
“Individuals who experience a mental health, substance use and/or gambling disorder often feel isolated and alone. Too many people are unaware that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover,” said KDADS Secretary Tim Keck.
KDADS is working to incorporate peer support services across all of the state’s behavioral health systems:
Consumer Run Organizations (CROs) are dedicated to improving the lives of adults with mental health issues using peer support. CROs provide one-on-one and group peer supports, self-help groups, employment support, life-skills training, health and wellness activities and support for individuals who are transitioning from state institutions to living in the community.
Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) provide training for law enforcement to help deal with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis they encounter. Many times this training allows individuals to be diverted from jail to treatment settings, helping them to stabilize and remain in the community.
An important focus for KDADS is increasing peer and family supports for children with mental health needs. This is critical in engaging children and families while building the relationships needed to improve children’s overall health. Working with state’s Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) on existing programs and developing new services to meet the needs of Kansas families KDADS is expanding the services provided in the home, community settings and schools. KDADS is also implementing System of Care grant funding in pilot areas to fill gaps in service for youth with a serious emotional disturbance.
KDADS takes a recovery-oriented approach to substance use disorder treatment for those with drug and alcohol problems, employing a coordinated network of community-based services and person-centered supports and builds on the strengths and resilience of individuals, families and communities to achieve abstinence and improved health, wellness and quality of life.
Kansas received a grant from SAMHSA earlier this year to fund treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) in the state and to reduce the number of persons with OUD and the number of opioid overdose related deaths through prevention, treatment and recovery activities.
Prevention coalitions across the state are diligently working to reduce underage drinking, substance abuse, suicide and other behavioral health issues. These KDADS-funded communities are providing education and awareness to schools, parents, law enforcement and other community members.
KDADS funds problem gambling services including treatment with not out-of-pocket expense for gamblers and their concerned friends and families, and supports community-based task forces that provide education and a helpline for crisis services, ensuring that information on problem gambling prevention and treatment services are available to Kansans.
Suicide prevention efforts statewide are supported through community prevention coalition efforts and the Kansas Suicide Hotline, which is operated at Headquarters Counseling Center in Lawrence. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Kansans ages 15-44.
Thousands of Kansans’ lives have been transformed through recovery. Since these successes often go unnoticed by the broader population, September is an opportunity to share the successes of recovery and inform communities of available programs and services. Sharing stories of success helps to increase awareness and furthers a greater understanding about mental health, substance use and gambling disorder.
“Mental health, substance use and gambling disorders can be treated just as successfully as other health issues such as heart disease and diabetes. Support from families and communities is essential to successful recovery from any health condition,” Secretary Keck said. “KDADS believes in recovery from a mental health, substance use and/or gambling disorder. It can be done.”
Some lawmakers say mismanagement of the Kansas prison population is contributing to unrest among inmates. But Corrections Secretary Joe Norwood, pictured here, instead sees a connection between inmate unrest and the political tumult in the country. JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
The head of the Kansas Department of Corrections says he sees no connection between a recent riot at a prison in Norton and disturbances earlier this summer at the state’s El Dorado prison.
But some lawmakers are charging that mismanagement of the state’s prison population is contributing to the unrest.
Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, said the department’s effort to clear the way for the demolition of a medium-security facility at Lansing has led to the “haphazard” movement of inmates throughout the system.
“I’m convinced that it’s been the unplanned, rapid rotation of inmates from one facility to another that has created this chaos that we’re having in our correctional system right now,” Kelly said.
The concerns are bipartisan. Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican, has criticized Corrections Secretary Joe Norwood for withholding information from lawmakers about the severity of incidents at the El Dorado prison.
Samir Arif, a spokesperson for the department, acknowledged that hundreds of prisoners had been moved over the course of the summer but said officials don’t believe that the mixing of inmate populations prompted the recent disturbances.
However, Norwood sees a connection between inmate unrest and the political tumult in the country, which has spawned massive demonstrations that in some cases have resulted in violent clashes.
“We have noticed a trend in how inmates seek to air their grievances mirroring what we have seen in society with group demonstrations,” Norwood said. “And sometimes those incidents can turn destructive, just as we have seen with protests across the country.”
Dismissing that explanation, Kelly said it showed “the department isn’t taking any responsibility” for the recent violence.
According to portions of the prison log obtained by KCUR, inmates at Norton set fires, smashed windows, commandeered prison vehicles and attempted to run over a guard. They also fashioned weapons out of chunks of broken glass before guards quelled the disturbance by threatening to use lethal force.
Similar to the incidents at El Dorado, Kelly said corrections officials attempted to downplay the severity of the Norton disturbance. That, she said, is further eroding confidence in Norwood and his management team.
“I haven’t surveyed the bulk of my colleagues, but the ones I have talked to are concerned and do not have confidence in the current administration at the Department of Corrections,” Kelly said.
High turnover among corrections officers is also a factor in the disturbances. The annual turnover rate among uniformed officers across the system is 33 percent and nearly 50 percent at the El Dorado prison.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
JEFFERSON COUNTY — A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 6p.m. Saturday in Jefferson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Erik M. Runyan, 45, was eastbound on U.S. 24 just east of Williamstown.
The driver failed to maintain the lane of travel. The motorcycle drifted into the westbound lanes into oncoming traffic and struck a school bus driven by Diane E. Helm, 55, Tonganoxie.
Runyan was flown to a hospital in Topeka for treatment. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.
Helm and twelve students on the bus were not injured. The KHP did not release details on the school district involved in the accident early Sunday.
