GEARY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drug charges after traffic stop on Interstate 70.
On Tuesday, police stopped a vehicle on Interstate 70 approximately 10-miles east of Junction City for speeding and no turn signal, according to a media release.
They arrested Melanie Asantewa Obeng, 41, and Jerry Antoine Jones, 41, both of Seattle on suspicion of Possession with Intent to Sell, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and No Drug Tax Stamp.
Jones also faces allegations including suspicion of Speeding and No
Melanie Obeng
Turn Signal. They are being held in the Geary County Jail.
TOPEKA– A Kansas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to driving the getaway car during an armed robbery, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Jermaine Tyrell Patton, 29, Topeka, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting a commercial robbery and one count of aiding and abetting an armed robbery.
In his plea, Patton admitted taking part in a Nov. 5, 2016, robbery at Oakmark Convenience Store at 2518 N.E. Seward Avenue in Topeka. Patton’s accomplice, who was carrying a firearm, entered the store and demanded money. Patton was behind the wheel of a blue PT Cruiser when he and the robber fled the scene. When police stopped the car, both men fled on foot. Patton was quickly arrested.
The other man, Christopher Curtis Harris of Topeka, was arrested and charged in Shawnee County District Court with shooting Topeka Police Detective Brian Hill when Hill tried to arrest him.
Patton is set for sentencing Nov. 27. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of not less than five years and not more than 15 years. Beall commended the Topeka Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.
HARVEY COUNTY — A Kansas man facing three counts of capital murder and three counts of first-degree murder waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday morning in Harvey County District Court.
Jereme Nelson, 35, is accused in the October 2016 shooting deaths of 37-year-old Angela Graevs, 33-year-old Travis Street and 52-year-old Richard Prouty in rural Harvey County.
Arraignment is set for Nov. 3 in front of Judge Joe Dickenson.
Nelson’s co-defendant Myrta Rangel, 31, had similar charges dismissed in Harvey County and faces federal charges related to the case including possession of a firearm, obstruction and providing a firearm to a felon.
After the alleged murders, Nelson and Rangel fled to Mexico. They were arrested in January and returned to the U.S.
TOPEKA – School has started, the days are growing shorter and the weather is – gradually – getting cooler. That means it’s time for the State Fair in Hutchinson and Kansas Preparedness Month. This year, Kansas Preparedness Day at the State Fair will be held Monday, Sept. 11.
Gov. Sam Brownback signed a proclamation designating September as Kansas Preparedness Month. The month is observed each September to place a special emphasis on reminding Kansans to be prepared for tornadoes, floods, wildfires, blizzards and other disasters by assembling an emergency kit and making emergency plans for homes and businesses.
Annually, as part of Preparedness Month, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management and first responder agencies across the state invite the public to the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson for Kansas Preparedness Day. Numerous state and local agencies, and community emergency response organizations will be set up near the Administration Building at the south end of the fairgrounds across from the entrance gate to provide disaster preparedness and public safety information, and display emergency response equipment. The public may also register for prize drawings.
Agencies and organizations participating in the Kansas Preparedness Day event include the Adjutant General’s Department/Kansas Division of Emergency Management/Kansas National Guard, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office, Kansas Citizen Corps, Hutchinson Fire Department, Hutchinson Police Department, Hutchinson Reno County Emergency Communications, South Hutchinson Police Department, Kansas Search and Rescue Dog Association, Salvation Army, Reno Community Emergency Response Team, Reno County Emergency Management, Reno County Health Department, Reno County Sheriff’s Department, Reno County Volunteers Organizations Active in Disasters, South Central Regional Animal Response Team, Kansas State Animal Coalition, National Weather Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Sept. 11 is Dillons’ Dollar Day at the Fair; admission is $1 or free with a Dillons’ card.
During Preparedness Month, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management is also reminding the public to take part in its monthly online “Preparedness Challenge” at www.ksready.gov. Additional information on disaster kits and family preparedness can be found at www.ksready.gov and www.ready.gov.
DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in an aggravated assault and after a week made an arrest Tuesday night.
According to a social media report officers jailed 27-year-old John Robert Berry in connection with a Wednesday August 30, disturbance with weapons at a mobile home in the 100 Block of Maple Street in Lawrence.
Berry was barricaded inside the home with a gun. A second individual was inside and unable to leave due to health reasons. Officers set up a perimeter and attempted to contact the suspect.
Officers ultimately deployed an investigative robot into the residence and determined Berry had escaped. He is wanted for aggravated assault and has previous convictions for criminal threat, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An Army veteran from Reno County was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay $70,000 in restitution for benefits he received by pretending to be blind.
U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said 62-year-old Billy J. Alumbaugh, of Turon, was sentenced Wednesday for conspiracy to defraud the government.
His ex-wife, 52-year-old Debra Alumbaugh, also of Turon, was sentenced to a year on probation for helping with the scheme.
While pleading guilty in June, Alumbaugh admitted he told the Veterans Administration that he was blind and homebound in order to receive monthly pension benefits. In fact, he was able to drive and engage in other routine activities without assistance.
His wife accompanied him to medical visits, where they pretended he was blind and depended on her for help.
Information in the table is compared to data from both 2015 and 2016. The reporting period for the Labor Day holiday always runs from 6:00 p.m. the Friday prior to the holiday, through 11:59 p.m. the Monday of the holiday. – CLICK TO EXPAND
TOPEKA —The Kansas Highway Patrol released data from its Labor Day Weekend holiday activity. The reporting period for the holiday weekend ran from 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 1, 2017, through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 4, 2017, according to a media release.
Two fatal crashes were worked during this reporting period, which killed two people (Stanton County and Allen County). Neither of the crashes was alcohol-related.
Information in the table is compared to data from both 2015 and 2016. The reporting period for the Labor Day holiday always runs from 6:00 p.m. the Friday prior to the holiday, through 11:59 p.m. the Monday of the holiday.
President Donald Trump is giving Congress six months to come up with a solution to help unauthorized immigrants brought to the United States as children, including thousands in Kansas.
U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, a Republican who represents the 1st District in Kansas, concedes that President Barack Obama’s 2012 executive order that provided a reprieve from deportation through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — also known as DACA — may not have been constitutional.
Supporters of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program rallied Tuesday outside the Sedgwick County Courthouse in Wichita. NADYA FAULX / KMUW
“But that’s not my fault, it’s not these kids’ fault,” Marshall said Tuesday in a phone interview. “I have to deal with the situation today — that we have 15,000 DACA kids in Kansas, and that immigration is a top issue in southwest Kansas. So I need to deal with the problem at hand. We need to do the right thing.”
Marshall says law-abiding young people who are in school or have jobs should be granted some sort of legal residency status, with a two-year renewal process.
Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!
Kansas was one of 26 states that had sued over DACA, charging that Obama did not have the authority to create the program by executive order.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a statement Tuesday that he would now ask for the lawsuit to be dismissed.
“The Trump administration’s actions today return the issue to the only place constitutionally empowered to resolve it: The United States Congress,” Schmidt said.
“The obvious reality is our country is not going to round up and deport 800,000 people who in the past were brought here as children, grew up here, have committed no crimes, and now have relied in good faith on the Obama administration’s false but enticing promises,” he said. “Congress needs to enact immigration law that humanely and responsibly fixes this problem once and for all.”
‘Do it the right way’
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has advised President Donald Trump on immigration issues, discussed the future of DACA during several media appearances in recent days.
He said Tuesday on MSNBC that Trump’s decision means the thousands of young immigrants are “back into your illegal status.”
“I would suggest, go home and get in line, come into the United States legally, then get a green card, then become a citizen,” Kobach said. “Do it the right way, like so many hundreds of thousands of your countrymen are trying to do.”
Congressman Ron Estes of Kansas’ 4th District applauded the president for giving Congress time to fix the immigration system and secure the nation’s borders, without providing amnesty.
And U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, from the 3rd District, expressed sympathy for those in DACA, saying he’s not in favor of deporting them. But Yoder said he opposed Obama’s executive order creating DACA and that only Congress has the authority to decide the status of minors brought here illegally.
Rally in Wichita
Trump’s DACA decision sparked a rally in Wichita, where immigration advocates also called on Congress to act.
Carolina Hernandez is the immigrant justice organizer at Sunflower Community Action in Wichita. During the rally outside the Sedgwick County Courthouse, she urged those in the crowd to encourage Congress to protect those in the DACA program.
“We might not know what our future looks like in six months, but we know we have an opportunity to come together,” she said.
After the rally, Hernandez said Trump’s move to rescind DACA is a “wake-up call.”
“We were, you know, pretty comfortable, for these past few years,” she said. “Even myself, I was too.”
Hernandez is originally from Mexico and enrolled in DACA in 2012, when she was 16. When her permit expires in 2019, she won’t be able to reapply.
Leaders of organizations that serve Latino families in the Kansas City area share Hernandez’s concerns.
“These folks have passed background checks, have paid taxes and have done everything they were supposed to do,” said Irene Caudillo, CEO of El Centro in Kansas City, Kansas. “It’s now time for Congress to pass legislation and have the courage to do it.”
El Centro officials and many area educators have been worried about the end of DACA since the election, Caudillo says.
Some local institutions have embraced DACA students. Over the last several years, Kansas State University has been recruiting DACA and other students who are in the country illegally, using privately raised money to provide grants and scholarships. Bryan Thompson is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics.
FINNEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on drinking, driving and other charges.
Just before 4p.m. Saturday, police observed a Purple 2006 Chevy HHR driving recklessly in the 300 block of West Mary Street in Garden City, according to a media release. Officers attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle and the driver failed to yield, and a pursuit was initiated.
The pursuit continued west on Mary Street into a rural area of Finney County. As the pursuit continued, an occupant of the vehicle threw beer cans out of the window. With the assistance of the Finney County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect vehicle was disabled near the area of Railroad and VFW Road.
The suspect came to a stop in the 2200 block of West Kansas Avenue.
Espita -photo Finney Co.
Police arrested the driver Jonathan Barboza, 20, Garden City, on requested charges of Fleeing and Eluding (F), DUI, Minor in Consumption, Reckless Driving, No Proof of Insurance, Illegal Tags, and other traffic violations.
Police also arrested the passenger, Victor Espita, 23, of Garden City for a Non-Appearance Warrant for a prior DUI arrest.
MANHATTAN —The Latest on reaction to the Trump administration’s decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation.
Kansas State University released a statement addressing students who may be impacted by possible upcoming changes the status of DACA.
In December 2016, Kansas State University was informed of possible changes to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status. With today’s announcement by the executive branch of the federal government, there understandably are concerns by those who will be affected by this action.
The university joins with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in their statement calling for swift congressional action. DACA was initiated by the Obama Administration in 2012. Under the policy, certain undocumented immigrants to the United States who entered the country as minors can receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for employment.
Affected students with questions should contact the Office of Student Life. The university is not aware of any changes that would affect enrollment, admission, student employment or merit scholarship status at this time. There are numerous university resources, such as academic advising, student financial assistance, counseling and health services.
University policies regarding disclosure of student records remain the same under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, known as FERPA. We do not release student records without written consent from the student or a lawfully issued subpoena, warrant or judicial order. It remains our policy to require the necessary legal documents before disclosing student records or information derived from student records.
K-State is committed to providing educational opportunities for all qualified students. We are committed to our Principles of Community, which affirm the inherent dignity and value of every person. We affirm the value of human diversity for community.
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal Monday farm accident in Pottawatomie County.
Just after 11a.m. a tractor pulling a hay trailer driven by Loren Deters, 50, Westmoreland, overturned near Kansas 13 and Bigelow Road, according to Sheriff Greg Riat.
Kansas City (AP) — A suburban Kansas City fire department is calling out a burglar who broke into a station while firefighters were raising money for charity.
The Raytown Fire Protection District described the burglar as a “special kind of person” in a message posted on Facebook. Police responded around 2:30 p.m. on Labor Day after an employee discovered that his wallet and other items were taken from his bedroom at the station. The theft happened while the employee had been participating in a Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraiser.
A surveillance camera caught an image of a suspect with a thin build and red facial hair wearing a Seattle Seahawks hat, white T-shirt and brown shorts. The fire district is asking anyone with information to call police.
GREAT BEND —Down to seven council members, there were no worries of voting ties at the Great Bend City Council meeting Tuesday night at the Great Bend Events Center. Mayor Dr. Mike Allison confirmed the 4-3 vote to reinstate suspended Great Bend Police Chief Cliff Couch.
Council member Dana Dawson made the motion to reinstate Couch, stating that problems existed between Couch and former City Administrator Howard Partington. Allison followed Dawson’s comment stating the problem was a situation where an employee (Couch) decided he did not have to do what his boss Partington asked him to do.
Couch was suspended with pay on July 24 and was awaiting a hearing regarding his suspension. With his reinstatement, there is no need for the hearing.
Dawson, Brock McPherson, Cory Zimmerman, and Mike Boys all voted for the reinstatement. Along with Vicki Berryman and Joel Jackson, council member Allene Owen voted against the reinstatement because she wanted to address the allegations in the hearing that were made by Couch.
At the June 5 council meeting, Couch accused Partington and Allison of misconduct and unethical procedures. Partington eventually retired on August 16, after 36 years in the position, because of what he called malicious attacks towards him over a policy dispute. Council member Wayne Henneke resigned his Ward 2 position the following day stating stress and turmoil in the city as his reason.
The city council also voted 7-0 Tuesday night, in front of a packed room, to have a procedures audit to be conducted on the city from a certified public accounting firm, another motion presented by Dawson.
