MIAMI COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident blamed on the flooding in the Kansas City area.
Early Tuesday, deputies reported seeing a car northbound on U.S. 69 at 363rd Street drive through standing water, according to a media release from the Miami County Sheriff’s Department.
The car hydroplaned off the highway into a ditch of rushing water.
First responders found the vehicle about 45 minutes later approximately 150 yards south of where it originally went into the water.
No one was in the vehicle.
Just before 7:30 a.m., authorities recovered the body of Robert Dean Schoenhals, 56, Pleasanton, 75 yards from his car.
He was the only occupant of the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s department.
DICKINSON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on felony drug charges.
Deputies executed a search warrant Monday at a residence in the 600 Block of South Cedar in Abilene, according to Sheriff Gareth Hoffman.
They arrested Sabrina Dianne Beardslee, 41, Abilene, on felony counts of suspicion of Possession of Methamphetamine With the Intent to Distribute Within 1,000 Feet of a School, No Drug Tax Stamp and Aggravated Child Endangerment plus a misdemeanor count of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
During a search of the residence, law enforcement officers seized more than 10 grams of methamphetamine and more than 20 pieces of drug paraphernalia. During the course of the investigation authorities learned several suspects were allegedly selling methamphetamine from the residence.
Beardslee has a previous conviction for drugs in Dickinson County from February of 2017, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and US policy in Afghanistan (all times local):
Reversing his past calls for a speedy exit, President Donald Trump recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, declaring U.S. troops must “fight to win.” He pointedly declined to disclose how many more troops will be dispatched to wage America’s longest war.
In a prime-time address to unveil his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said Monday the U.S. would shift away from a “time-based” approach, instead linking its assistance to results and to cooperation from the beleaguered Afghan government, Pakistan and others.
“America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress,” Trump said. “However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check.”
One member of the Kansas congressional delegation offered thoughts on the President’s speech.
The President insisted it would be a “regional” strategy that addressed the roles played by other South Asian nations — especially Pakistan’s harboring of elements of the Taliban.
Still, Trump offered few details about how progress would be measured.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities have rescued more than a dozen stranded drivers after heavy rains soaked parts of Kansas City, Missouri, and its suburbs.
Flash flood warnings have been issued across the area. Local television station KCTV reports that police and fire crews plan Tuesday to go door-to-door in one area of southern Kansas City, asking residents to voluntarily evacuate.
The National Weather Service says as much as 9 inches of rain fell in one city neighborhood, while a large swath around the city saw between 4 and 6 inches of rain.
OPFD helping numerous people out of high water. Please don’t drive into water over the roadway! pic.twitter.com/mC68U7nkyZ
In the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, the local fire department says it responded to over 16 water assist calls as drivers found themselves stalled in high waters. Water rescues also were conducted on the Missouri side of the metropolitan area, in Kansas City and Riverside.
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KANSAS CITY — Portions of Kansas City are under a flash flood emergency after storms brought over 7 inches of rain to Johnson County overnight, according a social media report from emergency management.
If you see water over the roadway, don’t try to go through it. Turn around don’t drown. pic.twitter.com/h8opCWPwnY
Early Tuesday, Indian Creek area at State Line did crest higher than it did in July when businesses were inundated and cars washed away, according to the National Weather Service.
Thousands are without electricity, a number of roads are blocked and fire officials have worked to rescue many people from the high water. In addition to the blocked roads, a number of schools are delayed or closed Tuesday. A number of businesses are also closed, according to the National Weather Service.
SEDGWICK COUNTY– Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with an alleged armed carjacking in Derby.
Police issued an arrest warrant for 26-year-old Kenan C. Leamon from Texas for the carjacking that occurred in Derby early Friday, according to a social media report from police.
Deputies arrested him near Oklahoma City and booked him into the Oklahoma County Jail just before 2p.m. Monday, according to booking records.
Leamon-photo Oklahoma Co. Sheriff
Authorities released no additional details on the arrest.
A former employee of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office said Monday in federal court that she was fired in part for not attending church. Her lawsuit does not name Kobach as a defendant. FILE PHOTO / KPR
By Stephen Koranda
A former employee of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office said Monday in federal court that she was fired in part for not attending church, which left her confused and depressed.
Courtney Canfield argues her firing amounts to religious discrimination.
Her lawsuit doesn’t name Kobach as a defendant, instead targeting Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rucker, who initially hired her.
Kobach’s office in the past had hosted prayer meetings after work, although attorneys say many employees chose not to attend them. Religious pamphlets were distributed weekly.
When she was fired from her administrative job in late 2013, after less than a year in the office, Canfield didn’t learn it from Rucker. Instead, she got the message from her grandmother, Margie Canfield, a longtime employee of the Kansas Republican Party who knew Rucker.
Courtney Canfield said she avoided the prayer meetings and didn’t read the religious pamphlets.
“I didn’t think it was appropriate for the workplace,” Canfield said of the religious pamphlets. “I always threw mine away.”
Canfield testified that her grandmother had indicated one of the reasons for her firing was because she didn’t go to church. She said the firing left her humiliated.
“(It) was very upsetting,” Canfield said in court. “I cried.”
Attorney Terelle Mock, representing the secretary of state’s office, said Courtney Canfield had been hired by Rucker as a favor to Margie Canfield. Their agreement was that if the younger woman didn’t measure up, the elder Canfield would have to tell her granddaughter that she was being let go.
“This case is about Ms. Canfield’s inability to keep a job,” Mock said during an opening statement. “This case is not about religion.”
Office staff talked with Courtney Canfield about work issues, Mock said. They told her she needed to stay at her desk and not use her cell phone.
“They tried to counsel her on these things,” Mock said. “It didn’t work.”
Mock said Rucker never told Margie Canfield that the firing was related to church attendance.
The trial continues Tuesday.
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, a partner in the Kansas News Service.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former employee of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office has testified in federal court that she was confused and embarrassed by her 2013 firing after being told that her lack of church attendance was a key reason.
Jurors began hearing ex-employee Courtney Canfield’s lawsuit against the office and chief Kobach deputy Eric Rucker on Monday in Topeka.
Canfield alleges that her firing in November 2013 after 9½ months at the secretary of state’s office represents illegal religious discrimination. Attorneys for Kobach’s office say she was fired over performance issues.
Canfield testified she was told of her firing by her grandmother, who was friends with Rucker. Canfield said her grandmother told her that Rucker emphasized that Canfield did not go to church.
Rucker strongly disputes the grandmother’s account.
SUMNER COUNTY — A fourth earthquake over four days shook Kansas Monday. The quake just after 2:30 p.m. measured a magnitude 2.8 and was centered approximately 16 miles southeast of Conway Springs, according to the U. S. Geological Survey.
A pair of quakes shook Kansas Sunday. At 1a.m., a 2.4 quake was centered three miles southwest of Bluff City in Harper County. At 6:07 p.m. magnitude 2.5 quake was centered seven miles south of Conway Springs.
Just before 8pm. Saturday a quake that measured a magnitude 2.2 was centered seven miles northwest of Caldwell, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A series of earthquakes shook the same area August 5 and 6. They measured from 2.8 to 3.4, according to the USGS.
There are no reports of damage or injuries from Monday’s quake.
RENO COUNTY — A Kansas woman who ran from law enforcement late Friday made a first court appearance Monday where she was read the potential charges.
Kristine Lynn Brown, 46, Langdon, faces potential charges of felony flee and elude, DUI, her fourth, and driving while suspended.
Just before 11:30 p.m. Friday a Reno County Sheriff’s Deputy observed a truck traveling east on 4th near Lorraine in Hutchinson with a defective tag light. The deputy followed the truck to 3rd and Kansas 61 Highway and continued to follow.
The deputy attempted to make a traffic stop in the area of Avenue G and K-61. He activated his lights and siren and the vehicle stopped. As the deputy approached the truck, the driver took off and the deputy followed, noting that the driver was being reckless and eventually got onto U.S 50, often going left of center or weaving over the fog line.
At one point, the driver came within a foot of hitting a guardrail on Highway 50, according to the deputy.
A South Hutchinson Police Officer used stop sticks on the highway and all four tires were struck, but the truck continued for about another half mile before the driver stopped.
Her passenger was taken into custody, but Brown refused to exit the vehicle. She was assisted out of the vehicle against her will and taken into custody.
Her bond was set at $3,250 and she is expected back in court next week for the formal reading of any charges.
SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for allegedly threating his neighbor with a brick.
Just before 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Christopher Garrison, 26, Salina, pounded on his neighbor’s door, according to Salina Police Capt. Paul Forrester. Before his 51-year-old neighbor could answer, Garrison allegedly ran through a side fence.
The neighbor noticed that the gate had been left open and went to investigate. Capt. Forrester said that the neighbor walked through the gate to find Garrison wielding a brick. He allegedly threatened to hurt the neighbor.
Police arrested Garrison on requested charges of aggravated assault and one count of trespassing.
Police at the scene of Saturday morning investigation-photo courtesy WIBW-TV
SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend homicide and asking for help to with information in the case.
Just after 8 a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to 15th and Topeka Blvd. in Topeka after report of an unresponsive man later identified as 44-year-old Kenneth Leray Vetaw, according to a media release. Police ruled his death was a homicide.
Prior to his death, investigators believe Vetaw was with a group of people in the1400 Block of SW Harrison when he was shot.
Vetaw left that area on foot and died where first responders found him. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the identity of those with Vetaw when he was shot to call police.
Near the scene of Thursday’s chase in Pawnee County-image courtesy KWCH
PAWNEE COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) Monday identified 30-year-old Jason Dale Smith of St. Joseph, Missouri as the man killed following a highway chase involving the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Edwards County Sheriff’s Office, which ended Thursday, Aug. 17 east of Garfield, Kansas.
Preliminary information suggests that Smith died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. No shots were fired by law enforcement officers during the incident.
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TOPEKA —On Thursday afternoon, the Kansas Highway Patrol was involved in a pursuit, which began in Edwards County, and ended in Pawnee County, around the town of Garfield.
The incident began around 12:45 p.m., when a trooper attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding on US-56 Highway at milepost 163, in Edwards County. The vehicle was occupied by a male driver and female passenger. The suspect vehicle, a maroon Chevy Impala, sped up, and the trooper initiated a pursuit. Around milepost 166, the driver began shooting out of his window at the trooper. The pursuit continued into the town of Garfield, where the suspect shot at, and hit, a Pawnee County patrol car.
At approximately milepost 172, at 12:54 p.m., a Pawnee County deputy attempted legal intervention. The patrol car went into the east ditch, and rolled, trapping the deputy. The suspect’s vehicle went into the west ditch and was disabled. The suspect immediately put a gun to his own head. The female passenger exited the suspect vehicle and was taken into custody. Officers on scene were able to get the deputy out and provide medical care.
Law enforcement personnel on scene were speaking with the suspect to de-escalate the situation, however the suspect eventually shot himself at 1:27 p.m. The suspect was transported via EMS to Pawnee Hospital, where he died. The suspect’s name will not be released at this time, as the Patrol is still working to identify him.
The deputy involved in the crash was transported via EMS with minor injuries, and is in stable condition.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A father says the Kansas legal system failed his loved ones because it kept a man’s sex offender status below the radar long enough to kill his daughter and granddaughter.
Keith Hawkins, 19, was charged Aug. 8 with capital murder, just hours after 24-year-old Alyssa Runyon and her 4-year-old daughter Zaylynn Paz were found dead in their Newton home.
Alyssa Runyon & Zaylynn Courtesy image
Harvey County attorney David Yoder says Hawkins previously was supposed to be arrested for failing to register as a sex offender but that a warrant wasn’t filed in time due to a backlog of cases.
Runyon’s father, Edward Runyon, says the system failed the victims because it kept Hawkins’ status from public disclosure and didn’t hold him fully accountable for failing to register his address.
Ten minutes later drivers turn on their headlights during the eclipseVehicle traveling in the path of totality on Interstate 435 Monday north of Kansas- Image KC Scout
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the eclipse in Kansas (all times local):
3:00 p.m.
Clouds parted just in time in downtown Topeka for many people to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse as it reached its peak of 99 percent.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that about 200 people at a watch part on the parking lot of the library got a look for about 30 seconds through a thin sheen of clouds. People cheered as a small portion of the sun could be seen when the clouds separated.
Light rain pelted employees on the rooftop of the Westar Energy in downtown Topeka as they waited for the eclipse’s peak. Employees were able to spot the sun for a fleeting few seconds.
The skies were clearer in the Wichita area where people could see a little more than 92 percent of the eclipse.
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2 p.m.
The first total solar eclipse to sweep the U.S. coast to coast in nearly a century has come to an end in South Carolina.
Americans across the land watched in wonder Monday as the moon blocked the sun, turning daylight into twilight.
Totality — when the sun is completely obscured by the moon — lasted just two minutes or so in each location along the narrow corridor stretching all the way across the U.S., from Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. It took about 90 minutes for total blockage to cross the country.
Two-hundred million people live within a day’s drive of Monday’s path of totality. So towns and parks along the eclipse’s main drag have welcomed monumental crowds. The last coast-to-coast eclipse was in 1918.
1:50 p.m.
Northwest U.S. cities not quite in the path of totality enjoyed Monday’s solar eclipse.
Boise is not in totality. But birds quieted down briefly when 99.5 percent of sun was blocked. And some neighborhoods erupted into applause and hooting as residents cheered the show from their yards.
Total eclipse as seen from Marysville, Kansas-Photo by Rocky Robinson
In Portland, hundreds gathered at Tom McCall Waterfront Park to see the rare celestial event. Some office workers stood on rooftops, and small crowds gathered on the sidewalks, looking skyward. Some expressed surprise that even a sliver of sun can prevent a city from falling into darkness.
Within minutes, traffic resumed on what had been eerily quiet downtown streets.
