KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced Tuesday to 210 months in federal prison for selling drugs and guns to undercover officers, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Heriberto Armendariz-Garcia, 39, Wellsville, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. In his plea, he admitted he met multiple times with undercover officers, selling them cocaine, methamphetamine and firearms.

During the course of the investigation he sold or arranged for the sale of nine kilograms of cocaine, 4.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, 16 firearms and 232 rounds of ammunition.

During one meeting with undercover officers, Armendariz-Garcia told them someone had stolen four kilograms of cocaine from him and when “the people down south” found out he might lose his house.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information about a hit-and-run accident that left a man dead.

Undersheriff Jim Sherley says 34-year-old Emanuel Ross, of Lawrence, was found dead early Monday west of Lansing.

The Leavenworth Times reports authorities believe Ross was hit at least once by an unidentified motorist, who then drove away from the scene. Investigators believe Ross was struck early Monday.

Sherley said the incident occurred near the Suncatcher Lake RV Park.

COWLEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating four suspects on  charges after a weekend drug bust.

Following an investigation, police served a drug search warrant just after 9p.m. Saturday at a home in the 800 Block of South C Street in Arkansas City. Evidence collected at the residence led to the arrest of  four individuals including Heather Elizabeth Duncan, 35, of Arkansas City, on suspicion of three felony counts of possession of a depressant and one felony count of possession of methamphetamine, as well as one misdemeanor of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Johnny Lee Knight, 60, also of Arkansas City, was arrested on suspicion of three felony counts of possession of a depressant, as well as one misdemeanor count each of possession of drug
paraphernalia and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

Duncan and Knight were transported to and booked into the Cowley County Jail in lieu of $11,000
bond through Cowley County District Court in Arkansas City. Both have posted bond and been released.

Gregory Dean May II, 39, and Christina Mae Wendt, 36, both of Arkansas City, were arrested on
suspicion of one felony count each of possession of methamphetamine and possession of a depressant,
as well as one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

May and Wendt were transported to and booked into the county jail in lieu of $6,000 bond through
Arkansas City district court. Both are still in custody.

 

HARVEY COUNTY —The final results for USD 373 Newton Bond election results are in and neither question passed.

According to the Harvey County Election office the votes for Question 1 = 3,359 Yes, 4,040 No.

The votes for Question 2 = 2,388 Yes, 4,986 No.

The two questions were to help prepare USD 373 for the future.

The first question ($61,320,000):was an update to Newton High School that included
Safety and security upgrades
A science wing addition
A remodel of the auditorium and district kitchen
A new storm shelter/gym
Remodel of classrooms
Safety and security at Chisholm Middle School and Santa Fe 5/6 Center
Safety and security at the elementary schools
Santa Fe and Chisholm deferred maintenance
Deferred maintenance at all elementary schools

The second question ($24,420,000) was for a new school south of town and would be a kindergarten through sixth-grade building. The building will have three sections so there is room for growth.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A government snapshot of crop conditions shows the harvest of corn is now under way in Kansas.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Tuesday that 1% of the corn in the state has been harvested, near the 4% average at this point in the growing season.

The agency rates half of the corn out in fields in good to excellent condition, with 34% of the crop in fair shape. About 16% is in poor to very poor condition.

Other crops are also making progress.

About 83% of the soybeans in Kansas are setting pods, with 3% of soybean crops already dropping leaves. About 1% of the Kansas sorghum crop has now matured.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities have released additional details involving a fatal weekend motorcycle crash in Kansas.

Just before 7p.m. Friday, police responded to report of an injury accident in the 1500 Block of West Pawnee in Wichita, according to office Charley Davidson.

A 2004 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle driven by David Nguyen, 22, Wichita, was westbound on Pawnee at a high rate of speed, according to Davidson.

The motorcycle struck a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer driven by a 45-year-old man who had pulled out of a private drive to travel eastbound on Pawnee.

Nguyen was thrown from the motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a helmet, according to Davidson.

The accident remains under investigation. It is the 19th fatality accident in Wichita in 2019 and the third motorcycle fatality accident, according to Davidson.

TOPEKA – The state’s August collections are slightly above estimates with total tax collections at $497.2 million; $2.9 million or 0.59% more than the estimate, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Revenue. Those collections are also $2.8 million more than the same month in Fiscal Year 2019.

Retail sales tax collections were $205.3 million; up 3.67% from the $198.0 million estimate. Compensating use tax collections came in at $32.6 million; $2.4 million below the estimate.

Individual income tax collections were $231.3 million. This is $6.3 million, or 2.78%, more than the estimate and $10.5 million more than August 2018. Corporate income tax collections were $6.6 million; $5.4 million below the estimate.

“We continue to hold steady with the estimates,” Secretary Mark Burghart said. “I’m encouraged by both the improved sales tax collections and the stability of individual tax collections as we have now finished the second month of the fiscal year.”

SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly 2014 shooting after another man was previously charged.

On Sunday, police arrested 57-year-old James Leon Edwards on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Nathaniel Jackson, according to the Sedgwick County booking report. His bond is set at $500,000.

Michael Davis was originally charged with first-degree murder in Jackson’s death. Prosecutors say the killing happened while in the commission of an inherently dangerous felony — a cocaine sale, an aggravated robbery or both. Edwards was listed as a witness for the prosecution.

The case was ultimately dropped at the request of prosecutors in January 2015, and Davis was released from jail. Edwards has past weapon, theft, battery and robbery convictions.

-The AP contributed to this report.

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a wanted Kansas felon for murder after a weekend arrest.

On Sunday police arrested 57-year-old James L. Edwards on a requested charge of first-degree murder and a state parole violation, according to the Sedgwick County booking report.

The state reported Edwards as an absconder in July, according to online records from the Kansas Department of Corrections.

He has previous convictions for theft, robbery, criminal possession of a firearm and aggravated battery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

He was booked into jail just before 2a.m. Monday and is being held on a $500,000 bond.

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union has picked General Motors as the target company for this year’s contract talks with Detroit’s three automakers.

The move announced Tuesday means that GM will be the focus of bargaining, and any deal with the company will set the pattern for Ford and Fiat Chrysler. It also means that if the union decides to go on strike, it be against GM.

Contracts between the union representing about 152,000 workers and GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler expire at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14.

Earlier Tuesday the union announced that over 96% of its members voted to authorize strikes against the companies.

The strike authorization vote is a normal part of the bargaining process, and it doesn’t mean that there will be a work stoppage. But tensions are high in contract talks this year because the automakers are making billions in profits and workers want a bigger slice. The companies, though, want to get closer to parity with foreign automakers with U.S. factories that are mainly in the South.

In a statement, the union said 96.4% of workers at General Motors voted to authorize a strike, while it was 95.98% at Ford and 96% at Fiat Chrysler.

Picking GM as the target is no surprise because it’s the most profitable of the three companies, and it also has announced plans to shutter four factories in Ohio, Michigan and Maryland. The union has pledged to fight the closures at two Detroit-area factories, in Lordstown, Ohio, and near Baltimore. Production already has stopped in Lordstown, Baltimore and one of the Detroit-area factories.

“We are focused. We are prepared and we are all ready to stand up for our members, our communities and our manufacturing future,” union President Gary Jones said in a statement Tuesday.

GM said it looks forward to “constructive discussions” with the union to build a strong future for employees and its business.

GM, the nation’s largest automaker, likely was picked because talks there will be the most difficult of the Detroit Three, said Kristin Dziczek, vice president of labor, industry and economics at the Center for Automotive Research, an industry think tank.

Although she doesn’t know how negotiations have been going so far, the likelihood of a strike was high even before the union picked GM, Dziczek said. The union raised strike pay for workers and has said it will use all tools in its toolbox during contract talks.

In addition to the four plants that GM has slated to close, it also has three other factories in Michigan and Kansas that aren’t being fully utilized, and the union will seek new products for those plants, she said. GM also leads all automakers in production of vehicles in Mexico, another thorny issue for the union.

It’s also possible there will be an economic downturn within the term of the next four-year contract, so the union will seek job and income security, Dziczek said.

Adding to the tension is the automakers’ quest to trim hourly labor costs, which have grown when compared with Southern U.S. factories run by Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai-Kia, Volkswagen and others.

Fiat Chrysler pays about $55 per hour in wages and benefits to UAW workers, while it’s $61 at Ford and $63 at GM. That compares with an average of $50 per hour at plants owned by foreign-based automakers, according to the Center for Automotive Research, an industry think tank.

Also playing into the talks is a corruption investigation into the union’s leadership. Last week federal agents searched Jones’ suburban Detroit home, and several union leaders and executives have been found guilty of taking money from a training center run jointly by the UAW and Fiat Chrysler.

Jones, who has not been charged, marched in Detroit’s Labor Day parade but exited the route before its completion and didn’t speak to union members. About 20 marchers carried signs calling for the union to be reformed.

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas linebacker Thomas Patrick Barrett has been arrested at a student bar on suspicion of contributing to a child’s misconduct and displaying or possessing a fictitious or fraudulent ID card.

20-year-old from Cleveland posted $1,500 bond and was released from jail a couple of hours after his early Sunday arrest at the Jayhawk Cafe, which is commonly known as The Hawk. The jail booking log shows that Barrett will turn 21 this week.

A statement from the football program says officials are “aware of the situation and are currently in the process of gathering information.” The statement says the situation will be handled according to internal policies.

Barrett was redshirted during his freshman season in 2017 and didn’t see any game action in 2018.

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on felony charges after a weekend incident at a grocery store in Salina.

Just before 4p.m. Saturday, police responded to Dillons, 1235 East Cloud in Salina after report of a disturbance, according to Police Captain Paul Forrester.

Brian Bowman, 53, was using the store’s self-checkout register when he allegedly became frustrated and punched the Toshiba register, causing $1,100 in damage.

Police arrested him on requested charges of felony damage to property, according to Forrester.

 

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal weekend crash and have identified the victim.

Just before 8:30 p.m. Sunday, a Nissan Extera driven Kaitlin Whelan, 30, Wichita, was westbound on 21st Street near Tealbook in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

The Nissan crossed into the eastbound lanes and struck a Hyundai Elantra driven by a 24-year-old woman head-on.

Whelan was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the 24-year-old woman to a local hospital. She remains hospitalized with serious injuries, according to Davidson.

Whelan was not wearing a seat belt, according to Davidson.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a 17-year-old in the shooting death of a man outside of a Kansas City community center.

Jackson County authorities said Friday that Treshaun Hawkins, of Kansas City, is charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 28-year-old Cartez Seals.

Seals died killed Aug. 25 outside the Brush Creek Community Center.

Hawkins is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond.

Court records indicate a witness told police Seals and another man met at the community center to discuss an ongoing feud. Video reportedly shows Hawkins, who was recording the men fighting, firing several shots at them.

Hawkins then drove away from the scene. He surrendered to police on Thursday.