KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 35-year-old Kansas man has been convicted of murder after a woman died in a traffic crash while fleeing from an alleged rape.

A Wyandotte County jury on Wednesday found Orlando Taylor guilty of first-degree murder in the August 2017 death of 39-year-old Shannon Keithley of Kansas City, Kansas.

Investigators say Keithley died when the car she was driving hit a concrete pillar near her home while she was calling 911.

Officers arrested Taylor after finding him hiding under the deck of Keithley’s house.

A knife was found in the driveway.

The Kansas City Star reports that after Taylor was initially charged with burglary and rape, Keithley’s family and friends pushed prosecutors to charge him with murder as well.

DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A suspect in a 2012 murder in Ford County has been returned to Kansas after being arrested and extradited from Mexico.

Ford County Attorney Kevin Salzman said 23-year-old Miguel Solis is a suspect in the death of Miguel Tol Juarez, who died in August 2012.

Solis is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery, one count of attempted aggravated robbery and one count of criminal possession of a firearm.

He is being held on $4 million bond.

Investigators say Solis was one of three Dodge City males who shot Tol Juarez at his home during an attempted robbery. The other two suspects were arrested shortly after the death but Solis fled to Mexico.

Solis’ next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 5.

OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon man who turned himself in for multiple sex crimes after 23 years on the run has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison.

The Oregon City Police Department said 62-year-old Wayne Arthur Silsbee was sentenced Wednesday after he turned himself in to authorities in May.

He was wanted on FBI arrest warrant dating to 1996, when he was under investigation for sexually abusing at least three girls between the ages of eight and 10.

Authorities say he babysat the girls or took them to events.

Silsbee is believed to have lived in Nebraska and has ties to Missouri; the San Francisco Bay area; Colorado; Arizona and Washington state.

Police say anyone who knows about Silsbee’s activities during the past 23 years should call them.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A University of Missouri-Kansas City associate professor whose complaints led to the eventual ouster of a top pharmacy professor has agreed to a $360,000 settlement of two lawsuits he filed alleging that university officials retaliated against him because of his allegations.

The University of Missouri system’s governing board reached the settlement with Mirdul Murkherji, of Lenexa, Kansas, two weeks before a trial was scheduled to begin on Murkherji’s complaints of employment discrimination and work harassment, The Kansas City Star reported.

Murkherji’s attorney, Gerald Gray, could not discuss the settlement terms but said Murkherji is “happy with the outcome and that he retained his job at UMKC.”

In lawsuits filed in 2016 and 2018, Murkherji, claimed his former boss, Ashim Mitra, was abusive to him and others who had reported Mitra to school officials. The lawsuits also claimed university officials retaliated against Murkherji for complaining that Mitra mistreated foreign students.

Mitra was suspended in November after an investigation by the Star found he had for decades used doctoral candidates from India who were in the U.S. on student visas as servants by forcing them to house sit, clean and serve food at social functions. Some of the students said they agreed to work for Mitra, who had brought the university millions of dollars in research grants, because he had the power to force them out of school, which would cost them their visas.

Murkherji discussed the problems with the newspaper and mentioned the mistreatment of the students in his lawsuit, which prompted a university investigation.

Mitra resigned in March after the university alleged in a lawsuit that he had stolen a student’s research and secretly sold it to a pharmaceutical company, costing the school millions of dollars.

Last Friday, the university fired Anil Kumar, who until last year was chairman of the school’s pharmacology division. The university has refused to say what led to the firing because it was a personnel decision.

HESSTON — Excel Industries Inc.  announced Thursday it was laying off 70 workers at the Hesston facility. According to a statement from the company, production and office positions are part of the reduction in workforce.

The company will continue operating both a first and second shift.

“The decision is the result of a loss in business from a mass retail partner. While the impact on our company is significant, the company says their longstanding commitment to smaller, independent dealers remain the bulk of their business,” the company said in a statement.

The statement went on to say the company will continue its strategy to grow the commercial market and that it is committed to an ongoing strategy that includes mass retail partners.

The company said it will provide access to employment and training services, assistance with health benefits, and transition payments to those affected.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas city official is running for the U.S. Senate next year as a Democrat.

Manhattan City Commission member Usha Reddi launched her campaign Thursday and hopes to become the first Hindu to serve in the Senate.

The 54-year-old Reddi is an elementary school teacher who has served on the city commission since 2013 and is now Manhattan’s mayor pro tem. She also ran unsuccessfully for a State Board of Education seat in 2012.

Four-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts announced in January that he’s not seeking re-election in 2020.

Reddi is the third Democrat to launch a campaign, after former federal prosecutor Barry Grissom and former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda. Democrats have not won a Senate race in Kansas since 1932.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect after a Tuesday standoff at a home in Wichita.

Just after 11a.m. Tuesday, police responded to a disturbance call at a home in 1100 block of North Amidon in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.  Police determined there was not a threat and left the scene but returned just after 5p.m.  Police described the second call as a mental health crisis involving a man later identified as Frank Manning , 52, Wichita, at the residence.

SWAT negotiators attempted to speak with the Manning who refused to leave the residence, according to Davidson. Police cleared the scene when they  determined no one was in danger and the Manning’s behavior did not meet the threshold of a felony crime, according to Davidson.

Just after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, a search warrant was served and police conducted a search at the Amidon address. Officers recovered several long guns including rifles and shotguns.

They located  Manning  at a home in the 900 block of south Pinecrest and arrested him without further incident.

He is being held on requested charges of criminal use of a weapon, harassment, and violation of a protection from abuse order stemming from the Tuesday incident, according to Davidson.

 

 

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — Pet owners in a suburban Kansas City town are puzzled and concerned after nearly two dozen animals have been reported disappeared or killed in recent weeks.

Shawnee, Kansas, resident Cindy Weber says her cat, Kitty Boy, failed to show up for breakfast on the morning of July 30, and he’s not been seen since.

Twenty-one animals have vanished or turned up dead over the past five weeks in Shawnee. Officials aren’t sure what’s happening, but some people have taken photos that appear to show coyotes and bobcats in the area.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism recommends not leaving food or water near the home. Residents also are urged to hire a professional rather try to capture or kill predatory animals.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A  mother is suing Juul Labs, Inc. in federal court, accusing the electronic cigarette company of developing a marketing strategy that targets teenagers.

The lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City seeks class action status. It contends Juul sought to portray its e-cigarettes as trendsetting and stylish.

Juul denies the allegation, saying it never marketed to youth and doesn’t want non-nicotine users to try their products. California-based Juul said in a statement that it launched an aggressive plan last year to combat underage vaping.

Mindy Boyd of Clay County, Missouri, alleges in the complaint that her 14-year-old daughter started vaping with Juul products in 2018. The lawsuit claims the teen became addicted to nicotine and hasn’t been able to quit.

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An autopsy has found that a Wichita toddler who died at a motel overdosed on the addiction treatment medication methadone.

The autopsy results for 2-year-old Zayden JayNesahkluah were released Wednesday.

Kayden’s body was found May 31 at a Wichita motel. His mother, 23-year-old Kimberly Compass , was charged earlier this month with first-degree murder. Her next court date is scheduled for Sept. 5.

Zayden is at least the ninth child age 5 or younger to die in the Wichita area under suspicious circumstances since 2017. Several of the children died after state welfare officials had contact with their families.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Oil and gas companies would face looser controls on emissions of potent climate-changing methane gasunder a proposal expected from the Trump administration as soon as Thursday, oil industry and environmental groups say. The government’s plan would ease requirements on oil and gas sites to monitor for methane leaks and plug them.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s move would be the latest in a series by the administration easing Obama-era emissions controls on the oil, gas and coal industries, including from methane leaks.

The oil and gas industry is the nation’s primary source of methane emissions, according to the EPA, accounting for nearly one-third in 2016.

Methane is a component of natural gas that’s frequently wasted through leaks or intentional releases during drilling operations. The gas is considered a more potent contributor to climate change than carbon dioxide, although it occurs in smaller volumes.

A study by the Environmental Defense Fund , an advocacy group, concluded that the oil and gas industry was emitting far more of the heat-trapping gas than is reported to the EPA.

MANHATTAN — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a social media threat and have made an arrest.

Just after 8a.m. Wednesday, the Riley County Police Department arrested two juveniles on felony criminal threat offenses stemming from posts on social media.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested on 3 counts of aggravated criminal threat, criminal use of a firearm, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and vehicle burglary. A 15-year-old girl was arrested on two counts of aggravated criminal threat and criminal use of a firearm.

According to the Riley County Police department arrest report Malachi Rendel Fielder, 15, Manhattan, was arrested for “Aggravated criminal threat; Cause terror, evacuation or disruption, Aggravated criminal threat; Cause terror, evacuation or disruption, Criminal use of weapons; Barrel of firearm < 12 in and person < 18 YOA, Aggravated criminal threat; Cause terror, evacuation or disruption, Burglary; Vehicle with intent to steal a firearm; Theft from Motor Vehicle, Possession of marijuana and Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body”

“You regularly hear the phrase, ‘see something, say something’, “Assistant Director Kurt Moldrup said. “I think this case demonstrates the continued importantance of acting on that. Citizens can be confident RCPD will take every report of a possible threat seriously.”

Aggravated criminal threat is a severity level 5, person felony. The teens are confined in the North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Facility.

NOTE: Kansas state law allows law enforcement to release the names of juveniles age 14 and older involved in criminal cases

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RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teen after an alleged threat.

Just before 7:30 a.m. Monday, police filed a report for aggravated criminal threat in the 1900 block of Lincoln Drive in Manhattan, according to the RCPD activity report.

Officers listed a 15-year-old boy as the victim and a 15-year-old girl as the suspect when it was reported she threatened the victim on social media while displaying a weapon.  Police have not reported an arrest.

On August 21, a citizen alerted the Riley County Police Department that a video had been posted to the social media messaging phone app Snapchat which depicted a 15-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl holding what appeared to be a gun and making threatening statements, according to Captain Josh Kyle.

Preliminary investigation indicates the video was directed at a different 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy.

All the parties mentioned are students at Manhattan High School West Campus.