DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary at the Islamic Center of Lawrence and after releasing security camera images of the suspect have made an arrest.
Amadou Oury Bah -photo Omaha policeSurveillance images courtesy Lawrence Police
On Tuesday night, police in Omaha arrested 32-year-old Amadou Oury Bah for the recent burglary of the Islamic Center, according to officer Patrick Compton.
Just before 4a.m. August 13, an unknown individual burglarized the Center on Naismith Drive and through the course of the investigation detectives were able to link Bah to the crime.
Bah remains in Omaha pending an extradition hearing scheduled for Thursday, according to Compton.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Reno County jury found a Kansas man guilty of aggravated criminal sodomy Wednesday but found 28-year-old Nathan Allen Crum was not guilty of rape.
Crum -photo Reno Co.
Crum was accused of sexually assaulting the woman — whom he met online while they watched a movie at his home.
Crum admitted they had sex, but claims it was consensual. The sodomy incident occurred in August of 2018.
The female victim reported the alleged crime immediately and was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment.
With the verdict, Reno County District Judge Tim Chambers set sentencing for Oct. 11. Crum has a prior felony conviction for attempted arson, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Smoke rising from the Tyson plant fire early Sunday photo courtesy Shrimplin Photograph
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue said Wednesday his department has launched an investigation to determine whether there have been unfair beef pricing practices after the fire at the Tyson slaughterhouse in Kansas.
“As part of our continued efforts to monitor the impact of the fire at the beef processing facility in Holcomb, Kan., I have directed USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Division to launch an investigation into recent beef pricing margins to determine if there is any evidence of price manipulation, collusion, restrictions of competition or other unfair practices,” Perdue said in a statement..
If any unfair practices are detected, the department will take “quick enforcement action,” he added.
Industry experts say the price of live cattle has fallen since the fire, while wholesale beef prices have risen. The Holcomb plant processed about 6,000 cattle a day, about 6% of all the cattle processed in the United States.
Tyson officials have said a spark from welding during maintenance is the likely cause of a fire, which caused extensive damage. No one was injured. The fire damaged a small area but affected critical operating systems. The company has said it plans to reopen the facility .
The impact on retail beef prices for consumers since the Aug. 9 fire is not yet known because those figures are only reported monthly, said Glynn Tonsor, an agricultural economics professor at Kansas State University.
In the days after the fire, fed cattle prices fell by $5 per hundredweight to about $105 per hundredweight, Tonsor said. That amounts to about $70 per head for a 1,400-pound animal.
At the same time, choice wholesale boxed beef was up $22 per hundredweight in the days following the fire. Those were the largest daily gains for wholesale meat prices on record since market reporting began in 2001, Tonsor said.
“The point is wholesale beef got more expensive and cattle got cheaper because of the event,” Tonsor said.
Prices for live cattle have recovered a bit in recent days, but have not returned to their levels before the fire.
“I can’t say if there was anything inappropriate occurring,” Tonsor said. “I just think in general what was observed in the reported markets is consistent with supply and demand factors we anticipated.”
The fire reduced the ability of the industry to kill and process cattle as normal. That came at a time when beef stocks — the amount of beef in freezers — was pretty low in July. Beef buyers were concerned about the low beef supplies at the same time the meat processing plant fire made it harder to produce wholesale beef, so they bid up what beef existed, Tonsor said.
“On balance, I think it is the markets were working … the supply and demand situation led to lower cattle prices and higher beef prices,” Tonsor said.
Tonsor also pointed to other factors— such as the volatile stock market in the last two or three weeks — which can indirectly affect cattle prices. If demand is expected to be weak, cattle are worth less, when demand is expected to be strong, cattle become worth more, he said.
At the Kansas Livestock Association, spokesman Todd Domer said its members are frustrated with what is going on in the marketplace. He said an investigation is “probably justified.”
“Our members would hope that not only they can do a thorough job in that investigation, but also a fairly quick job,” Domer said. “Do it expeditiously so that we don’t have this hanging over the market forever or for an extended period of time.”
KANSAS CITY (AP) — A federal death row inmate from Kansas who raped, killed and dismembered a 16-year-old girl and beat an 80-year-old woman to death wants the chance to present claims that his trial lawyer was ineffective.
Wesley Purkey, 67, is being held at the U.S. Penitentiary Terre Haute, Indiana. His execution is scheduled to occur on Dec. 13, 2019 photo KDOC
Attorneys for Wesley Ira Purkey on Tuesday requested a stay of his execution, currently scheduled for Dec. 13.
Purkey is among five death-row inmates across the country set to be executed in the next five months. The executions, which the Justice Department announced in July, would be the first carried out by the federal government since 2003.
The defense argued that his trial lawyer failed to investigate his traumatic childhood, which included sexual abuse by alcoholic family members and a Catholic priest.
“Mr. Purkey is not ‘the worst of the worst,'” his attorney, Rebecca Woodman, said in a statement. “Had the jurors heard this information, at least one of them might have voted for a life sentence.”
Purkey, of Lansing, was sentenced to death for the 1998 killing of Jennifer Long after picking her up in Kansas City, Missouri. Purkey raped Long, stabbed her repeatedly and used a chainsaw to cut her body into pieces. He burned her remains in a fireplace and then dumped her ashes 200 miles away in a septic pond in Clearwater, southwest of Wichita.
Nine months later, Purkey was arrested in the killing of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, of Kansas City, Kansas. He pleaded guilty to Bale’s murder and was handed a life sentence.
A federal jury in the Western District of Missouri found Purkey guilty in 2003 of kidnapping Long, resulting in her death. Prosecutors sought the death penalty. Purkey has remained at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Long’s mother, Glenda Lamont, has said she planned to attend the execution.
“I don’t want to say that I’m happy,” Lamont said in July. “At the same time, he is a crazy mad man that doesn’t deserve, in my opinion, to be breathing anymore.”
Purkey’s lawyers said they are also seeking clemency from President Donald Trump, urging him to commute Purkey’s death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. They cited his dementia diagnosis and his remorse.
“He has not forgiven himself, and so he cannot ask for forgiveness from you or your office,” his attorneys wrote in his clemency petition. “He asks only for your intervention, which would simply permit him to die in prison, at this late stage of his life.”
SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and working to find suspects.
Police on the scene of Tuesday’s shooting investigation photo courtesy KWCH
Just before 11p.m. Tuesday, police responded report of a shooting at a home in the 1600 Block of South Batten in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
At the scene, police located a 22-year-old woman who had been shot in the arm. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. She is pregnant and remains hospitalized Wednesday afternoon, according to Davidson.
Investigators learned several suspects forced their way into the residence where the victim and a 29-year-old man were located.
During the disturbance, a shot was fired striking the woman. The suspects then fled on foot. Those involved have not been cooperative with police and not shared details that could help with the investigation, according to Davidson.
It is not believed to be a random incident. Police ask that anyone with information on the case to contact them.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Food is always a popular hit with the Kansas State Fair.
Krispy-Kreme hot dog
Visitors to this year’s fair will have some new items to try out including a new twist to Krispy Kreme pastries: the Krispy Kreme hotdog.
Just when you thought Carousel Cafe’s Krispy Kreme hamburger was quirky now comes the Krispy Kreme hot dog. The treat features a fresh jelly stuffed Krispy Kreme donut as the bun. It’s filled with an Angus beef hot dog topped with more jelly and finished off with thick Applewood smoked bacon.
Another food item with a local twist is the honey bun burger. It’s a beef patty from Yoder Meats which is sandwiched between two warm Honey Buns, then topped with fresh veggies, often served with a slice of melted cheese. To top it off, you can add Applewood smoked bacon or chocolate-covered bacon, which serves as the perfect complement to this sweet and salty burger. The Carousel cafe will also be serving this treat.
If you have a sweet tooth, a deep-fried bite-sized cheesecake may be your thing. The nuggets are then topped with powdered sugar and cherry drizzle. Brackett Concession’s cookie dough stand will be selling those.
Directions to any of these food items or other treats will be on the free state fair app.
SALINA —The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has released the names of the two people who died as a result of the incident on Harold Avenue Wednesday morning.
Salina Police received a 9-1-1 call from a family member of a resident of 2092 Harold, according to KBI Communications Director Melissa Underwood. When officers arrived, they found what they believed to be blood on the porch of the home.
The officers made entry and as they were clearing the residence, they found a deceased female who Underwood identified as Linda Kromer, 71, who she said lived next door. Officers believed that Kromer had been stabbed to death, Underwood said.
As the officers continued clearing the residence, they heard noises coming from a room in the basement, Underwood said. Through a crack in a door, officers could see a man armed with a knife. They told the man to drop the knife and come out, at which time the man advanced on the officers and two officers fired, striking the man, Underwood said.
Underwood identified the man as 28-year-old Jeremy Connolly, who was Kromer’s grandson. Connolly was transported to Salina Regional Health Center, but died a short time later, Underwood said.
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SALINA — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Salina.
Salina Police and Saline County Sheriff’s personnel responded to what turned out to be an officer-involved shooting in southwest Salina.
Just after 11:30 Wednesday, police were dispatched to a call for service in the 2000 block of Harold Avenue in Salina, according to a media release.
The caller believed that an individual inside the home had been injured.
Upon arrival, officers located what appeared to be blood on the front portion of the residence. Officers entered the home in an effort to locate anyone in distress. Officers located a recently deceased female inside and immediately began securing the home for any other victim(s) or suspect(s).
Shortly thereafter, officers located a man in the basement of the home. This male was armed with a knife. After a brief confrontation, the man who was still armed with the knife, was shot by two Salina Police officers.
This man was transported to Salina Regional Hospital and he was pronounced dead at just before 1p.m., according to the release.
This officer-involved shooting and death investigation has been turned over to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) who is presently on-scene.
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SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Salina police say an officer was involved in a fatal shooting at a home in west Salina.
Police Capt. Gary Hanus said that the confrontation began Wednesday morning when officers went to the home for a welfare check.
He says a person who was armed was shot by police during the incident.
Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Melissa Underwood said the suspect died after being taken to a hospital.
She said no officers were injured.
No further details were immediately available.
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By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
A Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) Officer-Involved Shooting team is responding to a Wednesday morning incident in southwest Salina
Officers were dispatched to the 2000 block of Harold Avenue for a welfare check, according to Salina Police Captain Gary Hanus.
“During the welfare check, they came upon a person who was armed. There was an officer-involved shooting. Per department policy, we’ve contacted the KBI. They are responding with their OIS team and they are taking over the investigation,” Hanus said.
One person was transported to Salina Regional Health Center, Hanus said. He could not say whether that person was an officer.
Hanus said there is no public safety issue.
Two KBI agents were already on scene, he said. Any additional information about the incident will come from the KBI, according to Hanus.
LANE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a report of alleged identity theft and have suspects in custody.
photo courtesy Lane County Sheriff
Just after noon August 8, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office in Dighton receive a complaint about the use of a stolen credit card number, at a fuel pump, according to a social media report.
Upon further investigation deputies seized two semi trucks and trailers for theft of fuel. They also found multiple financial cards with a card skimmer and other electronic devices and seized $6,000 in cash.
The Ness County Sheriff’s Office and their K-9 assisted with the investigation and arrests. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is also assisting with the case.
BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an aggravated robbery and have made an arrest.
McNett photo Barton Co.
Just after 10 p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to 721 Madison in Great Bend in reference to an unknown disturbance. Upon arrival, a 20-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman told police three suspects identified as as Tia McNett, 30, Cody Buckingham, 18, and a juvenile entered into the residence.
One victim told officers that he was struck in the head with an unknown object. The female victim stated she was battered by McNett. The suspects stole property and left the area, according to police.
EMS transported the male victim was transported to the hospital in Great Bend where he was treated and released. The female victim received minor injuries and refused medical attention.
The Police Department issued an Attempt To Locate for the suspects. They have arrested McNett and the juvenile suspect was located and arrested at an address in Great Bend. Officers found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia on his person. He was was booked at the Barton County Jail and later transported to Bob Johnson’s Juvenile Detention Facility. McNett is being held in the Barton County Jail. Authorities have not released potential charges against her.
TOPEKA, KAN. – More than 50 people have been indicted on federal charges as a result of a three-year investigation to identify traffickers behind a rising tide of heroin, fentanyl and other drugs on the streets of Manhattan, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Sylvester Calvert photo KDOC
“Fentanyl and heroin are a deadly combination,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister. “Our goal is to save lives by disrupting the pipelines bringing these and other poisons to the city Manhattan.”
OVERDOSE DEATH
Federal indictments filed last week and kept under seal until now allege that 18-year-old Kansas State student Maxwell F. Dandaneu was found dead Sept. 26, 2017, in his off-campus apartment from an overdose caused by fentanyl. An indictment alleges Dandaneu got the drugs from a drug trafficking organization made up of five conspirators who are among 54 defendants whose names appear in one of a 13 grand jury indictments.
Defendants Henry Clark, Sylvester Calvert, Michael Calvert, James Toliver, and Blake Woodard are charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl and heroin resulting in Dandaneu’s overdose death, as well as other charges. Woodward is charged with directly distributing the fentanyl to Dandaneu that led to the fatal overdose.
DRUGS CHARGED
In addition to heroin and fentanyl, other drugs that traffickers are accused of distributing include ecstasy, marijuana, methamphetamine and hydrocodone.
CRIMES CHARGED
Dennis Butler, RCPD Director during Wednesday’s news conference in Topeka
The indictments include charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in bodily injury or death, distributing controlled substances resulting in bodily harm or death, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, unlawful possession of a firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, maintaining a drug involved premise, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm, using Facebook Messenger in furtherance of drug trafficking and removal of property to avoid seizure.
CHICAGO CONNECTION
Law enforcement officers called the investigation Operation Chicago Connection, based on the fact that in 2016 investigators began to hear talk on the streets of this college town about traffickers who some sources called “the Chicago Boys.” In the following months, investigators worked to get a clearer picture of what was going on. What they learned was that some traffickers were making regular trips to Chicago to bring back heroin, fentanyl and other drugs.
TAKEDOWN
Law enforcement officers were out in force Tuesday, serving arrest warrants and search warrants in Manhattan as part of a federal takedown that was one of the largest in state history. Defendants were scheduled to begin making initial appearances in federal court in Topeka today.
Indictment nine (One defendant, fentanyl, removal of property to prevent seizure)
Chanel Toliver, 32, Manhattan, Kan.
Indictment ten (One defendant, methamphetamine)
Damon Brown, 44, Westmoreland, Kan.
Indictment 11 (One defendant, heroin, felonious use of a communication device)
Jason Simonds, 46, Manhattan, Kan.
Indictment 12 (One defendant, felonious use of a communication device)
Jerah Gasser, 26
Indictment 13 (One defendant, firearms)
James Atkinson, 50, Manhattan, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes in the 13 indictments carry the following penalties:
Conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in bodily injury or death (Clark, S. Calvert, M. Calvert, J. Toliver, B. Woodyard): Not less than 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $5 million.
Conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in bodily injury or death (K. Obrecht): Not less than five years and not more than 40 years, and a fine up to $5 million.
Distributing heroin resulting in bodily injury or death (B. Woodyard): Not less than 20 years and a fine up to $5 million.
Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: Up to 20 years and a fine up to $1 million.
Conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl: Not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million.
Unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000.
Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine: Not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million.
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon: Up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Maintaining a drug involved premise: Up to 20 years and a fine up to $500,000.
Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine: Not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million.
Conspiracy to make a false statement to obtain a firearm: Up to five years and a fine up to $250,000.
Using Facebook Messenger in furtherance of drug trafficking: Up to four years and a fine up to $250,000.
Removal of property to prevent seizure: Up to five years and a fine up to $250,000.
The case was jointly led by the Riley County Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Riley County Attorney’s Office, the Junction City Police Department, the Geary County Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Department, the Junction City Police Department.
MAIZE, Kan. (AP) — Voters in the Maize school district overwhelmingly approved more than $100 million in bonds, which will pay for two new schools and other projects in the rapidly growing district.
Unofficial results from Tuesday’s election show one question passed with 85 percent of the vote and the second passed with 77 percent. About 2,989 votes were cast, which is 11.6% of registered voters.
Besides the new schools, the $108.2 million in bonds will be used for an auditorium, a storm shelter, an indoor pool, safety upgrades, renovations at the high school and other projects.
District officials previously said taxes will not be raised for the bonds.
Superintendent Chad Higgins said in a statement the district has grown 9% in five years, adding 600 students.
WRIGHT COUNTY, Mo.—The body of a missing 3-year Missouri girl was found Wednesday in a pond near where she was reported missing, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Vivian Fitzenrider courtesy photo
Just after 6p.m. Tuesday, authorities reported Vivian Fitzenrider had disappeared near 13th and Oakview Lane in Mountain Grove.
Volunteers showed up to help with the search Tuesday night and worked until just before midnight.
The circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation, according to the Patrol. The Mountain Grove Police Department and the Wright County Sheriff’s Department are assisting.
MANHATTAN — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a case of alleged fraud.
Just before 4:30p.m. Tuesday, officers filed a report for theft in the 3100 block of Anderson Avenue in Manhattan.
Robbins Motor Company and Kansas State Bank reported a known male suspect fraudulently used bank information from victim’s check to take took money from the victims, according to the Riley County Police Activity report. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $80,000.00.
