MCPHERSON COUNTY –Four people were injured in an accident just before 5p.m. on Friday in McPherson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Chevy Impala driven by Brandi Vollnogel, 31, Hutchinson, was eastbound on Comanche Road.
The driver failed to stop at the stop sign at Kansas 61.
A southbound 2001 GMC Yukon driven by Lauren Clark, 19, Sedgwick, hit the Chevy.
Vollnogel, Clark, a passenger in the Chevy Rhiannon Call, 10, Hutchinson, and a passenger in the Yukon Jesse Hursey, 19, Lyons, were transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate worked this week to pass the bill so Brownback could sign it Friday in honor of Kansas Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Day. The House passed the bill 115-9 Tuesday. The Senate passed it 38-0 Wednesday.
The law enhances penalties for non-drug felonies against police officers if the officer is on duty or if the perpetrator knows the victim is a police officer. It was passed along with measures regarding interrogation recordings and lower sentences for some drug crimes.
Some lawmakers wanted the bill to include a broader hate crimes penalty. Brownback says that’s unlikely as the legislative session nears its end.
Benton County Deputies recovering a vehicle at Beaver lake last month- photo Benton Co. Sheriff
BENTON COUNTY, ARK -Authorities say part of a human leg found in an Arkansas lake in 2001 has been identified as that of a Kansas man who drowned nearly 30 years ago.
In July of 2001, human remains consisting of a lower leg were discovered on the shoreline of Indian Creek Park at Beaver Lake in Benton County Arkansas, according to a media release from the sheriff’s department.
The remains were unidentified and therefore placed into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons Database. Over the years there has been no match in the database, and the case has remained cold.
In July 2016, Detective Sergeant Hunter Petray, reopened the case and explored the possibility that the remains could belong to a drowning victim.
Reports were researched consisting of drowning victims whose bodies were never recovered. An individual by the name of Steve Dale Peterson from Kansas was identified as having drowned in the vicinity of Indian Creek Park in October 1989.
Due to the conditions of the lake, Mr. Peterson’s body was never recovered.
Sergeant Petray was able to track down living relatives of Mr. Peterson in Kansas.
Mr. Peterson’s 93-year-old mother and 69-year-old sister came to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office in order to provide DNA samples for comparison.
DNA samples were developed in April 2017 and compared against the unidentified remains found at Indian Creek. The testing provided a positive match between the DNA samples and remains.
Mr. Peterson’s family was notified of the positive findings. A death certificate will now be issued for Steven Dale Peterson and the remains will be released back to the family for proper burial.
WICHITA – A Kansas man was sentenced Thursday to five years in federal prison for distributing child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Mark D. Busby, 48, Mulberry, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography.
In his plea, he admitted he installed software from the Ares file-sharing network on his computer and used it download child pornography and share it with other users.
An investigator with the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force downloaded child pornography from Busby’s computer.
Beall commended the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and Assistant U.S. attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.
MCPHERSON, Kan. (AP) — Police have released details in the killing of a central Kansas man last month.
Travis Belt, 25, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 58-year-old Steven Carlson.
A probable cause affidavit released Wednesday says Belt was given permission to use Carlson’s truck the day before police found his body. The affidavit alleges Belt used the truck to steal a knife and other items from a Wal-Mart.
Police say they found Carlson’s body April 14, after his friend called 911 saying it was unusual his garage door was open. Carlson’s white truck was missing.
A phone message left by The Associated Press seeking comment from Belt’s attorney was not immediately returned Friday.
Belt’s preliminary hearing is scheduled to start July 17.
MANHATTAN – Law enforcement authorities at Kansas State University are investigating after a noose was found hanging from a tree on campus.
The University’s Office of Institutional Equity received notification of the noose hanging from a tree on the Manhattan campus Friday morning and it was removed. according to a media release.
The reason for the noose is unknown. The university issued a reminder about the Principles of Community and they stand united against all forms of discrimination.
The university also admitted that it is a stressful time of year and anyone who has concerns should contact
FINNEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities and officials with USD 457 are investigating alleged threats at Garden City High School.
Just after 7p.m. Thursday, officers of the Garden City Police Department were made aware of reports of threats of violence towards students of the Garden City High School through social media, according to Police Captain Randy Ralston.
Based on information received during the investigation, police have placed a 16-year-old boy into protective custody.
No arrests or charges have been made or requested at this time.
Police presence was increased Friday at Garden City High School.
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FINNEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities and officials with USD 457 are investigating alleged threats at Garden City High School.
The school’s administration and Garden City Police Department were contacted late Thursday evening with information about a potential threat made through social media towards the High School, according to a memo from principal Steve Nordby.
The Garden City Police Department interviewed numerous people of interest in the alleged threat.
Garden City High School will hold classes on its regular schedule on Friday.
The school district is working with police and other community agencies to ensure the safety of students and staff.
There will be an increased law enforcement presence on Friday.
Anyone who has specific information related to this threat should contact the Garden City Police Department.
LYON COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Lyon County are investigating two teenagers in the case of abandoning an animal.
On April 26, a resident told deputies she found a guinea pig in her mailbox in the 1600 Block of G Road, according to media release from the sheriff’s department.
During the investigation, it was determined that 2 more guinea pigs were released into the wooded area around South Avenue and Prairie Street.
Efforts to locate those guinea pigs were unsuccessful.
A 17-year-old girl has been charged with 3 counts of animal cruelty. The other, an 18-year-old girl will have charges referred to the Lyon County Attorney’s Office.
The guinea pig, affectionately named Rosita by the Emporia Animal Shelter staff, is still at the animal shelter as per Kansas Law.
After 21 days, Rosita could be adopted out but we are told that the Friends of the Emporia Animal Shelter want to sponsor Rosita and take care of it there at the shelter.
Two homes hit on Thursday afternoon-photo courtesy KCTV
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The Olathe Police Department is investigating after a man allegedly lost control of his vehicle and crashed into two homes.
Police say that the driver drove through one house before crashing into a second home on Thursday evening.
Witnesses say they saw a light blue Ford Taurus driving erratically before the crash. The driver allegedly drove through two other yards before striking the houses.
Officers are investigating the cause of the accident. Police say no injuries were reported.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Legal challenges to a Kansas law requiring documentary proof of citizenship remain on track for trial after rulings in two separate federal cases.
U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson on Thursday mostly denied motions seeking summary judgment in mixed rulings that nonetheless keeps both cases alive in the courts.
The judge denied a motion for partial summary judgment sought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the League of Women Voters and voters. Robinson rejected the claim that the proof of citizenship law discriminates against people born outside Kansas.
But the ACLU’s lawsuit’s key argument that the Kansas law violates a federal law requiring minimal information to register remains for now.
Robinson also ruled Thursday that a separate but similar case could go to trial on a right-to-vote claim.
Alex Deaton courtesy of Ellsworth County Sheriff’s Office
BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — A grand jury has indicted a man accused of leaving a trail of dead and wounded people and stolen cars in Mississippi, New Mexico and Kansas.
District Attorney Michael Guest says grand jurors in Rankin County, Mississippi, indicted Alex Deaton Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder, auto theft, and drive-by shooting. He’s accused of strangling his girlfriend, stealing her car, and shooting a jogger in February.
He’s also suspected in the killing of a woman cleaning a church in Neshoba County, Mississippi.
Scene of Deaton’s crash in Ellsworth Co.-photo courtesy KHP
From there, he allegedly drove to New Mexico, carjacked a couple, fled to Kansas and shot a convenience store clerk in Pratt.
Deaton awaits a June 3 preliminary hearing in Pratt where he’s expected to be tried first on charges of attempted murder, theft, robbery and fleeing police.
HARPER COUNTY– Another earthquake rattled portions of Kansas on Thursday,
The 3.5 magnitude quake hit just after 6:30p.m. Thursday and was centered approximately 13 miles southeast of Harper according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City International Airport has been asked to stop a recently added screening procedure that required passengers to remove all paper products from their carry-ons while going through security checkpoints.
The Kansas City Star reports the Transportation Security Administration asked the airport’s security agency Akal Security Inc. to stop the policy Tuesday because it was affecting operations.
The procedure required passengers to remove all paper items including books, loose-leaf paper, Post-It notes and files so they could be screened to make sure no dangerous items were hidden inside.
The TSA says random and unpredicted screening measures may be implemented at airports if they follow TSA guidelines.
The agency says it has no plans to adopt the paper screening policy on a larger scale.
