RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue to investigate the cause of the fires on March 4-5 in Reno County.

The 43rd and Jupiter Hills fire on March 4, started along the road with no other possible sources of ignition located in the area. This fire is suspicious in nature, according to the Reno County Fire District #3 and the Reno County Sheriff’s Department.

On that same day, a fire occurred at 17th and Faubion – that has also been ruled suspicious in nature.

On March 5, about a half mile west of 82nd and Monroe, a fire started along the road. A firework was found in the area. The firework, known as a Ground Bloom, spins on the ground rapidly emitting a heavy shower of sparks from 8 to 16 inches in length. It’s not known if this was intentional or accidental. This fire is also considered suspicious in nature, according to officials.

Later that same day in the 9500 block of North Hendricks, a fire was reported north and west of the original fire.

There are several witnesses stating there was no smoke in the area shortly before this fire was reported. It is not likely this was a rekindle from the previous fire. This fire is also suspicious in nature.

There are no suspects at this time, according to officials.
If anyone has information about any of these fires, they are asked to call Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 620-694-2666 or 1-800-222-8477.

OSAGE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged threat at a high school.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of a possible threat to USD 434-Santa Fe Trail High School in Scranton, according to a media release. An investigation began immediately.

At 7 pm, deputies arrested a 15-year-old boy.

This was a verbal threat; no weapons or explosives were involved. The case will be forwarded to the Osage County Attorney’s Office Thursday to determine formal charges.
The Santa Fe Trail School District opted to close the school Thursday due to the threat.

Despite closing, the district did report that SFTJH track athletes will participate in the meet at Sabetha Thursday. Officials felt it would be safe for students to meet and to load busses

ELLSWORTH- Wednesday’s spring storm brought strong winds, hail and significant rainfall to many areas of central and south eastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service issued numerous severe thunderstorm warnings for 50-60 mile-per-hour winds and hail throughout Wednesday evening.

Other than some water over the roads and minor hail damage, there are no reports of significant damage from the storm.

What a beast of a storm by Ellinwood KS. #kswx 757pm pic.twitter.com/Ag2YcyIT2P

— Beth Allan (@adolwyn) April 20, 2017

Quarter size hail from Ellsworth @KWCH12 #kswx pic.twitter.com/crijcGnesJ

— Ross Janssen (@KWCHRoss) April 20, 2017

Hail in Ellsworth, KS this evening #kswx pic.twitter.com/ZnEhwW76fY

— Scott Thomasson (@Bowbendr_55) April 20, 2017

Severe warned storm N of Lincoln, Ks #kswx pic.twitter.com/aDBKsJNOKM

— Dumbledore (@kjordan4588) April 19, 2017

 

More rain is in the forecast. On Thursday, the National Weather service issued a flood watch for a large portion of south central and southeast Kansas from 12 a.m. April 21 through April 22.

WICHITA, KAN. – A man who held a jewelry store owner at gunpoint was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Terence L. Thomas, 25, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of brandishing a firearm during a jewelry store robbery and one count of bank robbery in a separate incident

In the jewelry store robbery, Thomas admitted he had a knife when he approached the owner of Kim Chee Jewelry at 2038 N. Broadway as the owner and his wife arrived for work.

The owner drew a handgun in self-defense. The two men wrestled and shots were fired before Thomas got the gun. He forced the owner to open the door to the business. When Thomas tried to drag the owner’s wife into the business, she fell to the ground, feigning a heart attack. Thomas fled the scene after the owner locked him out of the business. A witness took photos of Thomas’ car as he fled, which helped police to identify Thomas and arrest him.

In a separate incident a month earlier, Thomas robbed the Fidelity Bank at 3525 E. Harry. He told the teller, “This is a robbery,” and counted down from twenty while the teller put cash in his bag. He fled the bank with the money.

PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Six Kansas high school journalists who published a story that led to the resignation of their school’s new principal will be special guests at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

The Pittsburgh High School students and their teacher, Emily Smith, are receiving an all-expenses paid trip to the April 29 dinner in Washington D.C., courtesy of the Huffington Post.

The group made national news after a story published last month in the student newspaper questioned the credentials of Amy Robertson, who had been hired to become principal at the school. The questions eventually led Robertson to resign.

Pittsburg Superintendent Destry Brown told the Pittsburg Morning Sun he’s excited the students will get a “once in a lifetime” experience.

The students will be in Washington from April 28 to April 30.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a Kansas teenager who used bitcoin to buy a grenade on the dark web.

A criminal information filed Wednesday charges Carlos Francisco Martin of Coffeyville with receiving an explosive meant to destroy property.

Defense attorney Steven Gradert says his client is just “kind of a dumb 18-year-old kid” who wanted to blow up a truck as revenge because someone had damaged his mom’s car.

He says his client plans to plead guilty.

Gradert says the purchase initially drew the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s terrorism task force because of the method of purchase.

Bitcoins is a digital currency for use in peer-to-peer online transactions. The dark web is a collection of websites on an encrypted network that cannot be found using traditional search engines.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ top elections official has asked a magistrate judge to stay his order requiring him to turn over proposed changes to voting rights laws that he took to a meeting with President Donald Trump.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach filed the motion Wednesday. That was the deadline U.S. Magistrate James O’Hara had set to turn over two documents to plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging a state law requiring voters provide proof of their U.S. citizenship when registering.

O’Hara gave the American Civil Liberties Union until Friday to respond to Kobach’s request.

Kobach wants time to appeal the magistrate’s decision to U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson.

After examining the documents, O’Hara ruled Monday that parts were relevant to the lawsuit and chastised Kobach for misrepresenting the contents

NEWTON — Harvey County officials have scheduled a preliminary hearing for a suspect in last fall’s triple murder.

The hearing for 35-year-old Jereme Nelsen’s capital murder case is September 6, according to the county attorney.

Nelsen faces three counts of capital murder and three counts of first degree murder in the Oct. 30 shooting deaths of 37-year-old Angela Graevs, 33-year-old Travis Street and 52-year-old Richard Prouty in rural Harvey County.

Charges against co-defendant 31-year-old Myrta Rangel were dismissed last month. She now faces charges related to the murder case in Sedgwick County.

Her preliminary hearing on charges of possession of a firearm, obstruction and providing a firearm to a felon was scheduled Tuesday but has been continued.

During the hearing, Judge Joe Dickinson ruled against the defense motion to prevent cameras in the courtroom.

Under the ruling one live camera and one still photographer will be allowed to provide for all media outlets.

Dickinson also said he would reconsider whether to keep the affidavit sealed from the public.

That hearing is May 18.

Dickinson had ruled earlier that releasing the affidavit could jeopardize the physical, mental or emotional safety or well-being of the victims and witnesses, and interfere with prospective law enforcement action, criminal investigation or prosecution.

The defense requested the affidavits be sealed with no objection from Harvey County Attorney David Yoder.

MCPHERSON COUNTY- Four teens were injured in an accident just after 2:30p.m. on Tuesday in McPherson County.

A 1996 Ford Explorer driven by an 18-year-old was eastbound on Winchester Road that divides Saline and McPherson Counties when the driver lost control of the SUV in sand, according to McPherson Sheriff’s Captain Joe Hoffman.

First responders transported the driver and three passengers to Salina Regional Medical Center.

One passenger was ejected from the SUV.

All four were treated and released late Tuesday, according to Hoffman.

Names of those involved were not released.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police in Wichita, Kansas, say they’re seeking three men suspected in a baseball bat attack on a homeless man.

KAKE-TV reports that the 53-year-old victim reported that he was under a bridge near the city’s downtown early Wednesday when three men approached. The homeless man said one of them hit him on the back of the head with a baseball bat.

Police say the victim was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening. His medical status was not immediately clear later Wednesday.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The federal government is opening another investigation on how Kansas State University handles reports of off-campus sexual assaults.

The Manhattan Mercury reports the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights opened the recent investigation in late March. The office hasn’t released any information pertaining to the new investigation.

The university’s policy for investigating sexual assault allegations off campus has been under scrutiny, with this being the fifth investigation launched.

Two former students from the university are suing the school for not investigating their reports of being raped at Kansas State fraternity houses, saying it’s the university’s responsibility to investigate the reports.

Kansas State declined to respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just before 1a.m. on Wednesday in Wyandotte County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Suzuki GSX-R600X Motorcycle driven by Joseph Thomas Pate Darnell, 32, Kansas City, was southbound on Interstate 635 just south of Interstate 70.

The motorcycle rear-ended a southbound 2010 Ford Escape at a high rate of speed. Darnell was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene.

He was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

The driver of the Ford Jeanette Lynn Christ, 46, Kansas City, and a passenger we

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas education officials are holding off on renewing a contract with the state’s student assessment provider amid problems.

State Education Commissioner Randy Watson told state school board members Tuesday that there are “many other options” for delivering the test. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Watson says officials “want things to be reliable.”

Following Watson’s recommendation, board members pulled the renewal of the $6.2 million contract with the University of Kansas’ Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) from the agenda. Technical issues began April 4 when 15,000 students were simultaneously taking the assessments. A testing center official says the problem was fixed the next day.

Results of the 2014 tests were tossed because of cyberattacks and other technical issues. Problems also arose last year after a fiber cable was cut.