TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. attorney’s office says a Kansas man has been sentenced to 47 months in prison for sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl.
Thirty-year-old Reginald Eugene Newman of Topeka had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
In his plea deal, he admitted he and his wife, Tiara Jade Newman, took the girl in March 2015 from Topeka to Junction City, Kansas, for prostitution. A few days later, his wife took her to Manhattan where she told a customer the victim was new and she was showing her the business.
Prosecutors say the Newmans kept all the money from the commercial sex acts.
Tiara Newman was sentenced earlier this month to 34 months in prison.
SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating an attempted burglary.
Just after 1:30 a.m. on Monday, a man and his wife told police they noticed lights turn on outside of their home, in the 2500 block of Aberdeen Lane in Salina, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.
Two suspects then entered the home and began going upstairs.
The husband then attempted to chase down the suspects; one climbed out of a garage window and the other jumped off of the second story balcony.
Law enforcement arrived but could not locate the suspects. They believe one of them was armed with a handgun, according to Forrester.
The intruders did not take anything but some items were broken during the husband’s brief pursuit. The couple’s 20-year-old daughter was also home during the break-in.
PRATT – Before the boating season begins, you check your boat for gas, stock your cooler with ice, and chuck sunscreen in your “things to take,” bag, but have you crossed off Boating Education from your “things to do” list? Don’t wait until the weather is nice and plans with friends are made before you take a boating education course. “Spring Aboard” a class now, so you can get straight to the good times this summer.
“If we can increase the knowledge of the average boater, we can make our waterways significantly safer for recreational boaters,” said Stephanie Weatherington, NASBLA President. “The majority of recreational boaters are not on the water frequently enough, or for the length of time needed, to become an expert at operating a vessel. This is where boating education plays an important role.”
During the weeklong campaign, many course providers will be offering discounts and other incentives for those who enroll or complete a boating education course. In Kansas, a boater education course is required for anyone born on or after January 1, 1989, and under the age of 21, wanting to operate a motorboat or sailboat without adult supervision.
Boaters can take a traditional classroom course offered by KDWPT (visit ksoutdoors.com/Boating/Boating-Education) or an approved online course. The following online course providers offer boating education courses accepted in the state of Kansas: BOATsmart!, offering discounts on their boating education courses at www.boatsmartexam.com/us; BOATERexam.com, offering 50 percent off courses March 19-25; and Boat-Ed.com, also offering a 50 percent discount.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The court-appointed attorneys for a Kansas man accused of plotting to bomb to an apartment complex filled with Somali immigrants have asked a court to let them withdraw from the case.
The filing Monday by attorneys for Patrick Stein comes in the wake of an arraignment last week on a superseding indictment. Stein told the magistrate judge he was unwilling to be represented by attorneys Edward Robinson and Kristen Wheeler.
Stein told the court they were providing “ineffective assistance of counsel,” and he wanted to hire his own attorney.
Monday’s written filing exposes rifts between Stein and his attorneys over how to defend the case.
Stein wants to challenge the validity of a search warrant for his home and insists on bringing the case to trial as soon as possible.
SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects and looking for a third in connection with a weekend shoplifting spree.
On Saturday, police responded to Walmart, 2900 South Ninth in Salina, for report of shoplifting in progress.
Walmart employees directed police across the street to the Olive Garden parking lot, where they found Kristen Reed, 37, and Latrina Green, 35, both of Wichita, with a car full of stolen items, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.
The two women along with a third suspect had been traveling from town-to-town, shoplifting items.
Walmart employees told police that the suspects distracted the greeter while sneaking out two 40-inch TVs and two desktop computers.
Reed
The suspects then attempted to flee to their vehicle, leaving one television in the parking lot.
They drove to the Olive Garden parking lot to wait for the third suspect.
Reed and Green were taken into custody. The third suspect was never found, according to Forrester.
The Salina Walmart estimated their total loss at over $1,500.
Investigators on the scene of the drowning early Monday-photo courtesy KCTV
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Three-year-old twins are dead after apparently wandering into a pond just north of Kansas City.
The Kansas City Star reports the twins’ father woke up Monday morning and realized the children were missing from their home in Platte County.
Platte County Undersheriff Maj. Erik Holland reports both toddlers were found in the pond, the girl was found first and was rushed to a local hospital where she later died. Responders did not immediately see the boy until a dive team was called in.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Holland says they are investigating but don’t have anything that indicates anything other than an accident.
The private pond sits behind a few houses, including the one were the children lived.
The newspaper reports that father called 911 twice. Neighbors also called.
LYONS – A Kansas man was sentenced Monday to nearly 20 years in prison for a sex crime against a child, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
James Cory Pearsall, 66, Lyons, was sentenced in Rice County District Court by Judge Ron Svaty to 234 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections. Pearsall pleaded guilty in November 2016 to one count of aggravated criminal sodomy. The conviction stemmed from a crime that occurred between June and August of 2015.
The case was investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Lyons Police Department. Assistant Attorney General Lyndzie Carter of Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case.
Senator Carolyn McGinn chairs the Ways and Means Committee
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are advancing a proposal to give most state employees a 2 percent pay raise even as lawmakers wrestle with serious budget problems that could force a big tax increase.
The state Senate Ways and Means Committee voted Monday to include the raise in its proposed spending blueprint for the fiscal year beginning in July.
The committee opted for the broad pay increase instead of larger raises for judges and other workers in the court system. Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss urged lawmakers to boost their pay in his State of the Judiciary address last week.
Most state government workers have not seen a pay increase for almost a decade.
But the state also faces projected budget shortfalls totaling more than $1 billion through June 2019.
FINNEY COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating after a child was left in a hot car on Sunday.
Just before 4 p.m. police responded to St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City for a reported Child in Need of Care, according to a media release.
The investigation revealed a two-year-old child was left unattended in a vehicle for approximately two hours and was suffering from extreme heat exposure.
Further investigation revealed that on this date the family went to church at about 1:00 p.m. in Garden City.
During the ride to church the child had fallen asleep in the car. When the family arrived at church the mother exited the car with three of their four children and went into the church.
The father lagged behind to gather things needed for the children in the car. The mother and the father both believed that the other had taken the child from the vehicle. The two-year-old was believed to be in Sunday school with the other children, while the parents went to church services.
After the services ended the two-year-old child never came out of Sunday school with the other children.
The parents began searching for their son. The child was located in the car unresponsive. He was transported to St. Catherine Hospital by the parents. The child was stabilized and transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita Kansas.
The National Weather service reported the temperatures at that time Sunday as 92 degrees with 7% humidity.
SEDGWICK COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating a fatal shooting.
Just after 9p.m. on Sunday police responded to a shooting in the 2400 Block of North Minnesota in Wichita, according to the police on line media briefing.
Upon arrival, officers encountered a 17-year-old in an alley just west of Minnesota Street.
He had a single gunshot wound to his torso. A friend of the victim directed officers to the victim’s house and informed police the victim’s father was a possible suspect in the shooting.
The victim was transported to Wesley Medical Center where he died.
During the investigation, police determined the father and son argued in the front yard of the residence. When the son ran, the father pulled a handgun and shot him, according to police.
The father is being held on 2nd-degree murder charges. Two other teens who live at the residence were not home at the time of the shooting.
Senate Substitute for Substitute for HB 2052 – Rescission Bill
On Thursday, the Senate debated Senate Substitute for Substitute HB 2052. Commonly referred to as the “rescission bill,” S Sub for Sub HB 2052 makes appropriations revisions for FY’17. This bill is a large piece of the overall budget puzzle – it authorizes the borrowing of enough funds to close the FY’17 budget shortfall – and its passage is a large step forward in relieving the state of its ongoing budget deficit. This bill was introduced in and passed by the Kansas House of Representatives before making its way to the Senate. While the House used the Governor’s budget plan as a springboard, the Senate Ways and Means Committee opted to amend the bill to borrow about $149.2 million less than in the Governor’s proposal, including borrowing $104.4 million less from the State General Fund (SGF) than the Governor initially proposed. On the floor, the Senate debated multiple amendments pertaining to possible across-the-board cuts for the remaining fiscal year – including proposals for a two percent cut, a one percent cut, and a .5 percent cut. Ultimately, the measure failed, and no further agency cuts are expected to be made to FY’17.
Because the Senate amended this bill after the House passed it, it will go back to the House for another vote, where the House must either 1) accept the Senate’s amendments, which would send the bill to the Governor’s desk, or 2) deny the Senate’s amendments, triggering the need for a Conference Committee. A Conference Committee is a small, bipartisan and bicameral committee that works to smooth out the differences between the House’s and Senate’s version of a similar bill. Once the Conference Committee comes to a compromise, the committee’s version of the bill will be sent to both the House and the Senate for a final vote before sending the bill to the Governor’s desk. The next part of the budget debate will likely include changes to the tax policy. We anticipate to vote on an income tax bill in the coming weeks.
Other final action bills from the week
SB 137 – Relating to death benefits for certain Kansas police and firefighter surviving spouses
SB 137 would allow a Kansas police officer’s or firefighter’s spouse to receive an immediate lump-sum benefit equal to 100 percent of the member’s final average salary, if the member’s death was service-related (current law only allows a lump-sum to equal 50 percent of the member’s final average salary). When a service-related tragedy occurs, we must do all that we can to ensure the member’s spouse and family are taken care of, in the same way that the member devoted their life to taking care of Kansans. This bill sends a strong signal to our police and firefighters, and their families, that we value them and will not neglect their families, should tragedy strike.
HB 2387 – Tax Break for Repairing Wildfire Damage
With taxes being one of the hottest debates this session, the Senate set aside its tax policy disputes to unanimously approve a state sales tax exemption for purchases of supplies to repair fencing burned in the wildfires that burned more than 650,000 acres in Kansas. HB 2387 would provide farmers and ranchers with a sales tax exemption for all property and services purchased during 2017 or 2018 necessary to construct, reconstruct, repair, or replace any fence used to enclose agricultural land that was damaged or destroyed by wildfires occurring in 2016 or 2017.
SB 117 – Declaring Blackberry a Noxious Weed
SB 117 amends the Noxious Weed Law which permits the board of county commissioners to declare a plant to be a noxious weed within the boundaries of their county. The bill would add the everbearing blackberry and the Himalayan blackberry (both not edible) to the list of noxious weeds.
SB 184 – Authorizing the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center
SB 184 enacts the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Act and establish the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center (KIFC). The KIFC is a collaboration among federal, state, local, and tribal agencies, as well as certain private-sector entities. The center helps with intelligence analysis and also will promote and improve intelligence sharing among public agencies at both the state and federal level. The primary fusion center provides information sharing and analysis for an entire state. These centers are the highest priority for the allocation of available federal resources, including the deployment of personnel and connectivity with federal data systems. SB 184 also codifies the current practices of the KIFC. This bill was supported by the Kansas Adjutant General whose mission is to protect life and property through planning, coordination and synchronization of state and federal resources, to provide a ready military, emergency management, and homeland security capability for our state and nation.
KSReady.Gov – a very useful website for this spring
With the unpredictable Kansas weather, this state’s portal to information and resources on emergency planning and preparedness for the public, businesses, schools, children, elected officials and first responders is a very useful tool for this time of the year. On this website, the Kansas State Response Plan identifies 22 natural and man-made hazards that may occur in the state, everything from floods to radiological events to earthquakes. While we can’t always prevent tomorrow’s disasters, we can prepare ourselves to face them by taking steps today. Other important links to be found on this helpful page are chemicals which shouldn’t be mixed (Don’t Mix Chemicals! Read the Label First! Campaign), the Kansas Preparedness Challenge (prepare for whatever comes our way), Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), Rapid Damage Assessment Resource Kit and Long Term Community Recovery. You can also access the National Weather Service, Kansas Homeland Security, US Department of Homeland Security, Kansas voluntary organizations active in disasters and local County contacts.
Guest Chaplain
On Monday, March 14th, 2017, Captain Scot Kerns, Wing Chaplain, Kansas Wing Civil Air Patrol and pastor of Lincoln, Kansas, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, was invited to serve as the Senate Chaplain for the day as my guest. Here are the words he shared with us:
Almighty God, You rule over all. All authority comes from You. It comes from You to those servants who make and administer our laws. In Your Holy Word it says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” So it is then that we pray for these Your servants of the Kansas Senate. We ask that you guide them in their matters of deliberation and as they make decisions that they would benefit all residents of this state. Residents of Kansas including all the volunteers of the Civil Air Patrol. It is the dedicated volunteers of Kansas Wing Civil Air Patrol, whom distinguish themselves in service to their communities, the state and our nation. We pray for all those of the Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the United States Air Force. We give thanks for all servants of the Civil Air Patrol who are dedicated to giving back to the communities through its three missions – Emergency Services, Aerospace Education, and Cadet Programs. Here now I pray that together all as servants – we might see how You finally came to serve us. I pray that all might always look to You, the Chief Servant, the Lord, Jesus Christ till that life everlasting. Amen
From the State Library
The Kansas Constitution, including the Ordinance, Preamble, and Bill of Rights, is available to print in a pocket-sized version from the State Library’s website https://kslib.info/constitution. Just click on the link and follow the instructions. A helpful diagram shows how to fold and where to cut to assemble your booklet. Helpful tip: print double sided and flip on the long edge.
Visitors from Senate District #36
We had another busy week with visitors from home including the 7th Grade students from Concordia and the 2017 Lincoln County Leadership Class visited Topeka and had lunch with former Lincoln County resident Tom Tunnel and his staff at the KGFA headquarters. Tom is now the President of Kansas Grain and Feed Association in Topeka. The Leadership Class took the Dome Tour to the top of the Capitol followed by the Senate Session at 2:30PM where they watched the Senate floor debate.
As always, I’ll keep you updated on the activities of the Senate while we continue through the second half of the session. I always encourage you to stay informed of the issues under consideration by the Kansas Legislature. Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at www.kslegislature.org. You are also able to ‘listen in live’ at this website. The House meets at 11:00AM and the Senate at 2:30PM. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. An email is the best at this point in the session.
Thank for the honor of serving you!
Senator Elaine Bowers (R-Concordia), 36th Dist.
Kansas State Capitol Building
Room 223-E
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612 [email protected]
(785) 296-7389 www.kslegislature.org
TOPEKA— With Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget plan set to use $500 million of Kansas Department of Transportation funds to fill budget shortfalls in each of the next two fiscal years, the Senate Assessment and Taxation committee heard a motor fuel tax bill last week that would replace $84.5 million of those transferred funds.
Senate Bill 224 would increase the motor fuel tax rate to 29 cents per gallon. The 5-cent increase would make Kansas higher than each border state. Nebraska is currently the highest with a 28-cent rate for gas. Missouri and Oklahoma have 17-cent rate while Colorado is 22.
Jerry Younger, managing director of Kansas Ready Mixed Concrete Association and former KDOT official, said the tax was necessary to start addressing the neglect toward Kansas road infrastructure. Younger said the investments last year and this year are far short of the necessary $380 million required just to maintain the Kansas Highway system and the state’s budget transfers indefinitely delayed $500 million worth of KDOT projects.
“If four consecutive years of not fully funding the basic preservation needs occur, two things will most certainly happen,” Younger said. “Highways and bridges will be in worse condition than they are today and it will cost significantly more to address the roads and bridges that fall out of good condition.”
According to a 2016 U.S. Department of Transportation report, 62 percent of Kansas roads are considered to be in poor or mediocre conditions, ranked 38th in the nation. Thirty-one percent of Missouri’s roads are in poor condidtion.
Tom Palace, executive director of the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association of Kansas, said the bill puts Kansas convenience store owners at a disadvantage compared to neighboring states. Palace said nearly 38 percent of the Kansas population lives in the first county off the border. He said current tax levels on gas, as well as tobacco, incentivize customers to cross the border to make convenience store purchases.
“Consumers won’t change what they buy,” Palace said. “They will change where they buy. They will simply find a cheaper way to purchase their goods.”
Tom Whitaker, executive director of the Kansas Motor Carriers Association, said the trucking industry cannot afford this tax increase. Whitaker said the industry already bears a high burden of road maintenance costs, including a $100 per year increase on vehicle registration fees for trucks larger than a pickup truck. He said the transfers to the general fund should be fixed before discussing an increase to motor fuel taxes.
“We ask you to stop depending on the Bank of KDOT,” Whitaker said. “The Governor and the legislature do not have a State Highway Fund problem, you have a State General Fund problem.”
Under the bill, the State Highway Fund is estimated to receive $56.1 million in FY 2018 and $61.3 million in FY 2019.
All additional funds would be allocated to the Special City County Highway Fund. The SCCHF is estimated to increase by $28.4 million in FY 2018.
Kansas is currently projected to take in $439 million in motor fuel taxes in Fiscal Year 2017.
The Senate committee took no action on the bill.
Mac Moore is a University of Kansas senior journalism major from Lawrence.
RENO COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating two suspects injured after an accident during a Saturday high-speed chase involving a stolen jeep.
Just after 2:30 p.m. a Reno County Sheriff Deputy patrolling near Haven spotted a Jeep reported stolen earlier in the day from Hutchinson.
The deputy initiated a traffic stop, but the Jeep sped up and a chase began.
Other deputies laid stop sticks at Yoder and Trailswest Roads. The driver went around the stop sticks but drove through the ditch and went airborne.
The vehicle continued southwest through a field before it became disabled.
The driver, identified as 22-year-old Bryson Allen and his passenger 37-year-old Corey Drake, both of Hutchinson fled on foot.
They were both quickly apprehended and then complained of minor injuries. They were transported by EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where they were treated and released to deputies who transported them to the Reno County Correctional Facility.
Allen was arrested for suspicion of felony flee and elude, felony interference, possession of meth, felony possession of stolen property, and driving while suspended. His bond is set at $9,750.00
Drake was arrested for felony possession of stolen property, felony interference, possession of marijuana. His bond is set at $3,500. He has previous convictions for burglary, theft and drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Both are expected to make a first appearance in court Monday.
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RENO COUNTY – Two Kansas men were injured in an accident during a pursuit law enforcement just after 2p.m. on Saturday in Reno County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Jeep Liberty was reported stolen out of Hutchinson.
The vehicle driven by Bryson Paul Allen, 26, Hutchinson, fled when Reno County deputies attempted to make a traffic stop.
During pursuit, the Jeep left the roadway and drove through several pastures and struck a fence in the 2000 block of E Longview Road.
Allen and a passenger Corey Wayne Drake, 37, Hutchinson, were transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
They were not wearing a seat belts, according to the KHP.
