KANSAS CITY -The FBI office in Kansas City circulated a wanted poster for a man dubbed the “Barrel Chested Bandit.”

Since August of last year, he is believed responsible for as many as eight bank robberies in three states.

He is believed to be armed and dangerous.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000.

The “Barrel Chested Bandit” is described as a white male in his mid-40s to early 50s, 5’6” – 5’10” tall, approximately 250 pounds, with a large build, light complexion and gray hair. He has worn a baseball cap in all of the robberies and sunglasses in six of the eight.

On Wednesday, August 24, 2016, at approximately 12:30 p.m., the suspect robbed
the Arizona Central Credit Union located at 787 South Alvernon Way, in Tucson,
Arizona.

On Wednesday, August 31, 2016, at approximately 11:22 a.m., the suspect robbed
the LeTourneau Federal Credit Union located at 2301 South High Street in
Longview, Texas.

On Monday, September 12, 2016, at approximately 2:03 p.m., the suspect robbed
the Bank of the West located at 500 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue NE, in
Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On Tuesday, October 18, 2016, at approximately 9:45 a.m., the suspect robbed the
First Bank Southwest located at 2400 South Georgia Street in Amarillo, Texas.

On Wednesday, November 2, 2016, at approximately 12:00 p.m., the suspect
robbed the Alliance Bank located at 1226 South Broadway in Sulphur Springs,
Texas.

On Wednesday, November 30, 2016, at approximately 9:27 a.m., the suspect
robbed the U.S. Bank located at 2300 Louisiana Boulevard NE in Albuquerque,
New Mexico.

On Monday, December 12, 2016, at approximately 6: 45 p.m., the suspect robbed
the Amarillo National Bank located at 2530 South Georgia Street in Amarillo,
Texas.

On Saturday, February 4, 2017, at approximately 11:15 a.m., the suspect robbed
the First National Bank located at 2021 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In each robbery, the subject produced a small frame handgun, ordered the teller to give him money, and exited on foot. The subject has made off with an undisclosed amount of money. To date, no one has been injured.

The Dallas FBI Violent Crimes Task Force is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the serial bank robber. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this individual.

If you have any information concerning this case, you are urged contact your local FBI Office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. You can also submit a tip at: tips.fbi.gov

BUTLER COUNTY- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 11a.m. on Saturday in Butler County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Honda motorcycle driven by Randel
Westerhoff, 67, Haysville, was eastbound on Kansas 254 at Butler Road five miles north of Andover.

The rear tire of the motorcycle blew out.

It caused the driver to lose control and lay the motorcycle down in the right lane.

Westerhoff was transported to Wesley Medical Center. A passenger Kathryn Westerhoff, 40, Valley Center, was not transported for treatment.

Both were wearing helmets, according to the KHP.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Derby man pleaded guilty in federal court in Wichita today to stealing mail while he worked as a mail carrier, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Gary W. Yenzer, 34, Derby, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of theft of U.S. mail.

In his plea, he admitted that in August and September 2016 while working as a mail carrier in rural Sedgwick County he stole mail.

Investigators learned Yenzer looked for birthday and anniversary cards so he could remove cash and gift cards. He kept the cash and sold some of the gift cards for cash, but he did not use the gift cards for fear of them bring traced to him.

Sentencing is set for May 1. The government has agreed to recommend a sentence of a year and a day in prison

By SAM ZEFF

One of the cornerstones of Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to balance the budget is anticipated savings from a statewide health insurance pool for Kansas teachers.

The governor said that could save $40 million in the fiscal year that starts July 1 and $80 million a year after that.

But that’s not what the Legislative Post Audit Division discovered in its evaluation.

Download the Legislative Post Audit Division report on a consolidated K-12 health insurance plan.

“The time needed to implement a consolidated K-12 health insurance plan and several other factors will make it difficult for the state to achieve the savings outlined in the Governor’s FY 2018 budget,” the report said.

The report said there eventually could be about $63 million in total annual savings if the state goes to a statewide insurance pool for teachers.

The report was given first to the Joint Legislative Post Audit Committee. It also will make its way to K-12 Budget and Appropriations in the House and Ways and Means in the Senate.

The report contradicts a consultant’s recommendation that suggested the state could save $80 million a year. Some Republicans and Democrats legislators were skeptical of the Alvarez and Marsal report commissioned last year by the Legislature at a cost of $2.6 million.

The Legislative Post Audit report says there are two ways to save money on health insurance. The first is an estimated $38 million in annual savings from efficiencies by reducing administrative costs and eliminating the need for catastrophic coverage.

But the rest of the savings would come, according to the report, by shifting the cost of care from school districts to teachers. Cutting some coverage or increasing deductibles and copays could save $25 million a year.

That suggestion set some lawmakers on edge.

“But when you start looking at cost sharing and switching responsibility, I’m not sure there’s any appetite in the Legislature to do that,” says Rep. John Barker, an Abilene Republican and chair of the Joint Legislative Post Audit Committee.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, himself a teacher, says the current system works just fine and lawmakers shouldn’t think of changing health coverage for educators as a way to balance the budget.

“In my opinion this is a no-brainer,” Hensley says. “It just shouldn’t be part of our budget discussion.”

Mark Tallman, from the Kansas Association of School Boards, agrees.

“But I think one thing is pretty clear: You are not going to be able to achieve these kind of savings next year, which was anticipated in the governor’s budget, and you are not going to be able to achieve these kinds of savings without shifting to employees, which I think will be a real concern all the way across the board,” Tallman says.

In a statement the governor’s office suggested there might be more savings than the report said. “The Legislative Post Audit study reviewed 101 school districts, or approximately 75 percent of the potential savings from a statewide insurance pool,” the statement said.

Some members of the committee asked whether any additional savings could be realized when if all districts were surveyed. Legislative Post Audit said perhaps a little more, but not much.

The other issue the report addressed was how the state and not school districts actually realize savings. Right now, districts pay for health care costs and any savings would go to them.

The report had three options:

• Districts could keep the savings “as a form of additional funding.”
• The Legislature could “recoup any savings realized through consolidation by reducing school district funding.”
• The state could pay for the whole thing and reduce state aid by the entire cost of coverage.

Sam Zeff covers education for the Kansas New Service.  Follow him on Twitter @SamZeff.

WABAUNSEE COUNTY- A Kansas man died in an accident just before 4p.m. on Friday in Wabaunsee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Harley Davidson Motorcycle driven by Roger D. Meyer, 73, Topeka, was northbound on Harveyville Road at Mockingbird Hill Road one mile north of Harveyville.

The motorcycle entered the southbound lane while negotiating a curve and was struck by a southbound 2001 Ford F150 driven by Kimberleigh Michelle Kopp.

Meyer was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Shawnee County Coroner.

Kopp was transported to Stormont Vail.

Meyer was wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

FORD COUNTY – Officials in Dodge City confirmed Friday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the community this week, according to social media report from police.

ICE was in Dodge City to arrest specific individuals that were wanted for previous felonies or had deportation orders.

This visit is not in contradiction to Chief Drew Francis’ statement that was issued previously in regards to Executive Order signed by President Trump.

On January 26, Francis wrote via social media, “ I want all the people in Dodge City to know that this order (from President Trump) does not change how we will serve the public.

We are still here to serve and protect everyone, regardless of their immigration status. We’ve heard of some false information being spread in our community. To clear that up, please note, we cannot legally pull any person over based on race or ethnicity, for example.

This new order by President Trump is targeting people who have already committed crimes. If you don’t commit any criminal acts, other than just being undocumented, you have nothing to worry about from the Dodge City Police Department.”

 

 

BEAVER CITY, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska dad accused of attacking a 17-year-old wrestler who defeated his son has been sentenced to four days in jail.

KSNB-TV in Hastings reports that Stacey Micheel, of Ainsworth, also was given 12 months of probation at his sentencing Thursday in Beaver City. Micheel had pleaded no contest as part of a deal with prosecutors. He’d originally been charged with felony child abuse.

Prosecutors say Micheel grabbed an Amherst High School wrestler by the neck and slammed him to the ground on Feb. 13 last year at a tournament in Cambridge. Micheel told investigators that the teen made a disparaging remark about pinning his son.

Beaver City is located 3 hours northwest of Salina.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A 38-year-old man who said he beat his roommate to death because he thought she was a zombie pleaded no contest to second-degree murder.

Christopher Duane Wallace entered the plea Friday in the January 2016 strangling and beating death of 35-year-old Jennifer Lopez in Overland Park.

A Johnson County judge then found Wallace guilty of the charge and scheduled sentencing for April 3.

The Kansas City Star reports Wallace told police he had fallen asleep after taking methamphetamine. Court documents say he said he began beating Lopez when she woke him up because he thought she was a zombie.

He told police he kept beating Lopez until “something made him stop.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is pushing for changes that would strengthen the state’s laws against human trafficking.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday introduced a bill containing Schmidt’s proposals. He said in a statement that the changes would put Kansas “in the top tier” of states in fighting trafficking.

His proposed changes include specifically making it a felony to knowingly sell travel services for sex tourism and declaring in state law that minors can never consent to trafficking.

Another change proposed by Schmidt would create a new felony crime of trading in child pornography over the Internet.

The bill also would increase the penalties for buying sex with a minor so that the presumed prison sentence for a first-time offender would nearly double to almost five years.

SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a third suspect in connection with a January human trafficking case.

Police arrested Daniel Anthony Ross, 30, Salina.

He is the son of Raymond L. Ross who faces aggravated human trafficking and aggravated indecent liberties with a child charges.

Police were called to the 800 block of University in Salina on January 3, where they found a 15-year-old runaway girl from Kansas City, Missouri.

Ross allegedly picked up the girl, giving her methamphetamines and had sex with her. He is also accused of taking the girl to a location in the 700 block of N 13th, where Gene Engberg had sex with the girl.

Both men were booked into the Saline County jail and the girl was taken into protective custody.

Police did not comment on Daniel’s role in the case but he has been booked into jail and faces multiple counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and two counts of criminal sodomy with a child.