SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are asking for help to locate a missing Kansas felon.
Hamilton-photo Shawnee County
On Wednesday, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s office issued the alert for 23-year-old Keegian R. W. Hamilton on the charge of Criminal Possession of a Weapon by a Felon; convicted within 5 years.
Hamilton has two previous drug convictions in Geary County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
If you know the whereabouts of this person, please contact the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office at 785-251-2200, CrimeStoppers at 785-234-0007, or 800-KS-CRIME.
JCHS STUCO and MHS TRIBE are teaming together for a Canned Food Drive during this Friday’s basketball game between the Junction City Blue Jays and the Manhattan Indians at Shenk Gym at JCHS. They are asking you to bring a non-perishable food item to the game. All donations will benefit the local Open Door. The game is Friday, December 15, 2017.
Kelsey Leadbetter, Kindergarten teacher at Ware Elementary School was honored on Tuesday as the 1420 KJCK December Teacher of the Month. Pictured are students, sponsors and Ms. Leadbetter.
The new secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families has come in promising a thorough review of the agency, staffing changes and more accountability following allegations and outrage about problems in the state’s foster care system.
Gina Meier-Hummel, who started the job Dec. 1, has been reluctant to criticize her predecessor but has said she wants to change the tone of the agency. She has promised more transparency and accountability in confronting issues like children sleeping in social worker’s offices, running away from their foster homes and dying while in the state’s care.
Great to be speaking before the Child Welfare Task Force today. We are dedicated to promoting transparency and openness as we continue collaboration and work together to improve our system for children and families. #kslegpic.twitter.com/DulQAsXPHo
In October task force members showed concern when they learned that then-DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore appeared to be unaware that three girls had been missing from their foster placement in Tonganoxie for more than a month. Meier-Hummel addressed this issue when her nomination was announced, saying she wanted a list every morning of which kids were missing and information about their cases.
Here are excerpts from an interview with Meier-Hummel after her first week at DCF.
It was really concerning to me, and it has certainly been a top priority since I’ve gotten the office. I have gotten the daily report we talked about. We are looking — actively looking — working with law enforcement for some of these kids, and working with our contractors to find all of them and make sure their needs are being met.
I think I was surprised (by the number). Having worked in the field, I know that kids leave placements. You certainly hope that kids don’t leave placements, you certainly want them to feel comfortable. I mean, you recognize that these are kids that have had very traumatic histories, some of them, but we need to then be trying to be responsive to those needs. So what is it that they need that’s causing them to want to do those things? And how can we better meet their needs?
We’ve already started having those conversations, as well, with the contractors, and we’re getting daily reports now. If there are kids, they need to tell us right away how many? Why? What are they doing to try to address this? We’ve asked them for corrective action plans around, “What are you doing to make sure this isn’t happening again?” We have a responsibility to come alongside our contractors and help create options for kids if that’s what’s needed.
If it’s that we don’t have beds or we don’t have capacity to meet the needs of the kids we currently serve, then we have to help them create that capacity.
We have a lot of kids in custody. We have a record number of children in out-of-home care. And I think one of the things that we have to do differently is we have to work to strengthen families so kids can remain safely with their own families, and I think that’s a great opportunity for us to do more prevention work. We need to look at our assessment in making sure that we’re removing the right kids and then again look at our timeliness to serving kids and families. So are we acting with a sense of urgency? Are there barriers? So there’s a wide range of things we can do to make the system more responsive to the needs of Kansas families.
I think certainly most folks don’t want to be dependent on state government, and most folks want to be independent and living on their own accord, so I absolutely think that’s the right approach.
Madeline Fox is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, You can reach her on Twitter @maddycfox.
MANHATTAN —The Riley County Police Department along with the Lawrence Police Department continue their intensified efforts into solving multiple incidents of rape committed in both Manhattan and Lawrence since 2000 that appear to be connected.
On Tuesday, authorities released a sketch of an individual that may have been seen in the vicinity shortly before the first incident in October 2000.
In July police released new information about a serial rapist who is believed to have attacked 13 women from 2000 to 2008 in the college towns of Manhattan and Lawrence.
In a media release, police reported that in March of 2009, then Kansas Attorney General Steve Six announced that multiple incidents of rape committed over the course of eight years in both Manhattan and Lawrence appeared to be connected. These incidents began in October of 2000 and ended in December of 2008, involved the victimization of women in Manhattan and Lawrence, and all of them were students at either Kansas State University or the University of Kansas. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.
Each incident involved a masked intruder entering the victim’s off-campus residence, mostly between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. as the victim slept, and all but one coincided with a break in the academic calendar. The residences themselves varied from apartment complexes to duplexes to single dwellings. While the point of entry was frequently identified, the means by which the suspect made entry were sometimes unknown. Many of the survivors reported having locked their door(s), yet there were no signs of forced entry. There were also indications that the survivors were surveilled by the assailant prior the incident. In all but two cases, the victim was alone.
The assailant was typically described as a white male between 5’9” and 6’0”, with various descriptions of build and estimations of weight and age. We have no confirmed description of the assailant from anyone other than the survivors of these crimes. In most cases a handgun was displayed, with which the assailant threatened the survivors as a means to gain compliance. While the physical violence of the assaults was usually limited to the rape itself, these were all violent acts carried out by an assailant who did so in a cold, calm, calculated manner.
Even before the Attorney General’s announcement in 2009, The Riley County Police Department and the Lawrence Police Department worked closely together to determine if these cases were related, and the join investigation ultimately established a number of similarities, and a lack of significant dissimilarities, existed between the incidents to conclude that they were likely committed by the same suspect. Nothing in their continued investigation since that time has suggested otherwise.
In the early morning hours on this date in 2015, an unknown assailant entered a residence in the 1400 block of Watson Place in Manhattan with the intent to commit a sexual assault against the female resident, a student attending Kansas State University. A lengthy investigation into the incident has led us to conclude that there is a high probability that the assailant is the same assailant from the previous cases. In 2015, he was described as a white male, approximately 5’10”, and heavier set, most noticeably around the stomach and thighs. The prominent stomach was a frequently mentioned characteristic from previous cases. As to age, we believe the assailant was at minimum 33 years old at the time of the 2015 incident based upon the dates of the previous incidents.
We are announcing this connection between the 2015 case and the previous cases for three reasons. First, given the nearly seven-year gap between December of 2008 and July of 2015, we would like to know if there have been similar, unreported incidents during that time span. We cannot say enough about the courageous women who have already stepped forward to provide vital information about their assailant. If anyone feels they had an encounter with an individual matching this description, please know that we want to hear from you, and we want to provide help for you. Your information, even if it is several years old, may help bring justice to all the survivors.
Anyone who recognizes the suspect is asked to contact Manhattan/Riley County Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-Tips
Michael Herman, associate dean and professor in the Division of Biology, has accepted a position at the University of Nebraska as director of the School of Biological Sciences.
Herman has provided leadership in enhancing graduate students’ research competence through a variety of activities, most recently his engagement in science communication initiatives on campus. He has coordinated program review and academic affairs in collaboration with the subcommittees of the Graduate Council.
The Graduate School team wishes Herman much success as he begins his new position and extends sincere appreciation for his three years of dedicated service and support of graduate education at K-State.
Associate Dean Geraldine Craig will assume the responsibilities related to academic affairs and program review. Megan Miller and Dean Carol Shanklin will facilitate the research component of his position until such a time a replacement has been named.
The Geary Unified School District has identified a 150-acre site it would like to purchase as the site for the new Junction City High School. Called the North Munson Property, it was one of four sites considered by the board during qualitative assessment presentations at a public meeting at the Devin Center Monday night.
A motion approved by the board calls for the property to be purchased through the use of eminent domain.
Favorable site attributions include direct access to k-18; connection of gas, water, sewer and power are at the property line; and a housing development is adjacent to the property.
It is anticipated a detention pond will be required on the east side and grading will be normal. The new high school will be visible on K-18.
Challenges listed in the report included upgrade to Munson Road along the west side and a gas line runs through the south side of the site.
Voters have approved the bond referendum approving construction of the new high school at a cost not to exceed $105 (M) million dollars.
MANHATTAN—Adults who stutter are sought for a study examining the eye movements of people who do and do not stutter. Participants who stutter should be 18 or older, a native English speaker, and be free from any speech, language, or neurological disorders (other than stuttering).
The study will take place on campus (free parking available) and last approximately 1.5 hours. Individuals who qualify will receive $20 for participation. This study has been reviewed by the Kansas State University Institutional Review Board and received approval # 8512.
Please contact principle investigator, Kristin Pelczarski, Ph.D., for more information at kpelczar@ksu.edu or 785-532-2090.
The Dorothy Bramlage Public Library will host a series of family holiday activities this week from Tuesday through Friday. All programs are free and open to the public and no registration is required.
The week will kick off on Tuesday with a showing of the film Polar Express at 4:30 p.m. in the library meeting room. It is based on the Caldecott-winning book of the same name by Chris van Allsburg.
Wednesday will feature a Christmas Cocoa Stand from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the north entrance. Here patrons can purchase a cup of hot chocolate or order a jar of Christmas cocoa mix to give as a gift. All proceeds go to the library’s book donation program, DBPL at DBPL: Donating Books to Promote Literacy.
Continuing the Polar Express theme, Thursday will be Train Day at the Library Laboratory. Families can stop by any time between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.to create train crafts, take a train trivia test, and do a train science experiment.
The week will end with a grand finale on Friday, the Family Christmas Party from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. The party theme is North Pole Fun and kids will be able to have their picture taken with Santa, do a magnetic pole experiment, discover the animals of the North Pole through crafts and games, learn the science of snow and ice, and play cotton ball hockey. The evening will end with a reading of The Polar Express! book.
Patrons are also invited to drop off their donations of new, purchased or handmade caps, mittens, gloves and scarves to the library’s Cap and Mitten Tree. It will be up through January 15 and available any time the library is open. All items will be donated to elementary schools in USD 475.
For questions or additional information about the library’s holiday activities, call the Young People’s Department at 785-238-4311,
