RENO COUNTY — Fire crews responded and extinguished a pair of brush fires Wednesday in Reno County.
Just before 3p.m., they responded to a fire in the 1,100 block of E 56th Avenue, according to a social media report from the Hutchinson Fire Department.
Just after 4:30 p.m. they worked a second fire at 56th and Yaggy Road. Authorities have not reported any injuries from the fires or additional details.
The grassland fire danger will be high again Friday , according to the National Weather Service.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and have made an arrest.
Wright photo Sedgwick Co.
Just before 1:30p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a robbery at an apartment complex in the 4200 Block of South Hydraulic in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. At the scene, a 19-year-old man told police he went to the location and believed he was to meet a girl he had been texting.
When entering the apartment complex building, a suspect identified later as 20-year-old Ricky Wright and a 15-year-old boy pulled out a handgun and knife and demanded money.
The victim gave them cash and the suspects fled in a red Honda civic, according to Davidson. Police spotted the vehicle in the 1300 Block of South Ellis, made a traffic stop and took Wright and the 15-year-old into custody. Police also recovered a handgun, knife and the victim’s cash.
Wright and the juvenile are being held on requested charges that include aggravated robbery, according to Davidson. Police do not believe a girl was involved in the case.
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — A truck driver from Kansas has been sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in prison for falling asleep at the wheel of her semitractor-trailer and causing a fatal crash in Wyoming.
Hightower photo Albany County
48-year-old Tonya Hightower was sentenced Tuesday for the March 2018 accident that killed 57-year-old Vidal Madera of Laramie.
The commercial truck driver from Kansas pleaded not guilty to aggravated homicide by vehicle.
A jury found her guilty in August after determining her decision to drive on Interstate 80 while knowingly fatigued constituted recklessness.
Hightower told a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper at the scene that she had taken leftover pills from a 2017 surgery including hydrocodone, a prescription opioid pain medication.
Court records say she did not test positive for narcotics when blood was drawn later.
LAWRENCE — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting in a fast-food restaurant parking lot and have a suspect in custody.
Just before 6:30 p.m. October 27, police were called to the McDonalds at 1309 W. 6th Street in Lawrence in response to a shooting that had just occurred, according to officer Patrick Compton. Upon arriving, officers discovered a 50-year-old man who had been shot in his car.
On Wednesday, police reported they identified 27-year-old Howard Levite of Leavenworth County as a suspect. He was arrested November 1, in Jackson County, Missouri on unrelated charges.
He is being held in Jackson County pending an extradition hearing and faces charges of of attempted aggravated robbery and aggravated battery.
The victim has been released from the hospital and is recovering, according to Compton.
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LAWRENCE — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and continue to search for a suspect.
Just before 6:30 p.m. Saturday, police were called to the McDonalds at 1309 W. 6th Street in Lawrence in response to a shooting that had just occurred, according to office Patrick Compton. Upon arriving, officers discovered a 50-year-old man who had been shot in his car.
This individual was treated at the scene and transported to an area hospital with significant injuries.
Police are currently looking for a suspect described as a black male wearing a red hoodie, red sweat pants and carrying a black bag or backpack in connection to this shooting.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republican Congress members are rejecting a request from the state’s lone congressional Democrat that they join her in opposing a federal policy that will allow faith-based adoption agencies to get taxpayer funding even if they turn away same-sex couples.
Rep. Sharice Davids sent a letter Tuesday asking GOP colleagues to use their relationships with President Donald Trump to help reverse the policy, which rolls back a regulation from former President Barak Obama’s term barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Davids is among nine LGBTQ members of Congress.
I’m calling on the entire Kansas delegation to stand up for children & families in our state – and across the country – and urge the President to prevent this rule from going into effect. 4/5
Reps. Roger Marshall, Steve Watkins and Ron Estes issued a joint response supporting the Trump administration’s decision after receiving Davids’ letter. Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts also say they support it.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The acting secretary of the Kansas Department of Corrections said a mass commutation of offenders was worth considering during his confirmation hearing.
Jeff Zmuda was asked to comment Tuesday on what happened one day earlier, when more than 450 inmates walked out of the doors of prisons across Oklahoma as part of a massive commutation. Zmuda said Kansas officials are looking at several ways to make reforms and ease overcrowding and “that’s certainly one that could be considered.”
Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning said releasing non-violent inmates “sounds like a fantastic idea,” but cautioned that if someone who has been released early commits a violent act “there’s hell to pay.”
The hearing ended with a Senate committee recommending that Zmuda be confirmed. The full Senate will vote early next year.
FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged sexual assault in Garden City and after asking the public for help have identified a person of interest.
The woman told police on October 30 that at approximately 9:30p.m. she was at her vehicle parked near Garden City Community College and was approached from behind by an unknown male suspect who forced her into the vehicle and sexually assaulted her, according to Police Sgt. Lana Urteaga.
The person of interest was known to the victim and did not occur as originally reported or near the college, according to Urteaga. It was not a random incident. Police have not reported an arrest.
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FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating an alleged sexual assault and asking the public for help to locate a suspect.
Just after 9:30p.m. Wednesday, police were called to St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City for a reported rape, according to Sgt. Lana Urteaga. The woman told police that she was at her vehicle parked near Garden City Community College and was approached from behind by an unknown male suspect who forced her into the vehicle and sexually assaulted her, according to Urteaga.
The suspect at the time of the attack was described as wearing black sweat pants, a grey hooded sweat shirt, a black t-shirt and a dark baseball cap. He was approximately 6-feet tall with an athletic build with black, messy, curly hair, according to Urteaga.
Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to contact police.
First responders on the scene late Friday photo courtesy WIBW TV
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a gas leak that left a woman dead and have made an arrest.
Just after 8p.m, Friday the Topeka Fire Department was dispatched to possible gas leak at a residence in the 900 block of SW Warren in Topeka, according to Lt. Shane Hilton.
Topeka Police were requested to assist with forcing entry into the home. Once inside, first responders found a woman later identified as 36-year-old Brandi Prchal. She was pronounced deceased by medical personnel.
Lardner photo Shawnee Co.
A second person identified as 36-year-old Jeremy E. Lardner of Topeka, was taken to the hospital in serious condition. On Tuesday, police arrested Lardner and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges for Murder in the 1st degree and Criminal Threat.
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SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a gas leak that left one dead and have identified the victim.
Just after 8p.m, Friday the Topeka Fire Department was dispatched to possible gas leak at a residence in the 900 block of SW Warren in Topeka, according to Lt. Shane Hilton.
Topeka Police were requested to assist with forcing entry into the home. Once inside, first responders found a woman later identified as 36-year-old Brandi Prchal. She was pronounced deceased by medical personnel.
A second person was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
Due to suspicious circumstances witnessed by the responding officers, the residence was secured and Crime Scene Officers and Detectives were investigating the scene, according to Hilton.
Authorities have not released the cause of Prchal’s death or additional details.
MARYSVILLE – The former Marshall County Clerk has been convicted of felony misuse of public funds, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
Sonya Stohs photo Marshall Co.
Sonya L. Stohs, 44, of Marysville, today pleaded guilty in Marshall County District Court to one count of felony misuse of public funds. District Judge John L. Weingart accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for January 7 at 11 a.m.
The charges stemmed from an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service that showed between May 2013 and April 2019, Stohs used funds belonging to Marshall County to pay for various personal items, in excess of $100,000.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 20-year-old Wichita man who intentionally ran over a dog several times has been sentenced to a year in jail.
Cole Carter -photo Sedgwick Co.
Cole Ford Carter was sentenced Monday after earlier pleading guilty to cruelty to animals, criminal threat and a misdemeanor criminal carrying of a weapon.
Carter killed 13-year-old Benji in December 2018 after the dog escaped through a fence while his owners were visiting Wichita.
Video showed Carter hit the dog, got out of his car and slammed Benji to the ground before stomping on him. Carter than ran over the dog several times. The motive for the attack is unclear.
An affidavit says Carter later threatened to hurt a neighbor who reported him to police.
Benji was a mix Bichon-Frise and Maltese and weighed about 15 pounds.
