DAWSON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating four suspects after a traffic stop on Wednesday.

At approximately 7:45 a.m., a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol observed a Hyundai Sonata traveling eastbound at 98 miles per hour on Interstate 80 near North Platte, according to a media release.

The trooper performed a traffic stop and detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

Troopers searched the vehicle and located 3 pounds of marijuana, 39 THC vape cartridges, 59 grams of THC edibles, 2000 mg of THC syrup, and drug paraphernalia.

The driver, Eric Robinson, 19, and passengers, Anthony Davis, 22, and Amere Thomas, 21, all of New York state, were arrested for possession of marijuana – more than one pound, possession with intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia, and no drug tax stamp. All three were lodged in Lincoln County Jail.

Later Wednesday, at approximately 7:30 p.m., a trooper observed a Ford Transit fail to signal a turn at the I-80 exit at mile marker 231 near Darr. During the traffic stop, a K9 from the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office detected the odor of a controlled substance coming from inside the van.

A search of the van revealed 198 pounds of marijuana, 800 dosage units of THC edibles, 79 THC vape cartridges, 18 ounces of psilocybin mushrooms, 2 vials of anabolic steroids, 1 vial of human growth hormone, and a loaded handgun.

The driver, Brent Lorenz, 50, of Fargo, North Dakota, was arrested for numerous drug charges, including possession of marijuana – more than one pound, possession of controlled substances, possession with intent to deliver, possession of a firearm during a felony drug violation, and no drug tax stamp. Lorenz was lodged in Dawson County Jail.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The woman who set fire to a tattoo parlor in Wichita was sentenced Wednesday in Sedgwick County District Court.

Judge Kevin O’Connor sentenced Cassie Grover, 37 of Wichita, to 24 months of probation with an underlying sentence of 17 months in prison, according to District Attorney Marc Bennett.

If she violates her probation, Judge O’Connor said she will serve the 17 months.

This was a presumptive probation case under the Kansas sentencing guidelines based on the severity level of the crime and the woman’s criminal history.  Judge O’Connor also ordered her to pay $90,500 in restitution.

On July 12th, Grover pled no contest to a charge of aggravated arson following the fire last March that severely damaged Idle Hands Tattoo, 929 W.Douglas in Wichita.

Judge O’Connor ordered Grover to pay $15,000 to the two women who co-own the building and $75,000 to the insurance company.

The $15,000 covers the insurance deductible. Judge O’Connor also ordered that Grover have no contact with any of the employees or owner of Idle Hands Tattoo and to stay away from the business.

GARDEN CITY– A southwest Kansas ophthalmologist announced his candidacy Thursday for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican in Kansas First Congressional District.

Dr. Bill Clifford is an Air Force Veteran and small business owner based in Garden City.

He joins former Kansas Lt. Governor Tracey Mann and former elementary school teacher Kali Barnett who have announced plans to run for the state’s First District seat in Congress.

In a media release, Clifford said, “Like most Kansans, I am appalled at what is happening in Washington today. After much consideration, I am compelled to represent the people of Kansas,”

Clifford said he would stand with President Trump and represent the conservative values of the Big First Congressional District. He pledged to defend Second Amendment rights, support the Right to Life, advocate for farmers and ranchers, and work to secure the borders.

Clifford is co-owner of Fry Eye Associates in Garden City. A 1976 graduate of the Air Force Academy, he flew the F-15 jet fighter in the Air Force for four years. He attended the University of Southern California Medical School from 1985 to 1989 and completed Eye Surgery Residency and Fellowship Training in Glaucoma and Cornea at the University of Oklahoma.

After a year at the King Khaled Eye Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he joined Dr. Luther Fry in the practice of ophthalmology. He is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member-at- large of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Board of Trustees.

Dr. Clifford and his wife of 37 years, Jean, both have held elected offices for more than a dozen years. Dr. Clifford was elected three times to the Garden City Community College Board of Trustees and is currently serving his fifth year on the Finney County Commission, which he chairs.

 

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A mother has testified in the trial of a suspended Kansas priest charged with molesting her daughter that she was raised to hold priests in high regard and didn’t know how to respond when she became concerned.

The mother said Wednesday that she waited months to come forward after seeing the Rev. Scott Kallal chase her daughter into the bathroom of Kansas City, Kansas, church, go in after her and carry her out.

The mother testified that said she didn’t see him touch her daughter’s breast, as the girl later reported, and feared her concerns would be “swept under the rug.” Her daughter also says Kallal touched her inappropriately at a graduation party earlier in 2015. She was 10 at the time.

Kallal is being tried on two felony counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He’s pleaded not guilty.

DOUGLAS COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 10p.m Wednesday in Douglas County.

A pickup driven by Silvestre Guebara, 52, Wichita, was northbound in the 1200 Block of Iowa Street in Lawrence, according Police Sgt. Amy Rhoads.  The pickup exited the road at Stratford, struck a tree and rolled.

Guebara was pronounced dead a the scene.

At this time, it appears as though no other vehicles were involved in the accident.  Police released no additional information early Thursday.

GIRARD, Kan. (AP) — A 22-year-old southeast Kansas man who was a school bus monitor has admitted to sexually abusing an elementary school student.

Jacob Quentin Bryant, of Arma, pleaded guilty Tuesday to rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

Investigators determined that Bryant abused a Northeast Elementary School student on a school bus in November 2018.

Bryant faces up to 19 year in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 31.

Crawford County Attorney Michael Gayoso said his office worked with the victim’s family on the plea deal and noted it will avoid requiring the child to testify at trial.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue the investigation of Tuesday’s office involved shooting and have another suspect in jail.

After his release from the hospital Wednesday afternoon, police booked 30-year-old Zachary Ausdemore for aggravated robbery and an outstanding warrant out of Nebraska, according to officer Kevin Wheeler.

He was identified as the passenger in a stolen white Jeep Wrangler where the driver attempted to run over a WPD officer at the McDonald’s located in the 2200 block of N. Amidon.

After the vehicle wrecked, Ausdemore then fled on foot and robbed an elderly couple of their Honda CR-V in the 2400 block of W. Stauffer.

He led officers on a lengthy vehicle pursuit, which ended in the area of 167th Street West and K-42.

Ausdemore was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit.

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SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting.

Just before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to the area of W. 21st Street North and N. Amidon to check for a stolen vehicle, according to officer Paul Cruz.

The owner of a 1999 white Jeep SAW called 911 to report the location of the vehicle. The owner, along with a family member, followed the vehicle to the McDonald’s located in the 2200 block of North Amidon.

Officers arrived while the vehicle was at the drive-thru window and attempted to take the three occupants into custody.

The driver then accelerated and attempted to run over an officer. The officer fired his handgun multiple times at the vehicle. The suspect vehicle drove around the building and rear-ended a white Buick Century that was occupied by a 72-year-old woman driver. She was transported to a local hospital where she was treated for minor injuries, according to Cruz.

The suspect vehicle continued north on Amidon and into a residential area where it crashed into a tree in the 3000 block of N. Halstead. At that location, police took a 30-year-old woman passenger later identified as Daphne Hays into custody while the other suspects ran.

One of the man, a 30-year-old, ran to the 2400 block of W. Stauffer where he threatened an elderly couple and demanded the keys to their green Honda CR-V. The suspect left in their vehicle. The vehicle was located by Sheriff’s Deputies at I-235 and 25th, according to Cruz.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop, and a vehicle pursuit ensued. The pursuit ended at 167th and K-42. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and was found to have an injury to his arm.

A 27-year-old suspect, who fled on foot at the initial crash scene on N. Halstead, was later located by officers near 29th and Meridian. The suspect was found to have a gunshot wound to his leg and was hospitalized for observation.

The two male suspects remained hospitalized Wednesday afternoon.  Hays is in custody on requested charges of interference with law enforcement and a fugitive from justice, according to the Sedgwick County booking report.

The officer involved in the shooting has been with the department for almost 2-years, according to Cruz. He has been placed  administrative leave per protocol.

Authorities have not released names of the two  other suspects.

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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — The Shawnee Mission School District will settle a lawsuit that alleged school officials didn’t act when a male student was repeatedly accused of sexual offenses before he assaulted a student in a middle school classroom.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed. The lawsuit claimed an eighth-grade student at Westridge Middle School was accused of making unwanted advances toward three students before he assaulted a female student in 2017.

The district says in court documents that it was investigating the reports of unwanted advances when it learned about 2017 assault.

The student was expelled in March 2017 and the school resource officer filed a police report that month.

The boy was convicted in December 2017 of three counts of battery and one count of aggravated liberties with a child.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing nationwide enforcement of a new Trump administration rule that prevents most Central American immigrants from seeking asylum in the United States.

The justices’ order late Wednesday temporarily undoes a lower-court ruling that had blocked the new asylum policy in some states along the southern border. The policy is meant to deny asylum to anyone who passes through another country on the way to the U.S. without seeking protection there.

Most people crossing the southern border are Central Americans fleeing violence and poverty. They are largely ineligible under the new rule, as are asylum seekers from Africa, Asia and South America who arrive regularly at the southern border.

The shift reverses decades of U.S. policy. The administration has said that it wants to close the gap between an initial asylum screening that most people pass and a final decision on asylum that most people do not win.

“BIG United States Supreme Court WIN for the Border on Asylum!” President Donald Trump tweeted.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented from the high-court’s order. “Once again, the Executive Branch has issued a rule that seeks to upend longstanding practices regarding refugees who seek shelter from persecution,” Sotomayor wrote.

The legal challenge to the new policy has a brief but somewhat convoluted history. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco blocked the new policy from taking effect in late July. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed Tigar’s order so that it applied only in Arizona and California, states that are within the 9th Circuit.

That left the administration free to enforce the policy on asylum seekers arriving in New Mexico and Texas. Tigar issued a new order on Monday that reimposed a nationwide hold on asylum policy. The 9th Circuit again narrowed his order on Tuesday.

The high-court action allows the administration to impose the new policy everywhere while the court case against it continues.

It’s not clear how quickly the policy will be rolled out, and how exactly it fits in with the other efforts by the administration to restrict border crossings and tighten asylum rules.

For example, thousands of people are waiting on lists at border crossings in Mexico to claim asylum in the U.S. And more than 30,000 people have been turned back to Mexico to wait out their asylum claims.

Asylum seekers must pass an initial screening called a “credible fear” interview, a hurdle that a vast majority clear. Under the new policy, they would fail the test unless they sought asylum in at least one country they traveled through and were denied. They would be placed in fast-track deportation proceedings and flown to their home countries at U.S. expense.

Lee Gelernt, the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who is representing immigrant advocacy groups in the case, said: “This is just a temporary step, and we’re hopeful we’ll prevail at the end of the day. The lives of thousands of families are at stake.”

Justice Department spokesperson Alexei Woltornist said the agency was “pleased that the Supreme Court intervened in this case,” adding, “This action will assist the Administration in its objectives to bring order to the crisis at the southern border, close loopholes in our immigration system, and discourage frivolous claims.”