CLOUD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect who is in custody in Ottawa County after a 3-county chase Tuesday.

Just after 2p.m., authorities in Cloud County initiated a pursuit of a suspect later identified as 23-year-old Michael Woods who was wanted on outstanding warrants, according to Ben Gardner of the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Deputies lost sight of the vehicle as it traveled south into Ottawa County where the Kansas Highway Patrol participated in the pursuit until troopers discontinued the chase due to unsafe speeds, according to Gardner.

Troopers ultimately located the vehicle at the Red Carpet Inn in the 200 block of Diamond Drive. A motel manager directed troopers to a room where they arrested Woods and detained two women.

Woods is being held on requested charges that include aggravated kidnapping, flee or attempt to elude, obstruction, the warrants and numerous additional traffic charges, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department. The women were held for questioning in the case, according to Gardner.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A series of shootings has left four people dead in Kansas City over 24 hours as concerns mount about violent crime in the state’s two largest cities.

After Missouri Gov. Mike Parson met with leaders in St. Louis to discuss the problem, two people were killed around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday inside an apartment in southern Kansas City.

The scene of that shooting is less than 1 mile from where a shot-up Ford Mustang crashed into a parked vehicle about six hours earlier. Police say the driver was taken to a hospital in critical condition and the passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.

The fourth victim was killed late Monday. He was identified Tuesday as 41-year-old Antwain Foster. None of the other victims have been identified.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Court records say a Wichita toddler who died at a motel had enough methadone in his system to kill an opioid-addicted adult.

The details were included in an affidavit released Tuesday in the case against 23-year-old Kimberly Compass. She’s charged with first-degree murder in the May 31 death of her 2-year-old son, Zayden JayNesahkluah. He is among several children to die in the Wichita area after state welfare officials were contacted with concerns.

The affidavit says police found three empty or mostly empty bottles of methadone that had been prescribed to Compass in an unlocked child’s Avengers pencil box.

Compass told investigators she only had one of the bottles herself. She said she didn’t give Zayden methadone, but fruit punch that she said he drank tested positive for the drug. Methadone is used to treat pain and narcotic drug addiction.

DETROIT (AP) — Under pressure from the federal government, General Motors is recalling more than 3.4 million big pickup trucks and SUVs in the U.S to fix a brake problem.

The recall covers the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups from the 2014 through 2018 model years. Also included are the Cadillac Escalade from 2015 to 2017, and the GMC Yukon and Chevy Suburban and Tahoe from 2015 through 2018.

GM says that as it ages, the pump in the power-assist brakes can put out less vacuum power than needed, increasing stopping distance and the risk of a crash.

The recall comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating the problem in November of last year.

Dealers will recalibrate the electronic brake control module at no cost to customers. Owners were to be notified starting Sept. 6.

NHTSA, the government’s road safety agency, began investigating the problem last year after getting 111 complaints from owners of poor brake performance. At the time the agency had nine reports of crashes that had caused two injuries.

GM says the problems occur rarely and mostly at low speeds like driving in parking lots. Even with the problem, the brakes “continue to function and exceed the requirements of the appropriate federal motor vehicle safety standard,” GM spokesman Dan Flores said.

The vacuum pump is lubricated with engine oil that flows through a filter screen. In some of the trucks, oil sludge or other debris can clog the screen, reducing oil flow and causing the pump’s vacuum output to drop, Flores said.

The trucks, he said, have a secondary power brake assist system which works when there are problems with the main system, but it is limited at lower speeds. The reprogramming will activate the secondary system faster.

GM isn’t replacing the pumps because pump failures are rare and already are covered by an extended warranty, Flores said. “This remedy will improve brake performance in any situation where brake vacuum drops,” he said.

The recall comes 10 months after NHTSA opened its investigation. Asked why it took that long to do the recall, Flores said only that the company has been cooperating with NHTSA and providing data.

Drivers could feel a vibration in the brake pedal or a change in pressure required to push the brake pedal if their trucks have the vacuum pump problem. If the problem surfaces, owners will see a message on their dashboard telling them to service the brake assist system, Flores said.

Although the recall is a large number, the cost will not be high enough for GM to report it to the Securities and Exchange commission as an event that will materially affect earnings, Flores said. He said he didn’t know the cost.

ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) — Federal officials are investigating the death of an Indiana man at a northeast Kansas grain processing plant.

Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie says 26-year-old Angel Silas-Deleon, of Logansport, Indiana, died from an electrical shock Friday at the CargillAg plant in the Cummings area.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has opened an investigation into the death.

Laurie said Silas-Deleon was working on a grain bin with a contractor crew from CCSGroup of Seward, Nebraska. The company said another employee is recovering from injuries suffered by the shock.

That employee’s name and condition were not released Tuesday.

WILSON COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 2p.m. Tuesday in Wilson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Dodge pickup driven by David L. Rasmussen Jr., 46, Fredonia, was eastbound on U.S. 400 at Jade Road one mile southeast of Fredonia.

A 2011 Volvo semi driven by Scott M. Gronau, 50, Pittisburg struck the pickup as it was making a U-turn.

Rasmussen was transported to Fredonia Regional Hospital where he died.  Granau was not injured. Rasmusen was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

WICHITA —  A Kansas woman arrested after a violent dog attack in November has entered a guilty plea in Sedgwick County.

On Monday, Carlett McPherson, 31, entered the plea to one count of misdemeanor cruelty to animals. After her guilty plea, she was sentenced to six months of probation by agreement of the parties involved, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

On November 16, 2018,  McPherson’s dog entered her neighbor’s yard where the neighbor’s grandson and the neighbor’s dog, Smokey, were located, according to the district attorney.

McPherson’s dog attacked the neighbor’s dog, Smokey.  McPherson tried to break up the dog fight with a broom but was unsuccessful.

She called for help, and a man entered the yard with a tire iron.

The unknown man tried to separate the animals with the tire tool, striking Smokey. There was no evidence that McPherson ever wielded the tire iron that struck Smokey or directed the man to strike Smokey with the tire iron, according to the district attorney.

McPherson left the yard to get a phone to call 911. When she returned, two more of her dogs followed her back to the yard and again attacked Smokey.

Smokey was later euthanized after his bites became infected.  McPherson was charged with one count of misdemeanor cruelty to animals for allowing her dogs to attack the neighbor’s dog, Smokey.

In addition to the probation, the court also ordered her to pay the veterinary bill. Wichita Police continue to search for the man with the tire iron.

Under Kansas law, cruelty to animals includes knowingly but not maliciously killing or injuring an animal. McPherson pled guilty to injuring Smokey. There was no evidence that she intentionally killed the victim animal, Smokey, according to the district attorney.

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SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigation a case of alleged animal cruelty.

Just after 4:30p.m. Friday November 16, police responded to a suspicious character with a weapons call at a residence in the 1000 Block of North Poplar in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

A suspect later identified as 30-year-old Carlett McPherson was reported beating a dog with a tire iron and releasing other dogs to attack a victim dog.

At the scene, officers did find several dogs involved in a physical disturbance in the front yard of the residence.  Officers worked to separate the animals and with the assistance of animal control officers, the aggressive dogs were captured without incident. The victim dog was transported to a local animal hospital where it died from the injuries.

On December 1, as a result of the investigation, McPherson was arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on requested charges of animal cruelty, according to Davidson.  She is being held on a 25,000 Bond, according to the jail booking report.

Police will present the case to the district attorney this week.

 

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) — Skeletal remains found last spring in a central Indiana park have been identified as those of a man who vanished more than a year ago.

Madison County Coroner Danielle Noone says a DNA match obtained by Indiana State Police determined the skeletal remains are those of 52-year-old Ronald Mandrell, who had been an Anderson resident but was homeless when he died.

Mandrell’s cause of death and manner of death are undetermined, but Anderson police continue to investigate his death.

Mandrell vanished in July 2018. Mushroom hunters found his remains in April at Anderson’s River Bend Park.

Amy Copeland of Kansas City, Kansas, tells The Herald Bulletin she and Mandrell have a now-adult daughter. Copeland hadn’t spoken to Mandrell in years.

She says his death “just makes me sad.”

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas business executive with political ties to former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has officially kicked off her campaign to challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids.

Amanda Adkins made the announcement Monday. It was expected after she filed paperwork last week with the Federal Election Commission creating a campaign committee for a run for the GOP nomination in the Kansas City-area 3rd Congressional District.

Her move sets up a contested GOP primary for the right to challenge Davids. Former National Down Syndrome Society CEO Sarah Hart Weir opened her campaign in July.

Adkins is a vice president for the medical computer systems firm Cerner Corp.

She managed Brownback’s successful U.S. Senate re-election campaign in 2004 and was Kansas Republican Party chairwoman when Brownback was elected governor in 2010.

 ROOKS COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Rooks County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a homicide that occurred near Plainville, Kan.

The Rooks County Sheriff’s Office requested KBI assistance at approximately 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 9. Special agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded.

The Rooks County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call around 9:10 a.m. Monday morning when a family member went to 2610 19th Rd. in rural Rooks County and found 56-year-old Mark E. Reif deceased inside his home. Deputies arrived at the residence around 9:20 a.m. and discovered that Reif had died from gunshot wounds.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or the Rooks County Sheriff’s Office at (785) 425-6312. Callers may remain anonymous.