Author: Brandon Peoples

A 7-year-old Wamego boy has died, days after a fatal crash near Wamego that also claimed his father’s life. The Kansas Highway Patrol has confirmed that Korbin Tinkel died Saturday from injuries sustained in the Aug. 10 crash. Korbin was a passenger in a pickup that his father, 37-year-old Randy Tinkel, was driving before being struck from behind by a semi as they were attempting to make a left turn off of Highway 24, near Airport Road. The semi also struck an SUV that had slowed behind the pickup, sending it onto its side and the truck onto its roof.…

Pottawatomie County residents will consider levying a quarter percent sales tax when they head to the polls this November for a host paving and improvement projects on roads and bridges. Commissioners approved a resolution Monday, two weeks before the state deadline to pose such questions on the general election ballot. Before Monday’s vote, former Public Works Administrator Peter Clark addressed the commission as a representative of the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors. “There’s a number of areas in our county that need to be addressed for the growth that has already occurred, to keep up with that…

Local fundraisers have been established for a Wamego family of four involved in a fatal crash Wednesday on Highway 24. The Tinkel family were in a pickup that overturned after a semi rear ended their vehicle and an SUV just east of Wamego. The crash killed 37-year-old Randy Tinkel and seriously injured his wife, 36-year-old Jillian Tinkel, a Wamego Central Elementary School teacher. The couple’s 7 and 2-year-old boys were transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City with serious injuries. A hospital official confirmed Friday afternoon to KMAN that both boys remain in critical condition. KMAN has not been able…

Authorities in Pottawatomie County have arrested an Emmett man on suspicion of growing marijuana. Sheriff Shane Jager says 56-year-old Brien Montgomery was taken into custody Wednesday on charges of cultivation of a controlled substance, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. The Kansas Highway Patrol assisted in the execution of a search warrant at Montgomery’s Emmett home. The investigation is ongoing. Those with information are asked to contact the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers.

Crews with Riley County Fire District No. 1 made a rescue early Friday morning after a car crashed into a tree line just west of the Green Randolph Road bridge near Fancy Creek State Park. Shortly after 4 a.m. crews from two north county stations were dispatched and made access to the patient and were able to stabilize and secure the vehicle. The Fire Department also noted their new HURST Jaws of Life extradition tools were deployed to speed up the process. EMS transported the patient to the hospital. Further details weren’t immediately available.

Three people were injured Wednesday afternoon following a crash near Seth Child and Southwind Road, just north of the RCPD headquarters. According to RCPD, the crash occurred just after 2 p.m. and involved three vehicles, including a semi truck. 23-year-old Rebecca Lazarus was northbound in a passenger car when she turned west onto Southwind Drive and struck a southbound SUV, driven by 21-year-old MacKenzie Clements. The impact sent Lazarus spinning into the trailer axle of a semi truck. Lazarus was transported to Via Christi for arm and other injuries. RCPD says a 19-year-old passenger in the other vehicle, Malia Clements…

Nine months ahead of a planned major reconstruction of the Manhattan Regional Airport, the cost estimate on the project has been significantly reduced from what it was just a year ago. In July 2021, airport officials were looking at a $47 million total project, with the local share estimated around $11 million. Airport officials quickly went to work, finding avenues where costs could be reduced. The first step was identifying that concrete could be poured on the rubblized base, using it as a base instead of having a filler. Engineers and staff determined that doing so would still meet FAA requirements. Airport…

One person was killed Wednesday and four others were seriously injured, following a three vehicle crash east of Wamego. It happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. near Highway 24 and Airport Road. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a pickup carrying four individuals was eastbound on the highway waiting to make a left turn. An SUV slowed from behind as it approached the turning truck, when a Midwest Concrete semi truck plowed into both vehicles from behind. The SUV came to rest on its side north of the highway, while the pickup, carrying a family of four, rolled onto its top. The…

A Manhattan man is jailed on two counts of violating his offender registration and other counts. Riley County Police say 49-year-old Frank Gibson was arrested Monday on three total counts of violating the offender registration act, including two aggravated counts. He’s also charged with perjury. Gibson reportedly failed to comply with the conditions of his offender registration. Online records indicate Gibson was convicted in Maine in 2012 of having unlawful sexual contact with a child under the age of 14. He remains jailed on a $125,000 bond.

An 18-year-old connected to a July 28 robbery and shooting at the Holiday Inn parking lot, is now jailed in Riley County, after being arrested Friday in Wichita. Malachi Fielder is charged with aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated assault and criminal discharge of a weapon. Fielder was one of two suspects alleged to have robbed a 17-year-old male victim at gunpoint, taking his phone. Online court documents allege Fielder also fired a gun at the victim’s vehicle. A 45-year-old woman was listed as a second victim. No injuries were reported. A co-defendant, 15-year-old Terriundis Toliver, is charged with aggravated…