Author: Brandon Peoples

A Fort Riley soldier accused of murdering a fellow soldier in Manhattan’s Aggieville district last weekend made his first court appearance Friday, via video conference. Seated in a wheelchair from the Riley County Jail with a visible right leg injury, 19-year-old Tremelle Montgomery stared ahead, without counsel, while Judge Kendra Lewison read the four charges against him, including a single count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. Montgomery is accused in the Feb. 5 shooting death of 21-year-old Joshua Wardi, a Fort Riley soldier from Texas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says according to witnesses, the…

No charges will be filed against a 31-year-old Wamego woman who was accidentally shot by a toddler in early January. In an email to KMAN Friday, Pottawatomie County Attorney Sherri Schuck said she is declining charges at this time, citing insufficient evidence to pursue charges of aggravated child endangerment. The shooting occurred Jan. 5 when a 2-year-old got a hold of a gun inside the woman’s home. A male adult was also home at the time. The woman, who has not been identified, was transported to a Topeka hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the chest and shoulder.…

A Riley County jury on Thursday found a Manhattan man guilty of aggravated battery, for injuring an infant child last summer. Gerald Hartman III was on trial this week for the July 2021 incident. He also stood accused of child abuse, however the jury was unable to reach a decision on that beyond a reasonable doubt. The decision on the lesser count of aggravated battery, means the jury felt there was enough evidence to prove Hartman acted recklessly when he aggressively picked up 5-month old baby Lunix from his bouncer July 15 while babysitting. The incident caused the child to…

A special question to expand the Pottawatomie County Commission may end up on the November ballot if a petition effort is successful. Doug Kern, who currently sits on the Planning and Zoning board, tells KMAN that he’d like to see the county commission expand from three to five seats. “So I thought, if they had five commissioners, then they could talk to each other outside of the commission meetings on Monday morning, without potentially violating that open meetings law. So that’s really what’s motivating me,” he said. A five-member commission would mean two members could talk privately about county business.…

A rear-end crash on I-70 injured two from Fort Riley Wednesday. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 22-year-old Kent Tadeo was slowing down for traffic in the westbound lanes of I-70 in Lincoln County when a Chevy Silverado struck his vehicle from behind. Tadeo’s vehicle went off the roadway and into a ditch. The crash occurred about four miles east of K-156. Tadeo and a passenger, 20-year-old Joanna Rodriguez, were transported to Salina Regional Health Center with minor injuries. The other driver, 38-year-old Heather Marie Schmidt, of Topeka, was not injured. The crash report says all three involved were wearing seat…

The suspect in Saturday’s deadly shooting in Aggieville was released from the hospital Wednesday and transported to the Riley County Jail. According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, 19-year-old Tremelle Montgomery, of Fort Riley, was released from Topeka’s Stormont Vail Hospital and booked into jail just before 4 p.m. on a single count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder, related to the shooting death of 21-year-old Joshua Wardi. KBI says charges related to the subsequent officer-involved shooting incident have not yet been determined. The investigation is ongoing and once completed will be presented to the Riley…

A Riley County jury heard closing arguments Wednesday in the case of a Manhattan man accused of child abuse. Deputy Riley County Attorney Bethany Fields argued that Gerald Hartman III acted aggressively last July when he removed a 5-month-old boy from his bouncer while watching the child. The state argued Hartman’s actions resulted in the child suffering a subdural hematoma (or brain bleed), a broken left clavicle and a bruised chest. The incident is said to have occurred when the child’s mother was away at work. Hartman was the lone adult home at the time with the child. Fields stated…

Pottawatomie County commissioners have moved the needle ever so slightly toward a future bridge to connect Junietta Road to Marlatt Ave. in Riley County. In a 2-1 vote Monday, commissioners approved applying for a grant through the governor’s recently launched Building a Stronger Economy (BASE) program. The program offers new opportunities to help support infrastructure development and advance economic development opportunities statewide. Commissioner Dee McKee said Monday while it may not ultimately lead to an alternative route to Hwy 24 over the Big Blue River, it’s worth a shot. “To say that it’s something that’s very significant to the operation…

The alleged suspect in the deadly Aggieville shooting this past weekend has been charged. According to the Riley County Police Department’s arrest report Monday, 19-year-old Tremelle Montgomery, of Fort Riley, is charged with a single count of 1st degree murder and three counts of attempted 1st degree murder. Montgomery’s bond is listed at $1.5 million. He remains in police custody at a Topeka hospital where he’s said to be in fair and stable condition. Montgomery is accused in the shooting death of 21-year-old Joshua Wardi, also of Fort Riley. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says Montgomery was shot in the…

Fire investigators have determined that a fire inside RC McGraws Sunday morning was intentionally set. The Manhattan Fire Department and Riley County Police Department say an 11-year-old male suspect started a fire in the bathroom. The fire resulted in an estimated $12,000 in damage to the business, including about $5,000 in structural damage and $7,000 in damage to contents. No injuries were reported in the Sunday fire and fire officials say the building was safely evacuated. According to RCPD, the 11-year-old was not charged. RC McGraws remains closed until further notice. Original story: 8 p.m. Sunday A small fire at a…