Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County Police arrested a Junction City man Friday on a charge of sexual exploitation of a child. Officers arrested 31-year-old Aaron Zachry after responding to a report of an unwanted person accused of suspicious activity at the pool. An initial investigation revealed Zachry possessed sexual pictures of children on his cell phone. According to information online, Zachry was employed as a special education paraprofessional at Northview Elementary. He was issued a total bond of $60,000, causing him to remain confined. Police are calling his arrest an ongoing investigation and due to his nature of employment working with local children,…

Riley County Police have identified the man whose body was pulled from Tuttle Creek Lake Wednesday night. Police say 24-year-old Okheem Riley, of Manhattan died in the incident which remains under further investigation. No foul play is suspected. Fort Riley officials confirmed Riley was a First Lieutenant from the 1st Sustainment Brigade and had served on post since 2018. His vehicle and clothes were located by a concerned citizen Wednesday afternoon, prompting a search of the water from several area agencies including RCPD, EMS, Fort Riley, Emergency Management, Manhattan and Riley County Fire Departments, the US Army Corps of Engineers…

Formal charges have been filed in Pottawatomie County against a former Manhattan Parks & Recreation Department employee accused of sex crimes. Zach Bayless faces two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. A criminal complaint provided by County Attorney Sherri Schuck, alleges that sometime between Nov. 30 and Dec. 4, Bayless feloniously promoted a performance that included sexually explicit conduct of a child under the age of 14. A second count charges him with being in possession of sexually explicit content involving a minor on May 13. Bayless will make his first court appearance at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Westmoreland.…

USD 383 will receive over $3.2 million in federal funds during the second round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding and $7.5 million in the third round. Director of Business Services Lew Faust presented an overview to the school board Wednesday night on how the district intends to spend some of those funds, including the addition of classroom aides and paraprofessionals. By statute, the funds must be utilized to “prevent, prepare for and respond to the coronavirus.” Faust says $170,000 is also being allotted to supplement the Job Corps program next year and $50,000 the following year. Assistant…

Riley County Police say a Manhattan man’s body was recovered late Wednesday night from Tuttle Creek Lake after emergency response teams searched for nearly 10 hours. Shortly before 2:30 p.m., Riley County Dispatch received a call from a citizen reporting a vehicle and clothes near a shoreline by the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Shady Lane. Emergency crews responded and found identification for a 24-year-old man but worked into the night to recover the body, with the assistance of numerous agencies, including the RCPD drone team, Riley County EMS, Emergency Management, Manhattan Fire, Riley County Rural Fire District No. 1,…

The Riley County Law Board will hold a special meeting Thursday afternoon where it will consider publication of the Riley County Police Department’s 2022 budget. RCPD staff have drafted four potential options, ranging from approximately $22.6 million to just under $23 million. Options one and three include a 1 percent cost of living adjustment, a converted payroll technician, a court security screener and a cook for the jail. Option one would grow the RCPD budget by 2.1 percent. Option two also adds a 2 percent pay adjustment for RCPD employees and would grow the budget 3.5 percent. Options two and…

The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld a 2019 Riley County District Court sentencing of an Ogden woman convicted of two counts of drug distribution within 1,000 feet of a school. Anita Jo Albano was arrested in August 2017 and later convicted on by a jury. In her appeal, Albano argued the Kansas sentencing guidelines violated the Kansas Constitution because they allow a judge, instead of a jury, to consder prior convictions in sentencing. In the high court’s ruling last week, it argued the Constitution does not guarantee a defedant’s right to have a jury determine the sentencing. Albano is serving…

The filing deadline for Manhattan city and USD 383 school board election candidates came and went Tuesday. All told, 10 local residents have filed for three seats on the school board and nine residents for three seats on the city commission. That means there will be a primary election August 3 for the school board race to narrow the field for the general election November 2. All nine candidates in the city race will be on the November ballot. Manhattan City Commission On the city commission, there are three open seats. Incumbents Wynn Butler, Aaron Estabrook and Usha Reddi are…

Five people were injured Monday in a crash east of Junction City. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a vehicle was exiting I-70 at K-18. A southbound vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign while the other car was attempting a left turn, causing a collision. The driver of the first vehicle, 27-year-old Justin Finch of Junction City was transported to Geary County Hospital with a suspected minor injury. Two passengers including 25-year-old Emallie Gowens-Finch of Junction City and Belinda Terry of Georgia were also hospitalized. Two passengers from the second vehicle, both from out of state were also hospitalized.…

Manhattan residents will have another location to renew driver’s licenses, beginning on Thursday, thanks to a new partnership. The Kansas Department of Revenue and AAA Kansas are bringing a remote driver’s licensing unit to AAA’s Manhattan retail store. A variety of services will be offered including: Renew Kansas driver’s licenses and IDs. Issue new Kansas Driver Licenses and IDs to people moving here from out of state. Issue duplicate licenses/IDs for those who have lost their credential Change of address Update name (marriage, court ordered, adoption, etc.) Issue Real ID for people to be federally compliant. (Real ID is required by…