Author: Brandon Peoples

A Manhattan restaurant owner bound over last month on 26 charges of sexual abuse against three minors maintains he’s innocent. Bob’s Diner owner Robert Iacobellis entered the not guilty plea during an arraignment hearing Monday in Riley County District Court. Judge Kendra Lewison has set an Aug. 17 status hearing. Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson tells KMAN that motions will likely be set at that hearing to proceed to trial. At a preliminary hearing last month, prosecutors noted they intended to try Iacobellis on 16 counts against the first victim, including charges of rape and sodomy. He also faces six…

The Kansas Supreme Court reaffirmed last week the child abuse and first-degree murder convictions of a 29-year-old Riley County man. During a 2018 trial, Andrew Gibson was found guilty of both counts in relation to the death of 3-month-old Serenity Reich. The infant was the daughter of Gibson’s ex-girlfriend. Detectives revealed during trial that Gibson suffocated the child in a sleep-deprived stupor. Gibson had appealed his convictions stating that the trial court erred when it held he waived a privileged communication with a defense-hired psychologist, there wasn’t evidence to support the convictions and that the jury instruction on the State’s…

Kansas State University is planning to announce additional administrative furloughs later this week. An 8 a.m. virtual town hall is scheduled for Friday. K-State President Richard Myers and Vice President for Human Capital Services Jay Stephens will be available. It will be available via YouTube Live. Access will require a K-State eID to view the session, available on the Human Capital Services website. It’s unclear how the next round of furloughs might impact fall classes, nor how deep the cuts may go, but could be as high as 10 percent in some of the higher end positions. The university has…

Fireworks are blamed for damaging a garage in a Junction City duplex over the weekend. Junction City Fire crews got the call just before 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the 900 block of White Tail Court. The blaze caused an estimated $10,500 in damage. It was caused by improper disposal of fireworks inside a plastic trash receptacle. The fire department says two adults, two children and two dogs were removed from the home. Two cats were also said to be inside, and crews were able to locate at least one of them in a bedroom. No injuries were reported. The fire…

A structure fire north of Manhattan early Sunday morning was likely fireworks related according to Riley County Fire Chief Pat Collins. Fire District No. 1 responded around 12:40 a.m to a fully engulfed 50 X 70 foot shop building located at 3787 High Plains Ranch, just north of Manhattan, east of Seth Child Road. More than two dozen volunteer firefighters from six stations helped bring the fire under control. No injuries were reported. Collins says it took several hours for crews to get a handle on the fire as they had to bring in more than 14,000 gallons of water…

Phase two of the bridge replacement project over Wildcat Creek on K-18 is expected to get underway Tuesday, weather permitting. The Kansas Department of Transportation says work will occur from west of Richards Drive to east of Poliska Lane and is expected to be completed in late 2021. The three phase project includes replacement of two bridges with a single bridge for all lanes. Phase three is expected toward the end of this year. During construction, east and westbound traffic on K-18 will be reduced to one-lane in both directions. Rosencutter Road will be closed at the K-18 intersection. The…

A Manhattan woman has been appointed by the Kansas Supreme to the state’s Continuing Legal Education Board for the next three years. Tracey Lee’s term began July 1 and ends June 30, 2023. The board oversees continuing legal education requirements for lawyers licensed to practice in Kansas. Attorneys must earn a minimum of 12 credit hours each year. In addition to being a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Lee is also the pre-law advisor at Kansas State University. She succeeds David Moses, a Wichita lawyer who served on the board since 2014. Other members of the…

Riley County commissioners have pushed back its decision to either uphold, restrict, or lessen the governor’s statewide mask ordinance to next week. That means the governor’s executive order remains the order residents must follow in public places, at least through the weekend, and presumably for the next week. Riley County Health Officer Julie Gibbs recommended the commission uphold the governor’s executive order or adopt a more restrictive mandate. Gibbs cited an influx of young people testing positive recently and surges tied to Aggieville and K-State. The commission opted to wait for input from municipalities including the City of Manhattan, which…

Junction City police have identified the woman found dead June 26 in an empty storage unit. Police say 52-year-old Tina Bennett of Junction City was identified through fingerprint comparison. She had initially been reported as missing June 20. Her cause of death is undetermined, but police say foul play is suspected. Police first reported the incident in a Monday news release. JCPD Capt. Trish Giordano says Bennett’s body was located in a storage unit in the 2300 block of N. Jackson Street. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (785) 742-8477 or online through…

Face masks won’t be required in public spaces in Pottawatomie County. The Commission in a rescheduled meeting Thursday, opted out of Gov. Laura Kelly’s executive order mandating masks, instead passing Local Health Order No. 7. The new order includes guidelines from the Health Officer “strongly recommending” the use of masks and other safety items when social distancing cannot be maintained. The County offices will also strongly recommend the wearing of masks, and will have them available for those who do not have one. The county says private businesses retain the right to make the wearing of masks mandatory for their…