Author: Brandon Peoples

A Junction City man was arrested over the weekend following a road rage incident in Manhattan. Riley County Police say 23-year-old Walberto Cartagena was arrested Friday night on a charge of aggravated assault; use of a deadly weapon. Cartagena is accused of brandishing a firearm during a road rage incident in the 1200 block of Bluemont Ave. A 34-year-old male was listed as the victim in the case. Bond was listed at $5,000 but Cartagena was not confined at the time of Monday’s arrest report.

Three new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed over the weekend in Riley County. Local health officer Julie Gibbs says the three new cases brings the county’s cumulative total to 71 since testing began earlier this year. “They’re all males, aged 55, 32 and 88. We have a total of 11 active cases which we are still monitoring, the rest are recovered,” she said. As of Monday, there were two people hospitalized on ventilators and two persons under investigation. The county also has 23 pending test results and 1,365 negative tests. Phase three of the county’s reopening plan begins on Wednesday,…

A pair of 5-foot long alligators were stolen this weekend from Reptile World in Manhattan. The store said on its Facebook page, the two American Alligators were taken sometime Friday night when the store was burglarized. They along with the Riley County Police Department are asking the public’s help locating the reptiles. It is illegal to have an alligator that size in the Manhattan city limits without a pet store license. Anyone with information should call RCPD at 785-537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777.

Two motorcyclists, including a man from Ogden, were seriously injured Sunday when their bikes were rear-ended in Herington, in nearby Dickinson County. The Kansas Highway Patrol says it happened around 1:15 p.m. near the junction of US-77 and US-56 Highway. Authorities say the two bikes were stationary and facing north at a stop sign when they were rear ended by a northbound Chevrolet pickup, after the driver failed to stop. Both riders were transported to area hospitals with injuries. Neither rider was wearing a helmet. The riders were identified as 58-year-old Robert Bartholic of Ogden and 40-year-old Mark Brown of…

Riley County is currently totaling eight positive cases of coronavirus as of Friday, after one new positive patient tested positive. This brings the cumulative total to 68 cases. The patient is a 35-year-old female and the health department is currently doing investigation and contact tracing. People who have come into close contact are being notified directly. Ascension Via Christi currently has two positive patients on ventilators and one person under investigation (PUI) currently hospitalized. In Riley County, 59 patients have made recoveries, 51 have pending test results and nearly 1,300 people have tested negative. The county has recorded one death since…

An August preliminary hearing is scheduled in Riley County for a Texas man accused of rape. At a status conference Tuesday, Judge William Malcolm set a four hour setting August 7 for Sean Morgan, who is charged with the 2015 alleged rape and aggravated kidnapping of a then 27-year-old victim. Morgan was arrested last fall on a Riley County District Court warrant and faces additional charges of attempted rape, attempted sexual battery and two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy from a 2018 alleged incident with a then 25-year-old victim. Morgan is currently free on bond.

Update 8 a.m. Saturday Geary County officials report an additional corrections officer tested positive Friday for a total of three positive tests. One inmate has tested positive as well. Update Friday The Geary County Sheriff’s Office says it tested all Correctional Officers Friday for the novel coronavirus as well as all inmates currently housed in the Geary County Jail. This comes after two corrections officers tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday. At-risk employees were also tested. The testing was done in collaboration with health officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Division of Emergency Management, Geary Community Hospital,…

Kansas State University President and retired 4 star General Richard Myers told CNN’s Erin Burnett Thursday he was saddened by the military’s use of force Monday in Washington, D.C. to break up a mostly peaceful protest. Myers, who served as President George W. Bush’s Joint Chief of Staff from 2001 to 2005, says it wasn’t right that military force disturbed that protest and says everyone should shed a tear for that. “The other thing I thought and this is probably very selfish, I said I’m glad I don’t have to advise this president. I’m sure the senior military leadership is…

The Manhattan Fire Department made quick work of a mobile home kitchen fire Thursday. Firefighters were called to the 2500 block of Farm Bureau Road Lot 15 shortly after 6:30 p.m. for a structure fire. Crews found a mobile home with smoke showing from the building. Upon entry, they found the fire in the kitchen, and contained it within five minutes. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Occupants were able to escape the building without injury. Loss is estimated at $500 to contents and $2,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as Robert Hughes of Manhattan.

A Junction City man has pleaded guilty to the Christmas 2018 murder of a woman and her unborn child. According to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, 34-year-old Dion Jamel Green entered the pleas Thursday in Geary County District Court. Sentencing in front of Judge Steven Hornbaker will take place Oct. 28 at 1:30 p.m. Green was charged in connection to the killing of Jenna Schafer, who was pregnant, in a Junction City apartment. Investigating agencies included the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Geary County Sheriff’s Office, and the Junction City Police Department.