Author: Brandon Peoples

TOPEKA — A Harveyville woman has been sentenced for embezzling money from her employer. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said Monday that former First National Bank of Harveyville Vice President Debra Kay Converse was given four months of home confinement after pleading to one count of embezzlement. She’s also been ordered to pay more than $107,000 in restitution. Converse admitted in her plea agreement that in April 2019 she was being investigated by the bank president who reported suspected embezzlement to the Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office. The bank’s investigation focused on what Converse claimed were glitches in software. She resigned from…

Three people were transported for minor injuries following a 2-vehicle crash in north Manhattan Sunday, according to the Riley County Police Department. The crash occurred around 7 p.m. near the intersection of Marlatt Ave. and Denison. A passenger car and an SUV collided at the intersection, sending the SUV airborne. It rolled, coming to rest on all four wheels before crashing into the south ditch. The driver of the passenger car, 20-year-old Blakely Mathis of Manhattan was cited for failure to yield the right of way on a left turn. The driver of the SUV was identified as 25-year-old Destiny…

A Riley County Judge has dismissed without prejudice a first-degree murder charge against a Manhattan man accused in the 2018 death of his former girlfriend’s infant son. Online court records show the motion to dismiss was filed Friday by Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson and signed by Chief Judge Grant Bannister. This comes after two mistrials against 25-year-old D’Khari Lyons, who has maintained his innocence throughout. He is no longer in custody. Lyons was the only person home when 2-month-old Michael Calvert Jr. sustained life-threatening injuries in November 2018. The boy’s mother had left the child in Lyons’ care briefly…

The Manhattan Branch of the American Association of University Women will hold a panel discussion Monday evening in celebration of International Women’s Day. The event, planned for 7 p.m. is at the Holiday Inn on campus and will feature four women hailing from Argentina, China, South Korea and Zimbabwe. Event Co-Chair Mary Stamey explains what the discussion will entail. “Well ask them about the immigration process that their family went through, either as personal individuals or as their parents or grandparents have immigrated to our country. We’ll ask them what barriers or what welcome they encountered and what brought them…

A new challenger has entered the race for the third district seat on the Riley County Commission. Manhattan businesswoman and civic worker Kathryn Focke announced Wednesday she’s seeking the seat currently occupied by Republican incumbent Ron Wells. Focke is running as a Democrat. Focke said in a news release she plans to initiate a grassroots listening tour to identify issues most concerning to county residents. She says believes in a long-range plan for future expansion, looking 20 years out and engaging citizen discussion in that plan. She says targeted economic development, improvement of county infrastructure and rising property tax rates…

Thursday marked the last day of classes for students in the of USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden Schools before Spring Break. On KMAN’s In Focus Wednesday, Superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade said it’s a welcome opportunity for students and teachers to hit the reset button and get a break from school. But given the high amounts of illness that seems to have hit the district this semester, it’s also a good opportunity to get the schools cleared out. “Some of us are looking forward to getting the schools cleared out, really doing a deep clean. It’s a great opportunity to just get in…

A Riley County jury has found a Missouri man guilty of aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated burglary from a 2017 incident at a K-State fraternity house. Chief Judge Grant Bannister presided over the trial. Jurors deliberated for a little more than three hours Thursday. It’s the second time in less than a year that 25-year-old Devonta Bagley, of Belton, Missouri, has been convicted of such crimes. The former K-State student was also found guilty in May 2019 of sexually abusing two male students at the University of Missouri-St. Louis while they slept in separate incidents in 2017 and 2018. He…

A Riley County jury trial began Wednesday for 52-year-old Rodney Roberts, who is accused of three counts of rape and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with children. Roberts was arrested in July 2019. and the charges are alleged to have occurred on multiple occasions with two children under the age of 14. The abuse is alleged to have been ongoing from 2014 through 2018, according to court records. The Manhattan Mercury reports that the jury heard testimony Wednesday from the victims’ mothers. One of them said Roberts lived with her family off and on and would get her children…

Riley County prosecutors called several witnesses Wednesday in the trial of a Missouri man charged with aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated burglary. Devonta Bagley, 25, of Belton, Missouri, is accused of sneaking into another man’s room in the Sigma Chi fraternity house at K-State in September 2017. The victim testified in court this week he awoke to a man performing oral sex on him. The victim testified he didn’t know the man, nor was he on any dating apps where he could’ve met him. The victim testified he had been with his girlfriend earlier in the night and had sex…

Pottawatomie County authorities are searching for two suspect vehicles they say are connected to a burglary of the Brooks Yamaha business on East Hwy 24 in Manhattan. According to Sheriff Shane Jager, the break-in happened the morning of Feb. 25. Their investigation revealed numerous STIHL tools including chainsaws, leaf blower packs and a concrete saw were stolen from the business by an unknown person or persons. The vehicles in question are what appears to be a silver or charcoal colored Ford Escape while the second is an older model Mercury Sable. Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Hinkle…