Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County Police have arrested a known drug offender on a multitude of charges. Jerry Hassler was arrested following a pursuit Sunday afternoon. Hassler racked up 25 counts during the pursuit including flee or attempt to elude, interference with law enforcement officers, distribution of heroin as well as drug possession, driving with a suspended or cancelled license and reckless driving. Hassler is a habitual offender. In April he was arrested on similar charges after a police pursuit in Junction City. He has a long list of past drug convictions dating back to 2012. According to Monday’s RCPD arrest report, Hassler…

WESTMORELAND, Kan. — The Kansas Attorney General’s Office has ordered a Junction City woman to repay more than $3,800 to the Kansas Medicaid Program after pleading to Medicaid fraud-related charges. A guilty plea was submitted in Pottawatomie County District Court in May by 22-year-old Elizabeth Joyce. She pled to one felony count of making a false claim to the Medicaid program and one felony count of theft. District Judge Jeff Elder on Thursday ordered Joyce to repay $3,870.31 to the Kansas Medicaid Program and sentenced her to 12 months of probation with an underlying sentence of six months in the…

MARYSVILLE, Kan. — A former Marshall County Clerk has been charged with felony misuse of public funds. The Kansas Attorney General’s Office says 44-year-old Sonya L. Stohs, of Marysville, faces a single charge after a complaint alleged she used more than $100,000 in county funds to pay for various personal items. Stohs surrendered to law enforcement Thursday morning at the Marshall County Jail and made her first appearance Thursday afternoon in court. The complaint alleges the funds were stolen over a six year period between May 2013 and April 2019. The investigation was conducted by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation…

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — Fort Riley officials say a semi-trailer transporting military munitions between U.S. Army arsenals was involved and disabled in the Friday morning crash along I-70 that closed the westbound lanes for several hours. The crash occurred sometime after 6 a.m. near the Grandview Plaza exit after it and another semi crashed into each other. Trained technicians from Fort Riley’s Logistics Readiness Center provided a replacement trailer to safely transfer the load, transport and temporarily store at the Fort Riley Ammunition Supply Point. Fort Riley says within three days, the civilian contracted trucking company is scheduled to pick…

WAMEGO — There will be a new principal walking the halls of Wamego High School this fall. Kale Katt was introduced Monday to the USD 320 Wamego School Board by Superintendent Tim Winter. Applications were accepted through July 3 following the June 19 resignation of former principal Chad Brecheisen. Winter says they made a great choice in hiring Mr. Katt. “We feel very fortunate to hire someone of Kale’s caliber this late in the summer. We were very fortunate to have several good applicants in our pool of candidates,” Winter said in a phone interview Friday with KMAN. Katt spent…

A Pottawatomie County District Judge has ordered 24-year-old Cody Lamia-Beck to serve 13 years in prison for his role in the 2018 murder of a Wamego teenager. Judge Jeff Elder read the sentence in Pottawatomie County District Court Friday morning. According to County Attorney Sherri Schuck, the 156 month sentence is the maximum sentence under the state guidelines. Lamia-Beck was remanded immediately to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He is eligible for 15 percent good-time credit, which would make him potentially eligible for parole in about 12 years. Lamia-Beck was convicted in June of intentional second-degree murder in the death…

As the dry conditions continue for our area, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun increasing releases from Tuttle Creek Reservoir. This has prompted a flood warning along the Big Blue River near Manhattan. As of Friday morning the river was at 19.58 feet and seeing minor flooding. Flood stage is 19 feet and the river is expected to remain steady around 19.6 feet through early next week. Outflow from Tuttle Creek Lake has been increased to 25,000 cubic feet per second. The lake level fell under 1,125 feet Friday morning and officials at the Corps plan to continue…

USD 383 Manhattan/Ogden Schools has announced a new Executive Director of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Paula Hough was announced as the new director following approval at Wednesday’s school board meeting. She currently serves as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Holton USD 336, a positon she’s held since last year. She also has past experience as a MTSS State Coach, an instructional coach and Englisth teacher for the Kansas City, Kansas school district and also taught English at a pair of schools in Minnesota. USD 383 Superintendent Dr. Marvin Wade said in a statement that Dr. Hough has considerable…

TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Court of Appeals has reversed a Riley County District Court order denying a soldier’s motion to set aside a default judgment after a creditor sued him for breach of contract. Brian McNair of Manhattan defaulted on a car loan through Coastal Credit, LLC in 2014. The car was repossessed and sold and the company sued him for more than $8,800 plus interest. McNair, who was deployed in Africa with the U.S. Army at the time was never personally served the summons and petition. Instead that was delivered to his wife at the couple’s Manhattan residence,…

WESTMORELAND, Kan. — A 24-year-old Wamego man convicted last month of murder will learn his fate at a 9 a.m. hearing Friday in Pottawatomie County District Court. Cody Lamia-Beck entered a no contest plea and was subsequently found guilty of intentional second-degree murder of Jacob Bouck. Evidence showed Bouck sustained multiple stab wounds and Lamia-Beck’s DNA was found on a homemade hatchet that was located along with two knives. There was also a confession consistent with the evidence found at the crime scene. Bouck was reported missing Dec. 21. Deputies found his body along the Kansas River west of Wamego…