Author: Brandon Peoples

Riley County Police have arrested a 52-year-old Manhattan man on charges of indecent liberties with a child. Rodney Allen Roberts was jailed Sunday afternoon on a warrant for two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child under the age of 14. Both charges are from 2018 incidents. He also faces a probation violation charge. Total bond is set at $101,000, causing him to remain in Riley County Jail. According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Roberts has a past criminal history including a 2012 drug possession conviction in Riley County, which he served a two-year sentence for.

A Manhattan man was arrested Friday for an alleged robbery and assault in the Westloop Shopping Center. According to Saturday morning’s Riley County Police Department arrest report, police were dispatched around 9:45 a.m. Friday for a reported assault occurring in a vehicle in the parking lot in the 1000 block of Westloop (Marshall’s). Police arrested 26-year-old Jose Rivera in connection on offenses of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault and aggravated robbery. He remains lodged in Riley County Jail on a $150,000 bond. Police say no injuries were reported to the male victim.

A Manhattan man is facing a number of charges after an alleged assault Tuesday night and subsequent DUI arrest. According to the Riley County Police Department, just after 10 p.m., officers received a 911 call of an in-progress assault. Upon arrival, the female victim reported an unknown male suspect had left the area. Within minutes, a two-vehicle crash involving a bicyclist was reported near Heritage Court and Wreath Avenue, east of Cico Park. The suspect was in the wrecked vehicle and identified as 24-year-old Jordan Hildreth. He was taken into custody and then transported to Via Christi for treatment of…

A Manhattan man will spend the next 10 years in prison for sex crimes involving a minor. According to the Riley County Clerk’s Office, 51-year-old Lonnie Gallaugher was sentenced Monday to 120 months each for two counts of electronic solicitation. Riley County Judge John Bosch said the sentences will run concurrently through Kansas Department of Corrections. Gallaugher entered a no contest plea to the charges earlier this year. He was originally charged with rape, three counts of aggravated sodomy, one count of aggravated indecent liberties and seven counts of electronic solicitation. The incidents occurred in 2017. The victim was 13-years-old.

MANHATTAN — Riley County Police say a man has been arrested on a charge of rape. Tuesday morning’s RCPD arrest report says 27-year-old Luis Emanuel Cortijo Abreu was arrested at noon Monday on a Riley County District Court warrant for rape of a mentally deficient victim. RCPD says the alleged incident occurred in 2018. Abreu at one point was listed on the Riley County most wanted list. No further details have been released. Abreu is listed on the report with a German address, though he was living on Fort Riley at the time of the alleged crime, according to RCPD.…

MANHATTAN — Two people had to be rescued from the waters of the Kansas River Monday night after losing their boats. The Manhattan Fire Department was among several responding agencies dispatched to the Kansas River near Fairmont Park just after 6:45 p.m. Upon arrival, they found two patients in the river hanging on to trees, roughly two miles south of the boat ramp. Firefighters deployed the rescue boat and rescued the two patients without incident. No injuries have been reported. The scene was cleared within an hour. Manhattan Fire was assisted by Riley County Fire and Riley County EMS.

WABAUNSEE COUNTY — One person was injured Monday morning in a crash on Interstate 70 in Wabaunsee County, southeast of Manhattan. The Kansas Highway Patrol says just after 10 a.m., an westbound Chevy Silverado driven by 34-year-old Donte Newsome of Topeka blew a tire, traveled through the center median with the vehicle landing in the south ditch. The incident occurred about four miles east of the K-177 junction. Newsome was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka with a suspected minor injury. The crash log says Newsome was wearing a seat belt. Original story 11 a.m. Monday WABAUNSEE COUNTY –…

TOPEKA — The search for a new district judge in the 21st Judicial District is underway. The 21st Judicial District Nominating Commission will convene at 8:30 a.m. July 24 to interview seven nominees for the vacancy, created by the retirement last month of Chief Judge Meryl Wilson. The person chosen for the position will oversee court cases in Riley and Clay counties. The commission will select three to five nominees to be submitted to Gov. Laura Kelly. The governor has 60 days after receiving the names to decide whom to appoint. Nominees include: Amy J. Bipes, Manhattan, legal assistance lawyer, Office of…

Photos courtesy Clay Center Police Department CLAY CENTER — Police in Clay Center say 2-year-old Lucas Ohlde, who went missing late Friday, has been found and is safe. An alert went out Saturday saying the boy may have been in danger, in an alleged custody interference between family members. No further details were released. By Sunday evening, police said the boy was expected to arrive home. There is no word yet on whether anyone will be charged in relation to the child’s disappearance. The incident remains under investigation. Original story Sunday 12 p.m. CLAY CENTER — The search continues for…

MANHATTAN — A 38-year-old Manhattan man has been convicted for his role in a standoff with Riley County Police in January 2018. At a court hearing Thursday, Mark Harrison entered a plea of no contest and was subsequently found guilty on a charge of attempted voluntary manslaughter. He also was previously convicted of criminal damage to property. Harrison had originally faced a capital murder charge involving a police officer, of which he was set to go on trial for in early August. Prosecutors said he fired 33 shots during the three-hour standoff. One of those shots injured RCPD officer Pat…