Author: Brandon Peoples

MANHATTAN — Riley County Police are seeking help identifying two people after electronics were taken from a local retailer Sunday. The photo above shows two individuals walking out of the Manhattan Best Buy. Police believe they may have knowledge of the incident. If you have any helpful information on the identity of the individuals in the photos, please contact the Riley County Police Department at 785-537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777. If you choose to call the Crime Stoppers number, you could have the chance to be rewarded up to $1,000.00 and  be able to remain anonymous.

JUNCTION CITY — A Junction City woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the stabbing death of a man late Monday evening. Junction City Police were dispatched shortly before 9:30 p.m. to the 100 block of East Vine Street in reference to a stabbing victim. Officers located 55-year-old Eddie Starks of Junction City suffering from a stab wound. He was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka where he later died. JCPD arrested 49-year-old Vondra Brown of Junction City on a charge of 2nd-degree murder. Police say there are no further suspects being sought and no ongoing threat…

TOPEKA — A new trial is coming for a Riley County man convicted of reckless second-degree murder of an insect exterminator in 2008. The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday reversed the conviction of 61-year-old Howard Barrett. It said the decision comes because the district court failed to instruct the jury on imperfect self-defense voluntary manslaughter. That is defined as “an intentional killing done with the unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances existed justifying deadly force.” In 2008, Barrett attacked and fatally stabbed 48-year-old Tom James, who had entered Barrett’s Leonardville apartment to spray for bugs. Residents had been notified by…

OGDEN, Kan. — Riley County Police arrested a 52-year-old man Saturday on a host of charges including drug possession and eluding law enforcement. Hal Dean Lucas, listed as homeless in Saturday’s arrest report faces five total charges including flee or attempt to elude including a motor vehicle accident or property damage, attempted interference with an officer and driving while suspended. Lucas also faces two drug possession charges. The Kansas Department of Corrections website shows a past criminal history for Lucas including a 2011 robbery conviction in Geary County. Lucas remains jailed in Riley County on a $20,000 bond.

Update Wednesday, 5/29, 12 p.m. Releases from Tuttle Creek Dam’s outlet works — colloquially called the tubes — began Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. Sirens in the area should be expected to sound regularly, though no flooding is expected as a result of the releases. Riley County Emergency Management Director Pat Collins spoke with KMAN on-air Wednesday morning and says the plan is to release 15,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) of water from the reservoir and keep levels down. He says the Kansas River at its current level should be able to take that level of release without exceeding…

JUNCTION CITY — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a Junction City police officer was arrested Monday. Lieutenant Jason Waryan, 39, is charged with domestic battery and criminal restraint. His live-in girlfriend 27-year-old Krysteen Harbert also was arrested for domestic battery. Junction City Police contacted KBI at approximately 1 p.m. Monday to request an investigation into a domestic violence incident, which allegedly occurred in the early morning hours. This investigation is ongoing. No further information has been released.

Another significant threat for severe weather is ramping up this afternoon and evening across the state. The National Weather Service says a powerful upper level system will move northeast across the Plains. Thunderstorms will develop along a cold front across north central and central Kansas this afternoon. As a result, most of the Manhattan is an enhanced risk for severe weather development. Pottawatomie and extreme northeast Riley County are listed in a moderate risk for severe weather. Up to golf ball sized hail, 60 to 70 mph wind gusts, heavy rainfall and tornadoes will all be possible with these storms.…

MANHATTAN — Tuttle Creek Lake is expected to reach an elevation of 1,132.96 feet by Monday. At this point, no evacuation advisories have been issued for any parts of Riley County of Pottawatomie County, aside from Saturday’s notice that went out to the Rocky Ford Campground and visitors to Tuttle Creek State Park. Still, residents are advised to remain alert and make preparations in case evacuation becomes necessary.  According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, if the lake level is forecast to reach 1,136 feet, the Corps will begin surcharge operations and use the outlet works (the tubes) in…

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY — A housing needs assessment is being recommended for Pottawatomie County by the Flint Hills Regional Council. Pott County Zoning Enforcement Officer Stephan Metzger says he was contacted by the council who has received funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Pott County Commissioner Dee McKee says this especially be helpful for smaller towns in the county that have not had planning. Metzger says this study can also show how bifurcated the county since most of the growth is in the southern part of the county. This study will be conducted by the Flint Hills Regional…

MANHATTAN — Tuttle Creek Lake is now officially at its second highest level, surpassing 1,128 feet Friday morning, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Riley County Emergency Management Director Pat Collins says the levels at the lake surpassed the the level in 1973, when it reached 1,127.9 feet. The record for the lake was 1,136 feet, which happened just once when the emergency spill gates were opened in 1993. Since May 6, the levels have risen 12 feet, attributed to a wet weather pattern both in the Manhattan area and across the Midwest. Speaking to KMAN Friday morning,…