Author: Brandon Peoples

JUNCTION CITY — Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf will be arraigned next month on allegations he gave away a gun owned by the county last year. Wolf was arrested Oct. 18 at the Geary County Sheriff’s Office in Junction City for felony theft for allegedly giving a county-owned firearm as a gift to a third party and misuse of public funds. According to the Junction City Daily Union, at a hearing late last week the circumstances surrounding how Wolf acquired, then gave a Glock 43 to his ex-wife Jodi Wolf were debated. Jodi, who is a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper…

WAMEGO — Nearly a month after a Wamego teen’s body was pulled from the Kansas River, investigators are still trying to determine how and why he died. A cash reward will hopefully aid in their investigation. The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office is investigating 19-year-old Jacob Bouck’s death as a homicide. Bouck’s body was pulled from the river about a mile west of Wamego on Christmas Eve. He had last been seen alive Dec. 21 in the Wamego area. He was reported wearing a dark-colored jacket, black shirt, gray thermal underwear and black shoes. Bouck was a 2017 graduate of Wamego…

MANHATTAN — Another round of winter weather is expected to move through the area this weekend and Manhattan street crews are ready to go. The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued a Winter Weather Advisory until 6 a.m. Saturday for the Manhattan area now increased the expected snowfall potential for portions of east-central and northeast Kansas with 3 to 7 inches of snow now expected late Friday into early Saturday morning. Manhattan Street Superintendent Jeff Davis says they’ve been monitoring for the potential of rain and freezing rain, eventually turning to snow. As is the case with any snow storm,…

TOPEKA — A Riley County nurse has been sentenced to almost two years in prison for Medicaid fraud and related charges in three Kansas counties. Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Thursday that 57-year-old Kathleen Kleuskens of Ogden entered pleas and was found guilty in October of 10 charges filed by the attorney general’s office. Earlier this month, she was sentenced to 20 months in Clay County, 21 months in Geary County. On Thursday, a Pottawatomie County judge handed down a 21 month prison sentence. The sentences will run concurrently. Prosecutors say the crimes occurred while Kleuskens was a licensed practical…

MANHATTAN — A number of events celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are planned in Manhattan over the next couple weeks. Events begin this weekend at Peace Memorial Auditorium where a community celebration is planned from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday. The event will feature two competitions that have taken place in art and writing. Contest committee co-chair Robin Edmunds spoke on KMAN’s In Focus recently about this year’s theme. The committee has received over 150 entries for both categories in art and writing. Edmunds says most of the entries were from the different schools…

TOPEKA — In her first address to the Kansas Legislature Wednesday evening Governor Laura Kelly outlined her goals for the year ahead, including a pitch to expand Medicaid in Kansas to cover up to 150,000 more people. (Read Gov. Kelly’s full State of the State address here) In her speech, Kelly highlighted a need to expand, noting the closure of Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott two weeks ago and reports of 30 percent of Kansas hospitals considered financially vulnerable. It’s one of Kelly’s top priorities moving forward and State Sen. Tom Hawk (D-Manhattan) says the issue is still a contentious…

MARYSVILLE — Riley County Police spent part of Wednesday searching for a robbery suspect. Police say 37-year-old Russell Allen Jr. of Manhattan was located just before 8 p.m. He’s currently confined in Marshall County Jail for local charges including possession of stolen property and possession of marijuana. Earlier on Wednesday, Riley County Police had issued a news release saying they were interested in speaking with Allen regarding an aggravated robbery that occurred just before 11 p.m. Tuesday in the 200 block of Leavenworth Street. Allen is not currently charged in relation to that incident. No additional details have been released.

WESTMORELAND — An attorney has recommended that residents in the rapidly-growing Green Valley area of southwestern Pottawatomie County might be best served by forming an incorporated community. At Monday’s meeting of the Pottawatomie County Commission, Jim Kaup, with Kaup Law Office of Topeka presented stage four of the Green Valley Governance Plan with recommendations on how to move forward. Kaup’s office specializes in land-use laws for Kansas municipalities. The process of incorporating services to that area will continue in the next few weeks with plans and research being reviewed. Commissioners have noted that the county at-large would be unable to…

JUNCTION CITY — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office may soon be assisting in the Geary County capital murder prosecution involving two Junction City men charged in the killings of a mother and her unborn child. Schmidt’s public information officer C.J. Grover confirmed to KMAN via email that a formal request was received recently from the Geary County Attorney’s office. That request is now under internal review. Mashaun Jay Baker and Jamel Green, both 33 are charged with capital murder counts in the deaths of Jenna Schaefer and her unborn child. Prosecutors can seek the death penalty for the two…

MANHATTAN — A homeless man who had no clue who he was helping when he pulled Kansas City Chiefs guard Jeff Allen’s vehicle from the snow Saturday has gained national attention. Dave Cochran’s story gained traction after Allen reached out on Twitter to find the man who had helped him. For helping Allen make it to the playoff game, Allen returned the favor, awarding Cochran with tickets to this weekend’s AFC championship game at Arrowhead Stadium. But the story doesn’t end there. Within hours of the story going viral, a GoFundMe page was set up by Manhattan resident Justin Manford.…