Author: Brandon Peoples

A Manhattan man is behind bars in connection to drug distribution resulting in death. The Riley County Police Department says 22-year-old Daron Marsean Island-Jones was arrested Tuesday, charged with distribution of opiates, dissemination of a controlled substance resulting in fatality and utilization of a communication facility in the commission of a felony drug violation. The charges stem from a June 2023 incident involving an overdose death of a 25-year-old unidentified Manhattan resident. Police say the investigation into this and other Fentanyl-related overdoses remain active and ongoing. Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact RCPD.

An investigation continues into a cybersecurity incident involving Riley County’s P25 emergency radio systems. The incident was discovered Monday, prompting an emergency disaster declaration from the county commission, which allows the county to be able to request additional communications transmission resources from the State of Kansas. Emergency Management Director Russel Stukey says the county’s radio system is essentially computer controlled. “It manages the radio traffic so that we don’t have to have as many antennas and repeaters at each site,” he said. Additional support arrived from the Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) Monday evening when the state’s Communication on…

City crews are out this week hauling off debris for residents free of charge as part of Manhattan’s annual spring cleanup. Parks Superintendent Casey Smithson says a lot of work goes into this week, primarily from Public Works crews with the parks department supplementing staff to support haul off efforts. He spoke about the spring cleanup on KMAN’s In Focus Monday. Rains made collection a little more difficult Tuesday morning, said Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr, but he says he appreciates the cooperation of residents and city crews. Residents are advised to have their items on the curb and ready…

Riley County officials issued a disaster emergency declaration late Monday after the county’s P25 public safety agency radio communication system lost connection as part of a cybersecurity incident that developed earlier in the day. Emergency responders in Riley County are currently using the backup state system for emergency communications. P25 is a solution for intra-agency communication, which allows for interoperable, multi-agency communications during an emergency. Officials say the issue is affecting all first responders including police, fire and emergency medical services, but does not impact the public or 911 systems. Dispatchers are still able to receive calls, dispatch resources and…

Riley County Police have released surveillance video from a local retailer in an attempt to identify a man suspected of making fraudulent purchases in Manhattan. The individual, who appears to be a white male, is seen exiting the Best Buy store. Police say they’re seeking to speak with the man regarding the unauthorized use of a credit card, resulting in fraudulent transactions totaling close to $4,700 at Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Family Dollar on March 7. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers. Can you identify the individual in this video footage? We are seeking to…

Police are investigating after someone reportedly cashed checks or paid for services with fraudulent checks, totaling more than $10,000. The Riley County Police Department says it filed a report Friday morning, listing Community First National Bank and Bayer Construction as the victims. The suspect is a 56-year-old Topeka man. As of Monday, police had not made any arrests. The total loss associated with the case is $10,099.78. The investigation is ongoing.

Segment 1: 00:00 Segment 2: 10:36 Segment 3: 21:53 Segment 4: 35:50 — Manhattan Parks & Recreation Department Park Planner II Alfonso Leyva and Park Superintendent Casey Smithson. Kansas State University Veterinary Anesthesiologist Dr. Nathaniel Kapaldo.

After the Kansas House unanimously approved a bipartisan tax bill this week, changes are likely coming from Senate leadership during conference committee this week. Manhattan State Sen. Usha Reddi says the fiscal note on Senate Bill 300 is too expensive, at close to $500 million per year. Her major frustration has been that she believes there are many good pieces that could easily be voted on individually. “For example existing social security, income from individual income tax, we all agree on that one. I wish we could just pull each of these out and vote on them separately instead of…

The Junction City Police Department says officers and detectives have seized over 2,300 fentanyl-laced pills in the past two weeks from ongoing drug investigations in the area. The pills, commonly referred to as “Dirty 30s” were recovered along with 3 kilograms of pure fentanyl, the department said in a Saturday social media post. The seizure removes the equivalent of approximately 1.5 million potential lethal doses of fentanyl from the streets. Additionally, police said multiple arrests have been made. Fentanyl is extremely lethal and has been linked to many overdose deaths in the U.S., including in the Flint Hills. Officials say…

Riley County Police Department Director Brian Peete is approaching the upcoming budget cycle cognizant of the current, more conservative Law Board’s desires to maintain a lean budget. Peete spoke Thursday on KMAN’s In Focus podcast about the upcoming budget process, which will begin to take shape in April. Budgets have gone up every year since 2020, when the Law Board held expenditures flat, due to uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the Riley County Law Board approved a 6.5% increase in expenditures. The previous year, the increase was roughly 8.5%. In 2021, the board approved a 3.5% boost. Peete says…