Author: Brandon Peoples

An investigation is underway after a suspected burglary at the RB Outpost Western Store in rural Riley County. According to the Riley County Police Department, officers responded to a vehicle fire, just before 3 a.m. Monday, a short distance from the business, in the 6700 block of Tuttle Creek Blvd. Police located the car’s owner, 22-year-old Trenton Richerson, of Marysville, walking along the roadway and an investigation determined he had been driving intoxicated. Police also were able to link Richerson to the burglary at the nearby retailer, which had occurred around the same timeframe. The merchant reported a front store…

A Westmoreland woman is jailed following a DUI crash Monday night. According to the Riley County Police Department, 23-year-old Maxxie Clarke was charged with aggravated battery and driving under the influence, after her vehicle rear-ended a Jeep Wrangler near the intersection of South 10th Street and Fort Riley Blvd. The crash occurred just before 11 p.m. The other driver, 62-year-old Marvin Hines, of Terre Haute, Indiana, was transported to Via Christi for treatment of minor injuries. Clarke remains jailed on a $4,000 bond.

The cause of a Monday fire that killed two dogs remains under investigation by the Manhattan Fire Department. Firefighters were dispatched shortly before 3:30 p.m. to a home at 1127 Yuma Street on fire. Upon arrival, the single-story home was found with smoke and fire showing from a window. The fire was contained within 10 minutes. Two dogs were outside the home when firefighters arrived and another was rescued by firefighters. Two more dogs were found dead inside the home. The home’s occupants were not home at the time of the blaze. They were able to remain in the home,…

One week after visiting with Manhattan City Commissioners about covering a $1.4 million funding gap for its Advanced Technology Center, Manhattan Area Technical College President Jim Genandt was in front of the Pottawatomie County Commission Monday speaking about the project. Genandt says the purpose of his visit wasn’t to ask for support, but rather to start a conversation about how MATC and Pott County can work together to secure grants and solve workforce challenges. He notes that because MATC has no taxing authority, it has flexibility that most of higher education doesn’t have. Genandt wants MATC to be ready in…

The Riley County Police Department is seeking help identifying a possible suspect in last week’s shooting outside of Sunset Zoo. RCPD shared a photo Monday of a black man, seen in the area by multiple witnesses running from the scene of the March 6 shooting. According to police, a 23-year-old man was shot in the neck in the zoo parking lot, sustaining non-life threatening injuries. Police say the shooting appeared to be isolated between two separate, but associated parties. Anyone with information is encouraged to call RCPD at 785-537-2112 or Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777.

The City of Manhattan announced on Friday the hiring of Aaron Stewart as its next Parks and Recreation Director. Stewart, a Manhattan native, has more than 25 years of parks and recreation experience in a municipal setting, and currently serves as Parks and Recreation Director in Garden City. He spoke about the prospect of returning to his hometown at a public reception last Monday. In Garden City, Stewart has led a department that operates 11 parks, an aquatics facility, all recreational programming, an accredited zoo and a nationally ranked golf course. His resume also includes stints in Carbon Valley and…

Road construction is about to ramp up significantly in Manhattan over the next several weeks. As work continues on raising the levee on the city’s east side, City Manager Ron Fehr says interruptions will begin near the intersection of Hayes Drive and Casement Road. Storm sewer construction and related levee work is underway nearby. The intersection is actually part of the levee. Fehr says most of the work will occur on the Hayes Drive leg, with a dike that will go up and a sandbag gap that he says will be filled.  All commercial properties on Hayes Drive will maintain…

Residents living in the Royal Towers apartment building, located near the Kansas State University campus will soon need to find a new home. The Manhattan Fire Department’s Risk Reduction Services sent a notice to tenants March 3 stating the building, located at 1700 North Manhattan Ave.  is being condemned, noting a March 16 deadline for corrective action by the property owner, TD Invest LLC, which took over management of the property from The Prime Company in January. Some residents interpreted that as an eviction notice. Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr says it’s actually more of a start date for residents to begin…

Anthony Middle School students were briefly placed in a “hold” Wednesday following a battery incident in a classroom. According to the Riley County Police Department, a report for battery and criminal damage was reported just after 11 a.m. that morning. Police say an 11-year-old boy is accused of battering a 33-year-old man and 54-year-old woman. The boy also reportedly broke an interior window of the building with a metal chair, causing an estimated $500 in damage. No further information was released. An email to parents from Principal Vickie Cline indicates that a “hold” is a newly implemented tactic, designed to…

A Manhattan woman has been arrested in connection to sex crimes involving a 13 year old boy. The Riley County Police Department says 28-year-old Elizabeth Butry was arrested Tuesday on three counts of rape, two counts of contributing to a child’s misconduct and single counts of attempted rape and furnishing alcohol to a minor. She remained jailed ahead of her first court appearance Wednesday. Online court records allege the incidents occurred several times over the final two weeks of February. A status conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 25 in front of Judge William Malcolm. Due to the nature…