Author: Brandon Peoples

The Riley County Police Department has arrested a teenager in connection to the burglary of the Casey’s Convenience Store in Ogden. Just after 3 a.m. Thursday, a report for burglary and criminal damage was filed after it was determined someone broke into the store, using a baseball bat to break the window. Police arrested 16-year-old Estevan Rochin, who is accused of stealing around $250 worth of vaping pods. Damage to the building was estimated at $500. Police processed Rochin through juvenile intake and noted he would be released to a guardian. Rochin was also arrested in November in connection to…

Manhattan-Ogden School Board members spoke briefly Wednesday about safety and security within the district. Board President Karla Hagemeister noted Wednesday she is working with administrators on ways to further conversations at future meetings, complimenting work by district leadership on managing controllable factors related to school safety. Board member Darell Edie expressed a desire to potentially beef up security at Anthony and Eisenhower Middle Schools. Board member Brandy Santos commented she’s visited district buildings over the past week and been cognizant of safety efforts in place. The board will hold its next meeting after Spring Break, on March 22. In other…

The Riley County Police Department says it received a single call Wednesday morning on its administrative line of an active shooter at Manhattan High School’s west campus, which was identified as a potential swatting call. The call came in around 8:30 a.m. and RCPD dispatched its School Resource Officer who immediately found the information to be false. USD 383 Superintendent Marvin Wade was on In Focus Wednesday morning. Swatting refers to a harassment technique which entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. Similar calls were made at high schools across the region including…

A bill that has passed out of the Kansas Senate would strip local health departments of their power to quarantine or isolate infected people. It would also no longer require schools to report infectious diseases. Pottawatomie County Health Department Director Leslie Campbell shared concerns about the bill Monday with commissioners. The bill did not receive enough votes to be veto-proof. While it limits power of local health departments, those officials would still be able to make recommendations. Commissioner Pat Weixelman. Campbell says she has written a letter to Sen. Dennis Pyle expressing her concern. Pottawatomie County is currently seeing a…

A 23-year-old Manhattan man continues to recover after being seriously injured last Friday in a head-on crash on the Anderson Ave. overpass along Seth Child Road. Austin Gano was life-flighted to KU Medical Center. According to a GoFundMe page, established by his partner, the crash left Gano with internal bleeding, a ruptured spleen, a fractured wrist and a broken pelvis, leaving him unable to walk, likely for an extended time period. So far, more than $1,100 has been raised. Those wishing to give can follow the above link in this story.

Riley County home owners should be receiving their 2023 Change of Value Notices in the mail this week. County Appraiser Anna Burson noted that many residents will see significant increases in their home’s valuation. Burson says the Appraiser’s Office does not determine how much residents will pay in property taxes. The Change of Valuation Notice mailers also include a form that can be sent to the Appraiser’s Office to schedule an informal appeal, but property owners must do so by March 27. For more information, call the Appraiser’s Office 785-537-6316.

Riley County officials are planning an informational meeting early next month to discuss the future of the Keats Sewer Benefit District. Commissioners created the district in 2018 after more than 51 percent of affected property owners signed a petition. “After several years of analyzing options, costs, and funding mechanisms, the County sought to move forward with sanitary sewer collection and pump to the City of Manhattan Wastewater Treatment Facility,” said Amanda Webb, Director of Riley County Planning & Development. Rising costs, material delays and labor shortages have prompted Riley County to move toward a community lagoon option instead. Webb says a…

A former Manhattan restaurant owner has been sentenced to 24 and a half years in prison on two counts of rape. Robert Iacobellis appeared in court Friday as Judge Kendra Lewison sealed his fate, granting a motion to depart to the grid, sentencing him to 147 months on both counts, to be served consecutively, for a total of 294 months. The 64-year-old entered into an Alford plea in April 2022, maintaining his innocence but admitting to prosecutors that evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if brought to trial. The sentence was agreed to by both parties as part…

A Manhattan woman is back in custody following a probation violation. The Riley County Police Department says 23-year-old Therriana Pittman was arrested Thursday night at the Short Stop convenience store on Tuttle Creek Blvd. The probation violation stems from a Valentine’s Day arrest where police seized over 300 suspected fentanyl pills and marijuana from her vehicle. Pittman was charged in that incident with possession and distribution charges, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm. She remains jailed on a $50,000 bond.

Update: Friday 4 p.m. One person was life flighted from an injury crash early Friday morning on Seth Child Road at the Anderson Ave. overpass. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, two vehicles were involved in a head on collision just before 6:30 a.m. when a northbound Toyota Corolla crossed over the center line, striking a southbound Dodge Durango. The crash report states 23-year-old Austin Gano, of Manhattan, sustained serious injuries and had to be air lifted to KU Medical Center in Kansas City. According to the Riley County Police Department, Gano had to be extricated from his vehicle. The…