TOPEKA — A judge has found sufficient evidence for three men to stand trial in a double homicide in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 19-year-old Matthew Hutto, 31-year-old Richard Showalter and 41-year-old Bradley Sportsman were bound over for trial Tuesday. They’re each jailed on $1 million bond on charges that include first-degree murder in the deaths of Sportsman’s estranged wife, 28-year-old Lisa Sportsman, and her cousin, 17-year-old Jesse Polinskey. Twenty-year-old Cole Pingel testified at the preliminary hearing that the three talked about “taking care of business” while making the two-hour drive from the small town of Greenleaf to Topeka…
Author: KMAN Staff
GREAT BEND — A Kansas prosecutor is planning to resign, saying the sheriff has been acting like a “bully” since he was acquitted of a misdemeanor for allegedly slapping a handcuffed man. The Wichita Eagle reports that Barton County Attorney Amy Schartz Mellor said in a news release Tuesday that she plans to step down next month. The release cites a letter from Sheriff Brian Bellendir that states his intention to try to have Mellor removed from office. After Bellendir’s acquittal last week, he called the case a “politically motivated witch hunt.” The defense said Bellendir slapped the suspect in…
TOPEKA — Authorities say a statue of a bison calf has been stolen from a popular nature area north of Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Doug Iliff reported that the statue was broken off at the base and taken week from the parking lot at Iliff Commons, a privately owned area that is open to the public. It has several miles of trails for walking, running, cross-country skiing and mountain biking. A replica of Topeka’s original log cabin is situated on the trail. Iliff estimates the statue is worth about $800. The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the…
Joshua Potter, 23, of Shawnee, was arrested while at the Riley County Police Department on November 20, 2018 at approximately 12:50 PM. Potter was arrested on a Riley County District Court warrant for failure to appear. Potter was issued a total bond of $6,000.00 causing him to remain confined at the time of this report. Joseph Hammond, 47, of Junction City, was arrested while in the 400 block of Fremont St. in Manhattan on November 20, 2018, at approximately 10:30 AM. Hammond was arrested on offenses of distribute or possess with the intent to distribute heroin within 1000′ of a…
LEAVENWORTH — A Leavenworth County Commissioner has resigned under pressure after saying at a meeting that he belongs to “the master race.” Louis Klemp said in the letter submitted Tuesday resigning his seat on the Leavenworth County Commission that the remark was “well-meaning” and “not racially motivated.” Klemp cited the master race the Nazi ideology of Aryan supremacy last week while responding to a presentation by a black official, Triveece Penelton. Klemp was appointed to fill a Republican vacancy in the county just west of Kansas City. He said he was identifying a similarity in their appearance, noting both have…
TOPEKA — A Florida nonprofit recently awarded a four-year grant for family preservation services in Kansas has been under intense scrutiny in its home state. Eckerd Connects, which administers foster care in the Tampa Bay area, will serve much of Kansas starting next year. The announcement was made earlier this month by the Kansas Department for Children and Families. But the Kansas City Star reports that Eckerd has been plagued by problems such as foster children roaming unsupervised while skipping school, young people staying in different homes night after night, even children dying of abuse or neglect. Eckerd says it…
TOPEKA — Room is running out for names on the memorial honoring Kansas law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, so it will soon be expanded. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Gov. Jeff Colyer and Attorney General Derek Schmidt were among those announcing expansion plans on Monday. The project is expected to cost $500,000, funded with private donations. Organizers have already raised about $425,000. The memorial is outside the Kansas Statehouse. It includes the names of 281 officers, with room for 39 more. Plans call for adding a second concentric ring of memorial markers outside the existing monument…
WICHITA — Sedgwick County Commissioners will pay $77,000 to County Counselor Eric Yost in a separation agreement. The Wichita Eagle reported on the agreement Monday. Yost has been on paid suspension since Nov. 7, when he released details of the commission majority’s effort to oust County Manager Michael Scholes and confirmed an FBI investigation of commissioners. Scholes told Yost the commissioners were moving to oust him because he had provided information to the FBI in an investigation last year of Commissioner Michael O’Donnell, who is awaiting federal trial on wire fraud and money laundering charges related to campaign funds. O’Donnell…
TOPEKA — The state of Kansas will pay $75,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that the Department of Children and Families failed to intervene to protect an 18-month-old girl who eventually died. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Jayla Haag died in 2012 from blunt-force injuries to the head. The girl lived with her mother, Alyssa Haag, in El Dorado. The suit filed by the father, Steven Watters, accused the agency of ignoring warning signs that included calls to a child-abuse hotline. He also alleged that a DCF social worker was aware of the mother’s persistent use of illegal drugs. In…
Pottawatomie County Public Works Director Peter Clark gave an update to the county commission on Monday with two big topics addressed during the meeting. One of those was a recent bridge failure. The bridge will be closed for the next few months while they design and rebuild. The second topic discussed was over a local road safety plan which the Kansas Department of Transportation is wanting all counties to work on. Clark explained the details. KDOT has said it will split the cost of the plan 90/10 leaving the county to only pay $5,000 for the consultation and plan creation.…