WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Sedgwick County jailer is under arrest following allegations that the man raped two male inmates in their cells. Sheriff’s detectives arrested the 21-year-old detention deputy Tuesday on suspicion of several offenses, including aggravated criminal sodomy and mistreatment of confined persons. The case was being presented to the district attorney’s office for possible charges. The sheriff’s office in Wichita says it became aware of an initial allegation on June 3 and a second allegation Monday. In both instances, male inmates in their 20s said the deputy entered their cells in the middle of the night and sexually…
Author: KMAN Staff
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Illinois officials say the parents of two small children found tied up and blindfolded in a Kansas Walmart parking lot were investigated last year for possible neglect. A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services says the agency opened a case on the family in December after verifying a report of neglect. Kendall Marlowe says the case was closed in April and the children were allowed to remain with the family. Adolfo Gomez Jr. and his wife, Deborah Gomez, are charged in Douglas County with two counts of child abuse and five counts of…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) An official of the annual Wichita motorcycle parade that collects toys and holiday donations for charity has died in a motorcycle crash. Sedgwick County authorities say 55-year-old Holly Potelle, of Harper, was riding on Kansas 42 near Viola around 6 p.m. Monday when a strong gust of wind pushed her motorcycle into a ditch. KAKE-TV reports the motorcycle struck a driveway, throwing Potelle about 30 feet into the air. Potelle lived in Harper and taught language arts at Harper Elementary School. She was the director of the Wichita Toy Run, a benefit motorcycle ride that collects toys…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Texas man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for robberies in Topeka, Lawrence and Wichita. Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that 26-year-old David B. Johnson, of Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced for robberies at a yogurt shop and convenience store in Topeka, an adult entertainment store in Lawrence and a sandwich shop in Wichita. All the robberies occurred in January. Johnson was sentenced after pleading guilty to four counts of robbery and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. Johnson led police on a chase that reached 100 mph shortly after the robbery in…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) With Kansans driving less and using more fuel-efficient vehicles, the state is studying the possible impact of a drop in fuel tax revenue. The Kansas Department of Transportation says the decline in revenue from motor fuel taxes is a concern because that money is the primary way the state funds its highway projects. The Wichita Eagle reports Kansans drove 82.2 million miles each day last year. That’s an increase from 81.9 million miles in 2010, but a drop from 83 million in 2006. Leif Holliday, a traffic engineer for the transportation department, said traffic had grown 1…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Department of Agriculture is considering moving its headquarters out of Topeka to Manhattan or southwest Kansas. The state department that handles facilities for state agencies is soliciting bids for office space for the Department of Agriculture. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports bids are being sought from Topeka, Manhattan and Great Bend, Garden City and/or Dodge City. Agriculture department official Max Foster said Monday the department’s lease in Topeka ends Sept. 30, 2013. A spokeswoman for Secretary of Agriculture Dale Rodman says the department has been working for the past six months to find a space that…
SALINA, Kan. (AP) A search committee is working to find a new president for Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina. The search started after the university’s board of trustees accepted the sudden resignation of Fletcher Lamkin on Friday. They appointed provost Wayne Lowen as interim president while the search is conducted. The Salina Journal reports Lowen will continue to serve as provost and additional staff might be hired to help with those duties. Trustees chairman James Nelson says no timetable has been set for finding a replacement. Lamkin’s resignation on Friday came after 2.5 years as president. His tenure was marked…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A Hutchinson man who sent two letters to a Kansas mental hospital threatening to kill President Barack Obama has been sentenced to two years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom says 27-year-old Michael Scott Ramsey was sentenced Monday in Wichita. He pleaded guilty in March. Grissom says Ramsey delivered letters on July 1, 2009, to Larned State Hospital saying he was going to kill the president. In one of the letters he said “this is Michael Ramsey telling you this.” Ramsey received a mental evaluation at a federal detention center in Los Angeles, where experts found…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas officials are preparing to hear objections to listings on primary election ballots for three state House seats. The State Objections Board is scheduled to convene Tuesday. The board is made up of Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, all Republicans. A group called the Kansas Equality Coalition wants to remove Democratic Rep. Jan Pauls, of Hutchinson, from the ballot. The group questions whether Pauls lives at the address she listed on her filing form. Another objection involves two House Republicans from Johnson County who were placed in the…
After 6 years in the position of administrator and principal at the Flint Hills Christian School, Frank Leone is stepping down to make room for someone new, Tim McDonald. According to Leone, McDonald will bring an international perspective to the school due to his recent service in China and Kenya. “I also see [McDonald] raising the profile of the school in the community and connecting the school better to area Christian churches,” Leone said. Leone began transferring his role to McDonald at the beginning of the month, as his final day was expected to be June 18. With the change in leadership, Flint…