The Riley County Law Enforcement Agency Board on Monday approved a 1.76% increase for the 2027 budget in a 6-1 vote. The total budget will be $30.44 million — an increase of $106,074 from the 2026 budget. The Manhattan city government pays 80% of the budget and the Riley County government pays 20%. Both agencies have to certify the 2027 budget by July 6. The approved budget increase includes a 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and an additional $40,000 for prisoner food due to inflation and increased inmate population. It also reflects decreased contributions to workers compensation funds and the agency’s…
Author: Rose Gruenbacher
A Riley County District Court judge ordered Ivan Krdzic to serve 8 years and 4 months in prison during a sentencing hearing Monday afternoon. Krdzic, 37, of Santa Rosa, California, entered guilty pleas in May to charges of kidnapping and aggravated battery in a plea deal with county prosecutors. Judge Kendra Lewison gave him 346 days of credit for time he’d already served in the Riley County Jail. While addressing Lewison, Krdzic said he didn’t believe his convictions were accurate to what actually happened but stood by his decision to take the plea deal to avoid the possibility of more…
A Manhattan man charged with sexual exploitation of children will go to trial in August after he pleaded not guilty Monday in Riley County District Court. Joshua Glenn Taylor, 48, is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a child by possessing digital files of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He pleaded not guilty to all counts. While describing the content of some of the files, assistant Riley County attorney Michael Blackburn said Taylor possessed images and videos of “a prepubescent child having sexual intercourse with a dog,” accompanied by lewd captions or messages describing the files. To…
Manhattan municipal Judge Sarah Smith Barr has resigned but is characterizing an investigation that prompted her to leave as “half-truths and misrepresentations.” Barr told The Mercury on Monday she “felt sick” about resigning and loved the job. She’d been in the position since July 1; her resignation came in an announcement Friday. Before that, she spent 23 years as student legal services attorney at K-State. She essentially said she was forced out. “The bottom line is I did not convict enough people, and I pissed off the police,” Barr said. She said she was informed three weeks ago she would…
An Ogden man facing an array of charges will remain in jail following his first appearance in Riley County District Court. Luke Maurice Johnson Sr., 63, maintained his innocence Wednesday afternoon and asked Judge Kendra Lewison to reduce his bond from its current amount of $2 million. Johnson is charged with three counts of aggravated human trafficking for sexual gratification, two counts of rape, distribution between 3.5 and 100 grams of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of school property, two counts of distribution of between 10 and 100 doses of fentanyl within 1,000 feet of school property, sexual battery and domestic battery. He’s…
A Catholic church in St. Marys could face excommunication from the Vatican if its leaders follow through with plans to ordain four new bishops July 1. The Society of Saint Pius X, or SSPX, is a traditionalist sect of the Catholic Church founded in 1970 that opposes the Second Vatican Council, which modernized the church and allowed reforms such as the celebration of Mass in vernacular languages. The Vatican has said if SSPX ordains new bishops, it would be a “grave offense against God” and a schismatic act. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
An Ogden man pleaded not guilty Monday in Riley County District Court to a slew of charges including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery. Cordarius Devonte Maurice Gowdy, 24, entered not guilty pleas to Judge Grant Bannister for the premeditated killing of Tannon Ratcliffe as well as killing Ratcliffe while criminally discharging a firearm. He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery against Andrew Graves and Cade Perkins, criminal discharge of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. To view the full article visit…
A Riley County District Court judge on Wednesday sentenced a Texas man to over 14 years in prison after he was convicted by a jury in March of distributing drugs. Jose Miguel Rivera, 33, will serve 14 years 2 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for distributing at least 1 kilogram of cocaine. Rivera was also sentenced to four years one month for distribution of between 100 grams and 1 kilogram of psilocybin — also known as mushrooms — and eight months for using a cell phone to distribute controlled substances. Judge Grant Bannister ordered Rivera’s sentences to be served…
A Manhattan woman will go to trial in August after pleading not guilty at an arraignment in Riley County District Court for drug distribution and child endangerment charges. Brittanie Michelle Vaughn, 31, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to distributing between 3.5 and 100 grams of methamphetamine, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of aggravated child endangerment by exposure to the sale of meth and possession of marijuana. The charges are all alleged to have happened on May 8, 2025. Two children born in 2020 and 2021 were listed as victims. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
A Manhattan man pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to charges against him including 10 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Manfred Adrien Elocka-Ngom, 31, pleaded not guilty to 12 charges in Riley County Court. He faces 10 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child by engaging in sexual intercourse, contributing to a child’s deprivation and furnishing alcoholic liquor or a cereal malt beverage to a minor. The charges are alleged to have been committed between July 8 and Oct. 4, 2025 against a child born in 2010. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.