An Ogden man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to 12 charges in Riley County District Court, including aggravated assault with a firearm and theft. Estevan Izik Rochin, 20, entered a plea deal with county prosecutors for charges he faced in three separate cases. He pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, four counts of theft and three counts of theft by deception, all from two cases in May and November 2025. He was found guilty of all 12 counts. In return for Rochin’s guilty plea, the prosecution dropped two counts of criminal discharge of a firearm…
Author: Rose Gruenbacher
The 2025 Westmoreland trial of Dana Chandler may find national attention once more with the upcoming release of a documentary series on HBO max about an Alma couple’s take on the case. The Mercury reported extensively on Chandler’s 2025 trial and sentencing as it unfolded. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
A Manhattan woman will go to trial in December, after pleading not guilty to arson on Monday in Riley County District Court. Virgina Lynn Beneux, 46, pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated arson of an apartment building and one count of criminal damage. A jury will hear her case during a 3-day trial beginning on Dec. 28. Beneux was arrested for the alleged crimes on Feb. 26 and is still incarcerated.
Riley County police on Wednesday morning located a 10-year-old Manhattan boy who was reported as missing by his parents at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The boy, named Victor, was found at 11:20 a.m. after being missing for over 15 hours. Riley County Police Department public information officer Joshua Kinder said the boy was classified as a runaway. Kinder said the boy was found safe near Marshalls in the West Loop shopping center after a tip was called in to police that he’d been spotted.
A Kansas City man pleaded guilty to charges including theft and forgery on Aug. 17 in Riley County District Court. Kahlil Adams Kilian, 47, pleaded guilty to three counts of forgery, two counts of felony theft and attempted theft after reaching a plea agreement with state prosecutors. In return for his plea, Killian’s remaining three charges of identity theft were dropped. Court documents identified multiple victims in the case. A man and woman were listed as victims of forged checks and Cat Cans, KS State Bank, Community First National Bank and Mike’s Plumbing were included as victims for the counts…
An attorney for USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden dropped the school district as a client this month in a case where two families say the school district violated the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding their children. Alan Rupe filed his notice of withdrawal with the U.S. District Court on Aug. 13. His notice did not include a reason for the departure. This makes the second lawyer to leave the school district’s defense team, after Delaney McCoy gave her notice to the court on July 10. McCoy said she was leaving the firm that represented the district, and said Rupe would continue as…
A Manhattan man will face trial in December after pleading not guilty Monday in Riley County District Court to charges of sex crimes. Griffin Dean Day, 24, is charged with rape, aggravated sexual battery and aggravated battery against a woman born in 1972. His attorney, Cole Hawver, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf after Judge Grant Bannister denied Hawver’s motion for a new preliminary examination hearing. Bannister’s denial came after Hawver’s motion in a June hearing, during which he alleged lack of due diligence and ineffective counsel by Day’s former lawyer, Aaron Gipson. To view the full article visit…
Riley County police officials want to move $40,000 a month from unused personnel funds to medical reserve funds in anticipation of health insurance premiums increasing in 2028. Police board members on Monday voted 2-5 allowing the transfer of $200,000 in installments until the end of the year to boost RCPD’s medical reserve fund for its health insurance. Officials said they want the fund to be over $1 million, a benchmark that the health insurance broker recommends for the department’s liability. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
A Manhattan man pleaded not guilty to charges of drug possession and distribution Monday afternoon in Riley County District Court. Jeramia Dorsey, 46, entered pleas of not guilty to charges including distribution of methamphetamine, possession of hydrocodone, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police arrested him for the crimes in November, but Dorsey has since left jail on a $5,000 bond. Dorsey’s case is now scheduled for trial from Oct. 19-20.
A man from Manhattan will serve 18 years in prison for convictions including attempted murder and criminal discharge of a firearm, connected to a shooting on Dec. 1, 2024. Clayson Joyce, 23, entered a plea agreement with state prosecutors on June 22, and was convicted of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of criminal discharge of a firearm, three counts of aggravated battery and aggravated child endangerment. Judge Kendra Lewison ordered Joyce to serve 12 years, 11 months for attempted murder, four years, seven months for each count of criminal discharge of a firearm, three years, five months for each charge…