A Texas man convicted of a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery was sentenced to one year of probation Monday in Riley County District Court. Judge Grant Bannister sentenced Mario Juarez, 28, of Dallas to one year in jail Monday morning, but granted a year of probation in place of time in custody. Juarez, a former Fort Riley soldier, received a sexual battery conviction after he entered a plea deal with the state. He told Bannister that after he was released from the military he returned to Dallas, where his family lives. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Author: Rose Gruenbacher
A Manhattan man charged with multiple counts of varied drug offenses was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Riley County District Court, but his lawyer postponed the hearings to allow for further discussion with his client. Joseph Frank Fabre, 61, faces charges from three cases with alleged offenses including distributing methamphetamine near school property, possession of methamphetamine, three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of zolpidem, possession of fentanyl and Kansas offender registration act violation. Judge Grant Bannister scheduled the arraignments to be heard on Sept. 21. Fabre’s attorney, Aaron Gipson, also made an oral motion and asked the…
Prosecutors have dropped the case against a former K-State men’s basketball assistant in Riley County District Court. Mark Randall Vital Jr., 29, was charged with one count of disorderly conduct. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charge, which originally included domestic battery. Riley County attorney Barry Wilkerson filed an order with the court on Monday, dismissing the case against Vital without prejudice. Vital was a graduate assistant on the Kansas State University men’s basketball coaching staff when he was charged. He is no longer on staff.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on Aug. 4 announced victory in a case where he argued firearms suppressors should not be required to be registered with the federal government. Kobach, who characterized suppressors as protective hearing accessories, represented Kansas alongside 14 other states and a group of private plaintiffs to challenge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Specifically, the group commanded the ATF to stop enforcing registration, reporting and record keeping requirements that applied to suppressors and short-barreled rifles and shotguns. A federal judge in Texas ruled on Aug. 5 that the permitting process for short-barreled guns…
A co-defendant in a case connected to two related shootings in 2024 took the witness stand in Riley County District Court Thursday morning and testified against 18-year-old Dontaivious Temple. Temple, of Manhattan is charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder, criminal discharge of a firearm, aggravated robbery, three counts of criminal damage to property and criminal use of weapons. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
The first witnesses in a Riley County District Court trial charging a Manhattan teen with attempted murder took the stand to testify Tuesday morning and described the events that ultimately led to two shootings in November and December 2024. Dontaivious Amaru Temple, 18, is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, criminal discharge of a firearm, aggravated robbery, three counts of criminal damage to property and criminal use of weapons. Temple’s charges are connected to a robbery and shooting at different times on Nov. 30, 2024 at a residence at 2082 College Heights Road. One woman was injured during…
A Manhattan man’s arraignment in Riley County District Court got pushed back Monday after his defense attorney requested a continuance to attempt negotiating a plea deal for the man’s drug cases in two counties. David Alan Labombarbe, 39, faces a litany of drug charges in four cases between Riley and Marion Counties. All of the alleged offenses took place during a 16-day period. His defense attorney, David Vinduska, asked the court to continue the arraignments in Labombarbe’s Riley County cases to engage in further plea negotiations. The motion was granted and Labombarbe is scheduled to appear for arraignment again on…
The trial of a Manhattan teenager charged with attempted murder began Monday with jury selection. Dontaivious Amaru Temple, 18, is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder of Sierre Serr and Clayson Joyce. Temple also faces charges of criminal discharge of a firearm, aggravated robbery, three counts of criminal damage to property and criminal use of weapons. Temple’s charges stem from a robbery and shooting on Nov. 30, 2024, which led to a second related shooting in the early morning hours of Dec. 1, 2024. Police arrested Temple in April 2025. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
A former Riley County Police Department officer dismissed from the department in July 2025 has now been convicted of phone harassment and unlawful computer acts after entering a plea agreement with county prosecutors on July 23. Stephen Benjamin Clark, 43, of Manhattan, was found guilty of harassment by a telecommunication device and unlawful computer acts by Riley County District Court Judge Grant Bannister, after Clark entered “no contest” pleas. In return for the plea, the Riley County attorney’s office dropped two felony charges of breach of privacy. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.
Otis Elevator service technicians repaired the larger of two elevators in Manhattan Housing Authority’s Apartment Towers building Wednesday afternoon, almost 24 hours after it was thought to have been fixed on Tuesday. MHA executive director Aaron Estabrook said service was restored to the elevator at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. He said MHA is “cautiously optimistic” the repair will last. “A few residents will stay in hotels tonight on our expense to ensure the elevator remains working longer than it did yesterday before moving folks back,” Estabrook said. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.