The defense for a semi-truck driver on trial in a fatal hit-and-run wanted jurors on Monday to see the victim’s injuries to convince them the man had intended to kill himself. Shane Jungemann, 48, of Jefferson City, South Dakota, is on trial this week in Riley County District Court. He is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident in connection with the May death of Samuel Ratliff, 32. According to court records, Jungemann was driving a semi and pulling an empty cattle trailer when he backed into Ratliff. Ratliff was hit and pulled under the trailer at the…
Author: Rose Gruenbacher
The trial of a South Dakota man involved in a fatal hit-and-run in May began Monday with jury selection in Riley County District Court. Shane Jungemann, 48, of Jefferson City is out of jail on a $15,000 bond. He is charged with failure to stop at an accident with a reasonably known result in death. He was arrested May 15 after he hit a man with his semi trailer and drove away while he knew the man was still underneath. Samuel Ratliff, 32, was walking behind Jungemann’s trailer near South Fifth Street and Pottawatomie Avenue. He was hit while Jungemann…
Joseph Marlow was found guilty Friday of aggravated indecent liberties by a jury in Riley County District Court. He was acquitted of his remaining charges. Marlow, 26, of Manhattan was convicted early Friday afternoon of one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child under 14 years old. He was found not guilty of a second count of the same charge as well as two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy of a child under 14 years old. The victim was a girl Marlow knew who was five years old at the time of the crime. Last March he was in…
After the state rested its case Thursday morning in the Riley County District Court trial of Manhattan man Joseph Marlow, the judge denied a motion for acquittal from chief public defender Trey Bryant. The trial continued Thursday afternoon. In apology notes shown to jurors Thursday, Joseph Marlow told a young girl who he is accused of committing sex crimes against that he loves her, doesn’t want to lose her and would protect her at all costs. Marlow, 26, wrote the apology to a 5-year-old Manhattan girl and her mother after he touched the girl’s bottom beneath her clothing last March. Marlow…
There’s no such thing as too soon for Jim Morrison when it comes to budget discussions for the Riley County law enforcement agency board. Morrison, a Manhattan city commissioner, is new to the board this year and has made it clear the police department’s budget is his top concern. While the 2027 budget wasn’t scheduled to be addressed in this month’s meeting, Morrison added it as a discussion item and was the primary speaker on the topic. He said he was concerned by the number of items that seem repeatedly over and underspent on for multiple years and additionally took…
A 6-year-old Manhattan girl wore a pink and rainbow sparkly dress and held her favorite stuffed dog when she took the witness stand Wednesday in Riley County District Court. The girl is the victim of alleged sex crimes by Joseph Marlow, a man she knows. Joseph Marlow, 26, of Manhattan, is charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy of a child under 14 years old and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child under 14 years old. All charges are against the same girl, who was 5 years old at the time of the offenses. The Mercury…
A Manhattan man’s trial began Tuesday with jury selection in Riley County District Court for a case charging him with aggravated sex crimes against a child. Joseph Ray Marlow, 26, is charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy of a child under 14 years old and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child under 14 years old. All charges involve a child born in 2019. Marlow was arrested for the alleged crimes in March and pleaded not guilty to all counts in July. Judge John Bosch previously denied a motion from chief public defender Trey Bryant to…
Manhattan High School and the Riley County Police Department executed a random drug search Tuesday morning, with the assistance of drug detection dogs. Michele Jones, USD 383 director of communications, health and safety, said the district occasionally conducts these searches at the high school and middle schools when the dogs are available. Jones said Tuesday’s search was not instigated by a specific incident or situation. An RCPD representative said police officers were present at the request of the school. They said officers conducted a narcotic sniff resulting in reports filed for three people. No further action was taken and the…
Abby Stark thinks K-State can do more to prevent sexual assaults and promote student involvement to support victims like her. Stark, 20, from Minnesota, is a sophomore at K-State. Last year, she was navigating a trial in which she claimed a fellow student, Dylan Zeller, 19 of Leawood, sexually assaulted her. He was charged with rape and aggravated sexual battery but just before jury deliberation reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He pleaded no contest to two counts of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm. On top of navigating the court processes, she said she was judged by her peers.…
A former Riley County police officer facing multiple charges appeared in Riley County District Court on Monday for his arraignment, now scheduled for next month. Stephen Benjamin Clark, 42, of Manhattan is charged with two counts of breach of privacy disseminating sexual media of a person aged 18 years or older, harassment by telecom device and unlawful computer acts. Though he was scheduled to be arraigned for his alleged crimes on Monday, the hearing was moved to March 23. To view the full article visit theMercury.com.