Riley County police director Brian Peete on Thursday said the multi-agency effort to investigate the June 13 arson at Manhattan’s Walmart may soon lead to an arrest. “I think that where we’re at now, the information that we have and that we’ve gathered throughout the investigation, has given us a good, high level of confidence,” Peete said. The investigation into a fire that closed Walmart for the whole of Father’s Day weekend is a cooperative effort between RCPD and Pottawatomie County attorney John Paul Washburn, with assistance as needed from the Pottawatomie County sheriff’s office. The fire caused an estimated…
Author: Rose Gruenbacher
Former Manhattan chiropractor Clark Petersen, who was convicted in an August trial for multiple counts of sex crimes against former clients, will be sentenced for his crimes Oct. 31 in Riley County District Court. He was originally scheduled for sentencing Nov. 18. Petersen, 66, was found guilty of four counts of rape, 40 counts of aggravated sexual battery, four counts of sexual battery, one count of lewd and lascivious behavior, one count of attempted rape and one count of attempted aggravated criminal sodomy. To view the full article visit theMercury.com. Click here for more Riley County news.
A Manhattan man was sentenced Monday to nearly 11 years in prison after he was convicted in Riley County District Court of involuntary manslaughter, distribution of fentanyl, distribution of marijuana and possession of fentanyl. Luke Patrick Johnson, 22, was sentenced to a combined prison sentence of 10 years and 10 months for his convictions, which come from two separate court cases. He entered a plea deal with the state Aug. 18. Johnson’s charge of involuntary manslaughter is tied to the 2023 death of 18-year-old Haley George. In statements to Judge John Bosch, several of her family members lamented that George…