Kansas.com: News Updates

9-year-old girl missing in Sumner County

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:39 CDT

Officers from several law enforcement agencies are in northern Sumner County tonight searching for a 9-year-old girl who has been missing since 5:30 p.m.

Belle Plaine Police Chief Gordon Fell said the girl, Autumn Kreifels, has not been seen since she left her home after an argument with a family member. He said the family lives on a farm about halfway between Belle Plaine and Conway Springs.

Amber is 4 feet, 8 inches tall, weighs 60 pounds and was wearing a lime green shirt and shorts when she left home.

Fell said anyone who has seen the girl is asked to contact the nearest law enforcement agency.

Girl hospitalized after accidental shooting

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:59 CDT

A 14-year-old girl was hospitalized tonight and a 16-year-old boy taken into custody after an accidental shooting in the 800 block of North Terrace.

Wichita police Lt. Ralph Clark said the shooting occurred about 8:30 p.m. outside the girl's home. The boy was taken into custody for questioning at his home about two blocks away, Clark said. Police were not sure how the shooting happened.

Clark said the bullet, which was fired from a small-caliber handgun, penetrated the girl's arm before striking her in the chest. She was taken to Wesley Medical Center, where doctors said her injuries were not life-threatening.

Man accused of killing Precious Doe in court

BRIAN CHARLTON — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:54 CDT

The man accused of killing a 3-year-old girl once known only as "Precious Doe" appeared in court Friday and discussed motions he had filed seeking more access to his lawyers and additional jail recreation time.

Harrell Johnson, 28, of Muskogee, Okla., is charged with first-degree murder in the 2001 death of Erica Green. The girl's decapitated body, and later her head, were found in a wooded area of Kansas City. If convicted, Johnson faces the death penalty.

He appeared in court Friday with his attorney, Kenton Hall, for a status hearing, but he also wanted to discuss the motions he had filed the night before, without his lawyers' knowledge. Hall reviewed the documents in court and agreed to allow the judge to hear them.

Johnson told Jackson County Circuit Judge John Torrence that Hall's office wasn't accepting calls from the jail's phone service and his requests to talk with his attorneys were being denied.

Torrence ordered the Jackson County Detention Center to give Johnson weekly access to his attorneys.

Murder victim's mom calls killer coward

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:08 CDT

The mother and kid sister of a man shot to death outside a Topeka pool hall lash out at his killer during his sentencing in Shawnee County District Court.

Judi Kalina on Thursday called Timothy Abdul-Kareem Shahid a "coward" and a "monster" for killing her son, Josh Kalina, on April 24, 2007. The 20-year-old Kalina was gunned down in a parking lot at Terry's Billiards after he and Shahid met that evening.

Kalina's younger sister, Jamie Kalina, said photographs she saw of her brother with bullet holes in his chest have haunted her. Since his death, she named her younger son, Josh, after her brother.

Judi Kalina said she suffers nightmares.

Shahid was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for his guilty pleas to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Lawrence mother scolds child, crashes car

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:24 CDT

A 29-year-old Lawrence woman suffered minor injuries when she crashed her car while scolding her daughter.

Emily Frances Smith was eastbound on the Kansas Turnpike near Lawrence about 7:40 p.m. Thursday when she turned around to scold her daughter. In the process, Smith pulled the steering wheel to the left, according to a crash report.

Smith over corrected and her 2001 Subaru station wagon struck the barrier wall several times, according to the report.

Smith was taken to a hospital. Her daughter was uninjured, according to the report. The vehicle was disabled in the crash and towed.

A shower here, a shower there...

STAN FINGER — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:53 CDT

Spotty morning showers are settling dust in and around Wichita today as the work week comes to a close.

A caller reported a brief downpour at Maple and 119th Street West shortly after 8 a.m., National Weather Service meteorologist Leon Wasinger said. Officially, .11 of rain was recorded at the weather service office next to Mid-Continent Airport, and showers were springing up south and southwest of the city.

"There's going to be some showery activity for sure" today in the metropolitan area, Wasinger said.

It figures to be spotty, but it wouldn't hurt to keep a raincoat or umbrella handy. Highs should touch 90 today, with southerly winds crawling into the low teens.

The showers are expected to continue into tonight, but then the weekend turns hot and dry, with highs surging into the mid- and upper 90s.

One killed, two hurt on Kansas Turnpike

STAN FINGER — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:48 CDT

One person was killed and two others were injured after their SUV slammed into two 18-wheelers parked in a service area along the Kansas Turnpike south of Wichita late Thursday night.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that the Chevy Blazer was traveling at a high rate of speed about 11 p.m. Thursday when it took the exit ramp into the Belle Plaine service area and rear-ended the trucks.

Christopher Cole, 27, of Ponca City was pronounced dead at the scene. Rusty Anderson and Ellen Remy, both of Ponca City, were transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.

Anderson, 40, is in fair condition this morning. Remy, 28, is in critical condition.

Two charged in explosives case

HURST LAVIANA — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:38 CDT

Federal explosive charges were filed today against two men in a case that prompted Wichita police to issue a warning earlier in the week that dangerous explosives were being sold on the black market.

Darrell E. Cook, 33, and Shane A. Knoffloch, 36, both of Wichita, were being held on $250,000 bond after they were charged with one count of possession of stolen explosive materials. They are scheduled to appear Friday in U.S. District Court in Wichita.

The materials were identified in court papers as a detonating cord that can burn underwater and is similar to fuses used in mining operations.

Police issued their warning Monday after Crime Stoppers got a call from a man who said someone had offered to sell him some detonating cord and three-foot tubes of explosives. Police said Thursday that the tubes have not been recovered.

Anyone with information about the explosives is asked to call 911 or toll-free 1-888-283-2662, authorities said.

2 inmates cast doubt on 'snitch' testimony

ROXANA HEGEMAN — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:29 CDT

The question of whether a Haysville nurse accused of running a "pill mill" with her husband should remain in prison until her trial came down Thursday to the believability of testimony from a jailhouse informant who another inmate indicated may have held a grudge against the nurse.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Bostwick did not rule Thursday, saying he would issue a written order later in the case against Linda Schneider, who is charged with her husband, Dr. Stephen Schneider, in a federal indictment linking their clinic to the accidental overdose deaths of 56 patients. The doctor was released in April pending his trial, but prosecutors are seeking his wife's continued detention, contending she is a flight risk.

At issue was the testimony of inmate Stacey Hill, who read from a letter she had written to U.S. Attorney Tanya Treadway claiming she had information about Linda Schneider's efforts to get a false birth certificate and Social Security card in case she was released.

"You may not need to hear or know what I know. But the offer is here," Hill, who was imprisoned with Schneider for a time at the Butler County Jail, wrote in the letter.

However, another inmate, Destiny Schulze, told of an incident at the Butler County Jail that may have caused Hill to hold a grudge against Linda Schneider. She said Schneider had reported to Schulze that Hill had urinated into the drinking cup of another inmate, Cindy Tucker, who then drank from the cup. Schulze said she then warned Tucker, and Hill ended up being punished for incident.

McCain gets Social Security but criticizes system

DAVID A. LIEB — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:05 CDT

Although Republican presidential candidate John McCain has called Social Security "a disgrace," he still cashes his own retirement check every month.

"I'm receiving the benefits, the system is broken and, unfortunately, my children and grandchildren, according to the trustees of the Social Security system, will not have the same benefits the present retirees have," McCain told reporters Thursday on his campaign bus.

McCain's 2007 tax return shows Social Security benefits of $23,157 for the year, an average of $1,929.75 a month. He said he started receiving the payments "whenever I was eligible."

Asked last week by a young woman at a town-hall meeting in Portsmouth, Ohio, if she is likely to receive Social Security benefits one day, McCain said it is unlikely without fixing the system.

"Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today," he said. "And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed."

Rapist gets 48 years in prison for Lawrence crimes

acsdsskslaw — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:05 CDT

A Douglas County judge has sentenced a convicted serial rapist to 48 years in prison for his assaults on women during the 1990s.

Cory Elkins, 39, apologized to victims during a tearful speech Wednesday in Douglas County District Court. The judge handed down the most severe sentence he could under state sentencing guidelines. When released, Elkins must register as a sex offender.

"I truly hope these women can find peace from this bad situation," said Elkins, who was arrested by Lawrence police after they re-examined evidence using newer DNA technology.

A jury convicted Elkins in May on four counts of rape and three counts of aggravated criminal sodomy for assaults on two women, both of whom now live out of state.

A third accuser attended the hearing, but prosecutors couldn't file charges because the statute of limitations for rape expired.

Kan. Sen. Roberts revises TV ad after complaint

JOHN HANNA — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:35 CDT

Democrats' complaints prompted Republican Sen. Pat Roberts to modify his latest television ad, but he hasn't dropped a theme that could be helping his re-election campaign in the short-term.

Roberts' campaign made what spokeswoman Molly Haase described as "two small tweaks" over questions of whether the 30-second spot complied with a federal "Stand by Your Ad" requirement.

The questions were raised by Mike Gaughan, the Kansas Democratic Party's executive director, in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission. He doesn't plan to withdraw his complaint.

Democrats continued Thursday to criticize the GOP incumbent because the ad attacks former Rep. Jim Slattery, the Democrats' leading Senate candidate. And a Slattery aide acknowledged that Roberts' advertising may have widened the gap between the two candidates in recent weeks.

"Anytime you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars running negative ads against your opponent, they will likely have some effect," said Slattery spokeswoman Abbie Hodgson.

Parachutist lands in band at Fort Riley ceremony

JOHN MILBURN — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:09 CDT

A parachutist went off course Thursday at the start of a military review, dropping feet-first into the 1st Infantry Division's band and injuring three players.

Several thousand people watched the first of two civilian parachutists land successfully, but the second one landed on the 30-member division band, about 50 yards off target. A gasp went up from the crowd, followed by silence as at least a dozen people rushed over to help.

"I hear, 'Oh, expletive,' and immediately, I hear a crash,'" said the band's commander, Chief Warrant Officer Scott MacDonald.

The three injured band members were treated and released from Irwin Army Community Hospital. The parachutist, Scott Hallock, refused treatment at the scene.

One band member, Sgt. Rachel Boggs, was knocked unconscious and had a fractured jaw, hospital spokeswoman Lisa Medrano said. Another, Sgt. Andrew Spinazzolla, suffered minor neck and head injuries and had a fractured ankle, Medrano said. The third, Staff Sgt. Mark Lucero, sustained what Medrano called a minor leg injury.

Report: More than one-fourth of Kansans are obese

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:50 CDT

More than one-fourth of all Americans, including Kansans, are obese, the Centers for Disease Control said today.

The obesity rate is below 20 percent in only one state -- Colorado. It is above 30 percent in three -- Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.

In Kansas, between 25 and 29 percent of residents are obese.

The numbers come from the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey.

For more on this story, see Friday's Eagle.

Volunteers will help with federal rebates

DEB GRUVER — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:45 CDT

Help will be available Friday and Saturday for people who still need to file their income tax returns to get a federal stimulus payment.

Volunteers will be set up from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at Century II's Expo Hall to help Social Security and disability recipients -- and other people not always required to file taxes -- fill out paperwork to get their stimulus rebate.

People seeking help need to bring a photo ID, a Social Security card and a statement of income that proves they had at least $3,000 in income (which can include earned income or Social Security, retirement or railroad benefits) last year.

Police: bloody hands and arms make arrest easy

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:05 CDT

Police in Manhattan say they caught a would-be thief red-handed - literally - outside a bank.

Riley County Police and Pottawatomie County deputies responding to an alarm at Community First Bank early Wednesday found a 19-year-old man bleeding from cuts to his hands and arms. Several windows in the bank had been broken but police do not believe entry was made.

The suspect was taken into custody and was held on charges of criminal damage to property and attempted burglary.

Woman charged in stepdaughter's death will stand trial

TIM POTTER — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:15 CDT

A judge ruled today that Katie Robertson should stand trial for first-degree murder in the death of her 2-year-old stepdaughter.

Her public defender, Mark Orr, argued that there wasn't sufficient evidence against her.

But at the end of a one-hour preliminary hearing, District Judge Clark Owens found probable cause for Robertson to face trial. Owens noted that he has to consider evidence at a preliminary hearing in a light most favorable to the prosecution.

Orr entered a not-guilty plea for Robertson.

Her trial is scheduled for Sept. 8.

Motorcycle crash victim upgraded at hospital

STAN FINGER — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:10 CDT

The 45-year-old Wichita man who was badly hurt when a car forced the motorcycle he was on into a guardrail early Saturday morning has been upgraded to serious condition at a local hospital.

Greg Gilman was riding with his wife, Patricia, east onto K-254 from northbound I-235 shortly after 2 a.m. when a car cut through the median onto K-254 from the ramp leading to northbound I-135, the Kansas Highway Patrol has reported.

Patricia Gilman, 48, was killed in the accident. Authorities are still looking for the vehicle responsible for the fatal crash. A witness reported that the car is a light blue or silver Dodge Intrepid or Dodge Stratus with a Kansas 30-day tag on it.

Anyone who may have seen the accident or the vehicle early Saturday morning is asked to call the Highway Patrol at 316-744-0451 or CrimeStoppers at 316-267-2111.

Woman stabbed at park during fight

STAN FINGER — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:35 CDT

A teenage woman was stabbed late Wednesday night after agreeing to meet another woman for a fight at Linwood Park in south Wichita, police said.

The two 18-year-old women agreed to settle a long-standing feud by fighting, police said. One of the two pulled out a knife and stabbed the other in the back at about 11:15 p.m., the victim told police.

She was driven by a friend to Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Joseph Campus, and later transferred to Via Christi's St. Francis campus for surgery.

One more day of sunshine, then showers

STAN FINGER — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:40 CDT

Two men walk into a bar.... oh, wait, you probably heard that one.

You've heard today's forecast for Wichita before, too -- this week, in fact: sunny skies, with highs in the low 90s and blustery winds out of the south.

But a chance of showers enters the forecast for Friday and Saturday, forecasters say, so this rare period of sameness to Kansas weather is about to end.

Check Kansas.com for updates.