HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Johnson County man convicted for alleged child sex crimes in Reno County will serve six years and six months in prison.

That was the sentence for 18-year-old Dakota Heaton by Judge Tim Chambers as part of a plea agreement between the state and the defense.

He was originally arrested on a warrant for the Reno County case and charged with two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The crimes occurred in Reno County in December of 2017.

However, Heaton entered a plea in July for two counts of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child because of the symptoms he suffers from Asperger’s syndrome.

The two 34-month sentences were the aggravated time he could receive under sentencing guidelines. Judge Chambers ran them consecutively.

The father of the victim spoke before sentencing and told the defendant that he stole their 6-year-old daughter’s innocence.

Once Heaton is released from prison, he’ll be on lifetime post-release supervision.

TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas could see an average gas price of about $2.50 a gallon this fall, down from the current $2.64, AAA Kansas says.

Cheaper-to-produce gasoline and relatively stable crude oil prices in August, combined with an anticipated drop in consumer gas demand post-Labor Day, means consumers will see savings when they fill up at the pump this fall.

In the meantime, if you’re traveling this weekend, gas prices locally vary. Some stations are already below $2.50 per gallon, while others are just above that mark.

As of Thursday, gas prices in South Hutchinson were much higher. Most stations are at $2.59 per gallon.

RENO COUNTY — Deputies from the Reno County Sheriff’s Office were involved in a high-speed chase in western Reno County Thursday morning.

Thirty-year-old James Monroe Smith of Salem, Arkansas, was arrested. Officials say he may have family ties to Reno County.

At approximately 10:20 a.m., a deputy checking the tag and registration of a vehicle on K-61 Highway discovered that the tag had been reported stolen earlier in the week by a Reno County resident.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled at a high rate of speed. The chase continued down several county roads to include dirt and blacktops. At one point, the vehicle stopped for a brief moment and let out a female passenger.

The entire chase was contained to the western third of Reno County, however, lasted just under an hour and spanned over 70 miles.

The chase ended approximately five miles north of Sylvia when the vehicle stopped and the driver fled on foot. He was caught by pursuing deputies.

Potential charges against Smith include drug possession, possession of stolen property, criminal use of a weapon and several traffic violations to include an attempt to flee and elude. He has a bond in Reno County of $13,250.

Smith is also being held on charges out of Fulton County (Arkansas) including an attempt to flee and elude and aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer. His bond on those charges is $100,000. He also has a parole hold from the Arkansas Department of Corrections, which has no bond on it.

The pickup he was driving was reported stolen from the city of West Plains, Missouri. Additional holds or charges could be coming.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Wichita man found with a large quantity of marijuana after he was stopped by a Reno County sheriff’s deputy for an expired tag last year entered a plea Thursday morning.

Forrest Ward was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of drug proceeds, possession of hydrocodone and an expired tag. He entered a plea to the first four counts. The expired tag charge was dropped.

Ward was in possession of 1.7 pounds of marijuana, hydrocodone, baggies for the sale of marijuana and $17,000 in cash.

With him entering the guilty pleas, he’s free to seek a downward departure and even some form of probation. However, Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton says he will seek a prison sentence because of the amount of marijuana and the large amount of cash.

Ward waived his right to appeal any sentence handed down.

Reno County District Judge Joe McCarville set sentencing for Oct. 5.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy will host a tour of facilities and roundtable with local business partners for an assistant U.S. Department of Education official.

Assistant Secretary Scott Stump will be in Hutchinson on Sept. 10. Stump serves as the assistant secretary for education for career, technical and adult education and is touring outstanding CTE programs throughout the Midwest.

Stump’s visit begins with a tour of the HCTEA, which is on the northwest side of Hutchinson High School, and includes programming from both H.H.S. and Hutchinson Community College. After the tour, there will be a roundtable discussion from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. about local partnerships and commitments to education and workforce development.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There is always a lot of talk about enrollment numbers at area public schools this time of year, but what about Hutchinson Community College?

President Carter File talked about HutchCC’s enrollment. He didn’t give specific numbers, but says enrollment this fall is a little soft:

 

He says they are not in panic mode just because enrollment is down about six percent. He says they prepare for the variations in enrollment:

 

He adds, that when the economy is down, they tend to do better because people may be out of work and want to train for other positions.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Residents can earn free gate passes to the Kansas State Fair by donating one hour of their time to help pack 25,000 meals on Kansas Cares Day at the fair on Wednesday, Sept. 12.

Sponsored by Dillons and benefiting the Kansas Food Bank, this Pack Shack “Feed the Funnel” event needs 150 volunteers across two packing sessions at 2 p.m. and 3:15 p.m at Dillon Hall in the 4-H Encampment Building, near Gate 5 of the fairgrounds.

“Kansas Cares Day is a perfect opportunity for community-minded people to give back to fellow Kansans,” Bob Moeder, Interim General Manager, said. “Thanks to Dillons and our volunteers, a fun day at the fair can now also mean real help for those in our state who might not know how they’ll get their next meal.”

In addition to the meal packing event, fairgoers can donate blood at the Red Cross Bloodmobile. Reservations are encouraged and can be made through the “service projects” link on the home page of KansasStateFair.com.

Kansas Cares Day will also feature Power Chats by non-profit agencies and organizations that work to make Kansas a better place. Talks will be held in the House of Capper and include presentations on the Department of Children and Families, advocacy for work ending domestic violence and sexual assault, early childhood intervention programs, and community integration for people with disabilities.

To sign up for a time and receive free gate admission, visit kansasstatefair.com by Monday, Sept. 10.

Gate tickets will be available for pick up the day of the event at Gate 5.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Nicolle Hoebener has been hired by Fee Insurance as Client Experience and Operations Leader. She started that position on July 30.

“The opportunity to bring Nicolle on board was a no-brainer for us. Her 22 years of industry experience, combined with her leadership skills and automation experience, will bring great coordination to our team, and ultimately move us toward delivering a better client experience, which is our mission,” Allen Fee, CEO of Fee Insurance Group, said.

She will lead commercial and personal lines over account managers, provide agency system support, work to improve processes and procedures, and train staff to create an excellent experience for Fee clients. This is a newly-created position.

Before joining Fee, Hoebener most recently held the position of Operations Manager with IMA Select, LLC. Other leadership roles included serving as Commercial Lines Team Leader. She also was a Client Advisor and a Quality and Audit Assistant.

Fee Insurance Group is headquartered in Hutchinson.

Updated at 9:23 a.m.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A motorcyclist was killed around 7:30 Tuesday night in front of the Taco Bell on East 4th in Hutchinson. He was not wearing a helmet.

Fifty-eight-year-old Michael Jones of Hutchinson was killed. He was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

According to Police Sgt. Eric Buller, a westbound vehicle driven by 25-year-old Krista Baker had stopped for pedestrians crossing the road. Jones was on his motorcycle and also stopped. A third vehicle, driven by 73-year-old Jesse R. Penner, was also westbound and struck Jones’ motorcycle, forcing it into the vehicle in front of him.

Penner was taken to the hospital to be tested for alcohol or drugs. That test came back negative.

No word on any charges or citations at this point.

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Original Story

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A motorcyclist was killed around 7:30 Tuesday night in front of the Taco Bell on East 4th in Hutchinson.

According to Police Sgt. Eric Buller, a westbound vehicle had stopped and a westbound motorcycle also stopped. A third vehicle, also westbound, then struck the motorcycle, forcing it into the vehicle in front of him.

The victim was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the dually truck was also taken to the hospital to be tested for alcohol or drugs. That test came back negative.

No names have been released at this time.