HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Hutchinson woman who entered a plea for a single charge of conspiracy to commit robbery was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison by Reno County District Judge Tim Chambers.

Amanda Gresham had been charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary.

Gresham, 30-year-old John Sullivan and 38-year-old Titus Thompson were allegedly behind the abduction of 50-year-old Leon Levasseur, who was taken by knifepoint from his residence, then placed in his car and driven to an area near Burrton, where he was finally able to escape and call 911.

Police say the recovery of multiple items taken from Levasseur’s residence led them to the arrests.

Detectives determined Thompson and Sullivan were dropped off in the area of Avenue B and Elm in the morning hours of Oct. 22, 2018, by Gresham with the intent to commit the robbery.

Gresham was also found to have violated her community corrections for cases from 2017 where she was convicted of aggravated battery, aggravated burglary and possession of drugs. Those sentences totaled seven years and were ordered to be served.

The new sentence will run concurrent to that case with her serving the 10 years in prison.

The cases against Sullivan and Thompson are still pending.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment will be spraying sometime in the near future to get rid of the numerous mosquitoes in Reno County.

Officials gave a presentation over the surveillance of the mosquito population, which they do every year along with the Reno County Health Department and the Kansas Biological Survey at the University of Kansas.

Over the last three weeks, the number of Culex species of mosquitoes, the primary West Nile virus carrier in Kansas, has reached unprecedented numbers, due in part, to the recent flooding. There were more than 5,700 female Culex mosquitoes collected on June 25 from five traps in the county.

After consultation with the entomologist at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, they recommended the use of adulticide spraying to rapidly reduce the large number. KDHE says there is funding for a one-time application and plans to use aerial spraying. Officials plan to use a twin-engine aircraft flying at an altitude of approximately 300 feet to conduct the aerial application.

The Reno County Commission will take up and possibly approve a memorandum of understanding for this aerial spraying when it meets Tuesday. This will also be signed by city officials and the secretary of KDHE.

TOPEKA, Kan. — A 40-year-old Rice County man serving a nearly 17 ½ year sentence lost his request for a review by the Kansas Supreme Court. The Kansas Court of Appeals affirmed his sentence in a child sex case.

Jeffery Redding was convicted of one count of rape and one count of aggravated indecent liberties for sexually abusing his 4-year-old daughter and his girlfriend’s 11-year-old daughter in 2010 and 2011.

As part of a plea agreement, the state agreed to not seek a hard 25-year sentence, using the sentencing grid box instead. But the sentences for the two convictions were ordered to run consecutive to each other for 17 ½ years in prison.

Redding claimed a motion he filed for a departure without an attorney wasn’t properly considered by the court because the judge requested a response from the state on his motion without appointing him an attorney.

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the judge in the Rice County case properly considered his initial request to depart from the hard 25 sentence to an on-grid sentence and was under no obligation to consider any further departures.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has dropped a policy that extended food assistance to thousands of Kansas adults even though they failed to meet a work requirement.

Kelly acted Thursday in response to a threat from Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt to file a lawsuit over the policy change.

Top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature argued that the policy change made in May violated a 2015 law imposing work requirements and other restrictions on food and cash assistance recipients.

Kelly said she believes her administration’s policy was “legally defensible” but engaging in a lengthy court battle was not worth the cost to taxpayers.

The state extended food assistance this month to 5,500 adults due to lose it. Kelly’s administration had planned to help them again in August and September.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The City of Hutchinson is seeking applicants to serve on the Hutchinson Human Relations Commission.

The purpose of the Human Relations Commission is to eliminate prejudice among the various groups in the city and to create harmonious relationships among the various persons and agencies within the city.

The Commission functions in an advisory capacity to the mayor and the governing body of the city on problems affecting human and inter-group relations.

For more information and to apply, please visit https://www.hutchgov.com.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A 57-year-old woman who was involved in an accident at 43rd and Plum on Aug. 16, 2018, has been charged by the state because of her being under the influence of alcohol.

Debra Carter is charged with two alternate counts of aggravated battery-DUI. One alleges great bodily harm and the other less severe causing bodily harm.

She’s also charged with illegal transportation of liquor which is an unclassified misdemeanor.

Carter is accused of running a stop sign and colliding with a vehicle operated by 23-year-old Alyssa Cunningham of Inman who suffered injuries as a result.

Carter is free on bond and she will be back in court next month.

BUHLER, Kan. — A 17-year-old from Buhler escaped serious injury after he rolled his vehicle early yesterday morning.

Levi Black was driving south on Buhler Road when he crossed the center line, over-corrected, left the road on the right side and rolled his vehicle.

He was treated by EMS on scene and was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center by his mother with non-life threatening injuries.

Black was wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident which occurred just before 7 a.m.