HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Under a bond sale receiving final approval by the Hutchinson school board Monday, taxpayers will save payments of $684,508.33 over the remaining life of the bond issue. The board met in regular session at Hutchinson Middle School 7.

Officials with the district say they have aggressively refinanced bonds to save taxpayers money. While limited by law to the number and timing of refinancing bonds, the district began refinancing bonds in 2007, looking for lower interest rates.

Most years, the district has been able to refinance a portion of the $78.8 million of bonds issued in early 2007.

The 20-year bonds are scheduled to be repaid in 2027.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 28-year-old Hutchinson man failed to get a bond reduction during a court appearance Monday.

Gabriel Sanchez Jr. was arrested Saturday after he attempted to flee law enforcement.

Sanchez was spotted at the Texas T-Bone Steakhouse on East 11th. Officers tried to stop him, but Sanchez fled at a high rate of speed. He finally stopped near 6th and Cleveland. Sanchez entered a home — that was not his own — and hid in the bathroom.

Police got permission to enter the home. Sanchez finally came out of the bathroom and was arrested. The occupants confirmed Sanchez did not live there.

Charges include two counts of aggravated burglary, two counts of felony interference, criminal damage, felony theft, felony flee and elude, reckless driving and driving while suspended.

In court, Sanchez was also read the formal charges including cruelty to animals and burglary of a residence from an earlier incident.

He reportedly grabbed a puppy by its neck and threw it in the air. The puppy died from the ordeal. Sanchez is also accused of breaking into a home in the 700 block of East 1st. Both of these crimes occurred on March 30.

His bond was set at $60,000. During the court appearance Monday, he asked for a bond reduction. “Not even a maybe,” Magistrate Judge Daniel Gilligan said in response.

Sanchez will be back in court April 15.

TURON, Kan. — Fire crews have been working a large brush fire north of Turon.

A Hutchinson fire brush truck has been deployed as part of a Reno County task force requested by fire district 7.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 51-year-old Lyons man rolled his pickup after leaving the roadway and striking a tree in the 1700 block of 56th. The accident occurred just before 7 a.m. Sunday.

John Damme was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center after emergency personnel arrived and found his vehicle on its top.

Damme said he was eastbound on 56th. As he crested a hill, he saw something in the roadway and swerved into the opposite lane. He lost control, the vehicle went into the south ditch and struck a tree, which caused his pickup to flip over on its top.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 31-year-old man serving time in prison for second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary out of Sedgwick County will face trial on April 16.

Daquan Dean is charged with three counts of battery of a corrections officer for an altercation on July 1, 2015, while he was housed at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility. One of the victims was a doctor at the facility, another was a female juvenile correctional facility officer and the third a correctional officer at the prison.

His defense attorney says they will go to trial. It has been difficult to prepare a defense because Dean is being housed at the Lansing Correctional Facility. Reno County District Judge Tim Chambers ordered that Dean be housed at the Reno County Correctional Facility until after the trial.

Dean is not eligible for parole until September 2022 from the Sedgwick County case. If convicted, any sentence would run consecutively to that case.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — One person was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment of injuries after a car-semi accident Saturday morning.

According to the Reno County Sheriff’s Office, it happened just before 4 p.m. at U.S. 50 and Woodberry.

Deputies say a semi driven by 49-year-old Tony Reynolds of Hull, Illinois, was westbound when a car, driven by 72-year-old Laverda Eickhoff of South Sioux City, Nebraska, was attempting to make a U-turn. Eickhoff’s vehicle was struck by the semi.

She was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment of bruising and other minor pains.

Reynolds was not injured.

The accident is still under investigation.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Reno County jury found Brennan Trass guilty of first-degree murder and criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after only 45 minutes of deliberation Thursday.

Trass was found guilty for the two charges associated with the shooting and killing of 24-year-old Jose Morales in August of 2015. Trass shot and killed Morales in a Hutchinson residence in what the state says was an illegal drug transaction.

The state told the jury that Trass pulled the gun from the waistband of the victim and fired three shots at Morales. He then fired 10 more shots down a hall at others attempting to flee the home.

Trass claimed self-defense, but “Morales was overheard saying ‘no, no,’” Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton said during his closing.

Trass was pulled from the courtroom Thursday morning after an outburst that angered Reno County District Judge Trish Rose. The defense was then handled by Salina attorney Bobby Hiebert, who had been backup counsel.

During his closing, Hiebert claimed that police jumped to conclusions. Hiebert said Trass panicked when other armed men entered the home. Hiebert questioned why the authorities didn’t follow up with an additional investigation over those claims.

With the guilty verdict, Reno County District Judge Trish Rose set sentencing for May 10. Trass could receive a life sentence with no chance of parole for 51 years.

 

RELATED: Defendant in 2015 murder case questions officers

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the third of three legislative forums this Saturday.

The forum is Saturday, April 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Wesley Towers.

The forums are co-sponsored by AT&T and the Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Advisory Committee and offer attendees the opportunity to interact with Reno County legislators on issues before the Kansas Legislature.

There is no cost to attend the forum. Everyone is welcome to attend.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Plenty of people showed up to the Hutchinson Sports Arena ready to talk with potential employers during the Fourth Annual Career Connections Job Fair Thursday.

The event was hosted by Hutchinson Community College and KansasWorks.

Kelly Collins is a workforces supervisor for KansasWorks in Hutchinson and says the need for good workers is there.

“Obviously with this turnout with employers, there are lots of jobs out there for people who want to work,” Collins said. “Right now, just in the Hutchinson area, a 10-mile radius of Hutchinson, just on our website, www.kansasworks.com, we have like 340 jobs listed.”

The fair included vendors from outside of Hutchinson. The Wichita Police Department and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office both had booths at the fair. There were also vendors from the Kansas Department of Corrections looking for guards and other workers for prison sites all across the state.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Police had to give chase Wednesday night for a domestic battery case. Dale Robinson, 48, was captured in the 300 block of East 7th around 10:15 p.m. and was arrested for felony interference and domestic battery.

Robinson had a backpack with him at the time of his arrest. A search of that bag led to the discovery of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Officers then discovered Robinson had a warrant for failing to appear in another case where he is charged with interference.

He also has other felony convictions for drugs and theft out of Pawnee and Edwards counties.

His bond was set at $7,500. Robinson will be back in court April 11.