EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have found a marijuana farm worth more than $1.7 million while chasing a suspect.

The discovery was made Sunday when deputies with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residential burglary near El Dorado.

The sheriff’s office says the deputies pursued the burglary suspect when he ran into a field. As the deputies searched for the suspect, they spotted a couple men who also took off running. One of those men was captured, leading the deputies to a nearby cultivated marijuana field.

On Monday, deputies, Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents and Kansas Highway Patrol troopers entered the property and seized more than 1,700 cultivated marijuana plants. They also found a camp site with tents, a cooking area and water pumps used to irrigate the plants.

By JAMES BELL

Hays Post

ELLIS COUNTY —A single-engine agricultural biplane crashed south of Hays Tuesday morning killing the pilot shortly after taking off from his private runway about a mile west of Schoenchen.

The pilot was identified as John Werth, 70, Schoenchen, who died in the crash according to Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Tod Hileman.

“At about 9:15 a.m. he took off from his runway, on his farm,” Hileman said. “Not long after that, the plane crashed into a ditch about a mile north of the end of his runway.”

The crash is near the intersection of Smoky Hill River Rd. and 240th Ave.

Smoky Hill River Rd. will remain closed from 220th Ave. to 240th Ave. through Wednesday as the accident is investigated.

A KHP pilot will lead the crash investigation until the Federal Aviation Administration arrives to determine the cause of the crash, according to Hileman.

Deputies from the Ellis County Sherrif’s office and Ellis County EMS were also assisting at the scene.

The plane was identified as an Ag Cat 1985 bi-wing spray plane and was carrying chemicals for spraying at the time off take off.

The Ellis County Fire Department was on scene and was responsible for chemical cleanup, according to Hileman.

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ELLIS COUNTY —A small aircraft went down near the intersection of 240th Avenue and Smoky Hill River Road.

The pilot died in the crash. The county coroner is on scene.

The pilot’s name has not been released.

The Kansas Highway Patrol is working the scene with the assistance of Ellis County Sheriff and EMS.

Smoky Hill River Road is closed west of 240th.

Check the post for additional details as they become available.

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for multiple sex allegations while working for a Kansas foster care, adoption organization.

Following a three-month investigation deputies arrested deputies arrested Nathaniel McEachin, 39, of Salina, was arrested Monday on requested charges that include suspicion Rape, Aggravated criminal sodomy, Aggravated indecent liberties, Sexual exploitation of a child, Electronic solicitation of a child, Kidnapping, Aggravated intimidation of a witness and Unlawful sexual relations, according to Saline County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Michael Ascher.

McEachin was employed at St. Francis Ministries, 5097 W. Cloud in Salina, until early May 2019 when the investigation began.

The alleged incidents involving four girls — ages 14 through 17 — who were in the care of St. Francis Ministries occurred in early May.

McEachin was only employed at St. Francis Ministries for four to five months, according to Ascher.

 In a statement on the case, Saint Francis Ministries said, they are aware that law enforcement officials have launched an investigation into allegations of professional misconduct by a former staff member of our Salina West facility. We are cooperating fully with the official investigation, as well as conducting our own internal review.

Saint Francis goes to great lengths to hire highly qualified staff and provide ongoing training and supervision. Every employee undergoes a thorough background check by law enforcement, as well as a background check conducted by our staff. In this case, background checks produced no red flags that would have precluded this staff member’s employment.

“The safety and well-being of all the youth in our care is paramount, and we take every allegation very seriously,” said The Very Reverend Robert N, Smith, Dean, President and CEO of Saint Francis Ministries. “We continue to work with the youth in this case to ensure any physical, emotional and spiritual needs are being met. We have already taken steps to reinforce our training procedures and protocols with staff to prevent any future allegations of this nature.”

MONTGOMERY COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is conducting a death investigation after a suspect identified as Caleb M. O’Donnell, 32, Coffeyville, drowned in the Verdigris River during a police pursuit on Friday afternoon.

According to a KBI media release, just after 1:30p.m. Friday, the Coffeyville Police Dept. requested KBI assistance to investigate a drowning that occurred following a police pursuit.

Preliminary information suggests that on Aug. 16 at approximately 12:20 p.m., the South Coffeyville, Okla. Police Department received a call from a citizen who spotted an ATV that had been reported stolen from the Montgomery County Fair on Thursday night.

The ATV was first observed in Kansas, headed South on U.S. Highway 169 toward the Oklahoma border. An officer from the South Coffeyville Police Department began pursuing the ATV at a distance, and authorities from Kansas were notified. The officer saw the ATV turn north near 500 E. 1400 Rd., and travel through a field toward the Verdigris River.  Once the officer caught up, he discovered that the driver of the ATV later identified as O’Donnell had crashed into a tree. The officer then spotted the man struggling in the nearby Verdigris River.

The Coffeyville Police Department, the Coffeyville Fire Department, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

Authorities threw ropes to him to try to help him. An officer from the Coffeyville Police Department, and a member of the Coffeyville Fire Department entered the water and tried to rescue the O’Donnell but were unsuccessful.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

O’Donnell had two previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

ANDOVER, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas police dog named Thor has died just a few weeks before he was to retire.

The Andover Police Department said that officers will wear black armbands through Saturday in honor of the Belgian Malinois. He had a brief illness and died over the weekend, just short of his 10th birthday. Thor was trained to detect drugs, as well as in tracking and trailing. He often went to schools and community events to perform demonstrations.

Chief Mike Keller described Thor in the post as a “phenomenal dog.” A memorial event also is planned for next month at a park.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — A Kansas teen faces up to 54 years in prison after entering a plea for the fatal shooting of a man during a drug deal, according to a Shawnee County District Attorney Michael Kagay.

On Friday, 19-year-old Brandon Gayer entered a plea to intentional second-degree murder of  20-year-old Gianna Noriega.

In August of 2018, police were dispatched to 431 SW Taylor Street in Topeka in reference to a shooting incident. At the scene, officers located Noriega suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The shooting occurred during a drug transaction, according to Kagay.  The subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Gayer and a second suspect, Isaiah James Calhoun.

In April, Calhoun entered a plea to intentional second degree murder and was sentenced to 20-years in prison, according to Kagay.

Gayer is scheduled for sentencing on September 20. He faces a prison sentence of between 147 and 653 months, depending upon his criminal history, according to Kagay.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are asking the public for help to identify
the suspect who shot out the front window of the Spanish radio station 99.7 F.M. La Raza, just before 2:30a.m. on Sunday.

The business is located in the 1600 block of East Central in Wichita.

Police ask that anyone with information should call 316 268-4407 or Crime Stoppers at 316 267-2111

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have made an arrest.
Just after 9p.m. Sunday, two police officers on assignment near Kellogg and Oliver in Wichita, observed a maroon Buick that had been reported stolen during a car-jacking case on August 17, according to officer Charley Davidson.

The officers attempted to stop the vehicle. The driver later identified as 21-year-old Victor Martinez sped away from police. The officers followed in the 1900 Block of North Minnesota where the vehicle was stopped with assistance from the Sedgwick County sheriff’s deputies.

Police arrested Martinez. on requested charges of unlawful possession of meth and marijuana, flee and attempt to elude police, aggravated robbery in connection with an incident in Wichita on August 13, according to Davidson.

NEW YORK (AP) — Planned Parenthood said Monday it’s pulling out of the federal family planning program rather than abide by a new Trump administration rule prohibiting clinics from referring women for abortions.

Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood’s acting president and CEO, said the organization’s nationwide network of health centers would remain open and strive to make up for the loss of federal money. But she predicted that many low-income women who rely on Planned Parenthood services would “delay or go without” care.

“We will not be bullied into withholding abortion information from our patients,” said McGill Johnson. “Our patients deserve to make their own health care decisions, not to be forced to have Donald Trump or Mike Pence make those decisions for them.”

Enforcement of the new Title X rule marks a major victory for a key part of President Donald Trump’s political base — religious conservatives opposed to abortion. They have been campaigning relentlessly to “defund Planned Parenthood” because — among its varied services — it is the largest abortion provider in the United States, and they viewed the Title X grants as an indirect subsidy.

About 4 million women are served nationwide under the Title X program, which distributes $260 million in family planning grants to clinics. Planned Parenthood says it has served about 40% of patients, many of them African American and Hispanic. Family planning funds cannot be used to pay for abortions.

In a statement, the federal Department of Health and Human Services said Planned Parenthood knew months ago about the new restrictions and suggested that the group could have chosen at that point to exit the program.

“Some grantees are now blaming the government for their own actions — having chosen to accept the grant while failing to comply with the regulations that accompany it — and they are abandoning their obligations to serve patients under the program,” the department said.

It said it would strive to make sure patients are served.

Planned Parenthood was not the only organization dropping out. Maine Family Planning, which is unaffiliated with Planned Parenthood, also released its letter of withdrawal Monday. The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, an umbrella group for family planning clinics, is suing to overturn the regulations.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco is weighing a lawsuit to overturn the rules, but so far the court has allowed the administration to go ahead with enforcement. Oral arguments are scheduled the week of Sept. 23. Several states and the American Medical Association have joined the suit as plaintiffs.

Abortion rights activists are also pressing Congress to overturn the rule, though it seems unlikely that the Republican-controlled Senate would take that step.

Monday was the deadline set by the government for program participants to submit statements that they intended to comply with the new rules, along with a plan. Enforcement will start Sept. 18.

In addition to the ban on abortion referrals by clinics, the rule’s requirements include financial separation from facilities that provide abortions, designating abortion counseling as optional instead of standard practice, and limiting which staff members can discuss abortion with patients. Clinics would have until next March to separate their office space and examination rooms from the physical facilities of providers that offer abortions.

The Trump administration has also made it possible for faith-based organizations opposed to abortion to receive Title X grants.

Among the recipients of grants this year was Obria Medical Clinics, which runs a network of facilities in California. It promotes abstinence-based sex education and “natural family planning,” and does not prescribe birth control.

The impact of Planned Parenthood’s withdrawal will vary from state to state. Some states, including Illinois, have said they would step in to replace lost federal funding.

“We will make sure that access to these services remains available, because in Illinois we trust women,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who joined Planned Parenthood’s news conference on Monday. He said Planned Parenthood serves about 70,000 people in Illinois.

Elsewhere, the impact could be substantial. In Utah, Planned Parenthood is the only Title X grantee; in Minnesota, it serves 90% of patients.

“It will simply be impossible for other health centers to fill the gap,” said McGill Johnson. “Wait times for appointments will skyrocket.”

HHS said in its statement that it’s grateful for the many grant recipients that are remaining with the program. State and local health departments account for a significant share of service providers. “We will work to ensure all patients continue to be served,” the agency said.

Planned Parenthood has called the ban on abortion referrals a “gag rule,” while the administration insists that’s not the case.

Maine Family Planning CEO George Hill said in a letter to HHS that his organization is withdrawing “more in sorrow than in anger” after 47 years of participating in the program.

He said the Trump administration regulation “would fundamentally compromise the relationship our patients have with us as trusted providers of this most personal and private health care. It is simply wrong to deny patients accurate information about and access to abortion care.”

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By JOHN HANNA

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The president of the company that formerly ran a literacy program for Kansas’ public elementary schools alleged Monday that the state canceled the multimillion-dollar grant in “retaliation” for the firm’s opposition to major changes state officials were seeking.

The Kansas Department for Children and Families ended the grant for Washington-based Hysell & Wagner six weeks after its president, Andrew Hysell, and department secretary, Laura Howard, signed a yearlong extension in late June imposing new conditions. Hysell told reporters that two days after he and Howard signed the extension, the department began seeking another change, in how the company distributed grant dollars to public schools.

The department announced the end of the grant Friday, saying it had found problems that included excessive payments for expenses that included travel by Hysell and another top executive for the Reading Roadmap program.

The department also released the draft of an internal audit completed in 2017 that hadn’t previously been made public, which said $2.3 million in grant funds were “incorrectly claimed and paid” to the company in 2014 and 2015. Hysell strongly disputed those claims Monday or suggestions that administrative expenses were improper.

The department cited the draft audit’s conclusions in announcing its decision to end the grant, and Hysell on Monday called it “grossly inaccurate.” He said releasing details from the draft audit violates the company’s rights to due legal process and accused the department of “a dangerous abuse of governmental authority.” The result was “traumatic” for Reading Roadmap staff, he said.

“There were tears — disbelief,” he said. “I can’t just let this sit out there.”

The department launched the Reading Roadmap initiative during Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration, using funds designated for cash assistance to low-income families. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly took office in January, having been a state senator and vocal critic of Brownback’s social services policies.

Spokesman Mike Deines said the department ended the grant because it “needs to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars.” The grant once was worth more than $9 million a year, though the latest extension called for the state to spend $7.8 million.

Howard and Hysell signed the one-year extension of the grant on June 28, just three days before the start of the state’s current budget year.

Hysell said that on June 30, the department began pushing the company to change its system for distributing dollars to school districts, in which they received most of their money as two big advances, rather than after-the-fact reimbursements. Hysell said small districts might face problems paying staff costs otherwise.

He released a memo dated Aug. 4, which he said went to department officials, saying the proposed change would “put schools at risk” and create “significant problems.”

But Deines said the department’s decision wasn’t based only on the company’s resistance to changing how grant funds were distributed.

“It was an accumulation of issues,” he said in an email.

 

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