BARTON COUNTY – A civilian employee of the Barton County Sheriff’s Office was arrested Wednesday by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI).

According to a media release at just after 10:30 a.m., KBI agents arrested 64-year-old Jimmy L. Hapes, of Great Bend, at 1408 Kansas Avenue in Great Bend, on one count of rape connected to an incident that occurred on June 7.

Hapes is a civil process server for the Sheriff’s Office, and was placed on administrative leave following the accusation.

The KBI initiated the investigation on June 24, when the Great Bend Police Department requested KBI assistance after the rape was reported to them.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a third suspect in custody.

With assistance from the United States Marshals Service, law enforcement located and arrested 22-year-old Lavonte D. Johnson Wednesday in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, according to Topeka police spokesperson Gretchen Koenen.

Johnson was arrested on a Shawnee County warrant for first-degree murder and criminal use of a weapon. He is awaiting extradition to Shawnee County.

On July 25, police were dispatched to the area of SE Fremont and SE Irvingham in reference to gunshots heard in the area.  Officers responded to the area and at SE 37th & SE Pennsylvania in Topeka and located a white passenger car with one male victim later identified as 16-year-old Joaquin Aj McKinney of Topeka suffering from life threatening injuries.

He was quickly transported to an area hospital by ambulance, where he was later pronounced deceased.

Danny Kaye Williams and Zachary Jacob McFall have also been charged in relation to this investigation. Williams and McFall have been charged with one count each of first-degree murder and criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle. Investigators are not seeking any additional suspects at this time.

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SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and continue the search for one suspect.

Just after 3:30p.m. July 25, police were dispatched to SE 37th and SE Pennsylvania in Topeka located a white passenger car  with 16- year-old Joaquin Aj McKinney suffering from life threatening injuries. He was transported to a local hospital where he died.

On July 27, 2019 a suspect in the case, 16-year-old Zachary Jacob McFall turned himself in to law enforcement. He is being held in the Juvenile Department of Corrections for 1st Degree Murder.

On July 28, 2019 officers located and arrested an additional 16-year-old suspect in the case. He was transported to the Juvenile Department of Corrections for 1st Degree Murder.

Police are attempting to locate 22-year-old Lavonte D. Johnson for questioning in the case.

Police said if you know his location, please do not attempt to apprehend him, call 911 to report his location

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A University of Kansas football player is charged with two misdemeanors after his arrest at a Lawrence bar.

Sophomore linebacker Thomas Patrick Barrett was charged Tuesday with two counts of contributing to a child’s misconduct. An attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Police Sgt. Amy Rhoads says Barrett, from Cleveland, Ohio, was arrested on Aug. 31 at the Jayhawk Cafe. Two 17-year-old girls inside the business were in possession of what was believed to be alcohol.

The girls were released to their guardians.

Barrett turned 21 the same week he was arrested. He’s scheduled for another court appearance Oct. 2.

The Kansas athletic department said it’s monitoring the situation while it goes through the legal process.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City International Airport officials are warning travelers to give themselves more time to get to their destinations.

The airport authority announced that construction on a new terminal will slow traffic, beginning Wednesday.

Vehicle traffic between terminals B and C will be reduced to one lane, and the road that allows motorists to return to a terminal will be closed.

The change to the loop road system will particularly affect motorists who circle the area while waiting to pick up passengers. People waiting for passengers may park for free in the Cell Phone lot near the FAA tower. Or they can park in the economy parking lot for up to one hour without being charged a fee.

The airport says ongoing construction means travelers should allow more time for up to a year.

By DAN MARGOLIES

A Johnson County, Kansas, resident has filed a class action lawsuit claiming the country’s leading electronic cigarette maker, Juul Labs, fraudulently concealed the addictive nature of its vaping products and misrepresented their safety.

Isaac Gant says he began vaping as a senior in high school four years ago and now is addicted to nicotine, suffers from respiratory problems, bouts of anxiety, coughing fits and the need to take frequent breaks at work to satisfy his nicotine cravings.

“Juul marketed its products to teenagers and did not tell them that it contains nicotine,” said Jerry Schlichter, a St. Louis lawyer who represents Gant. “Now we have many young people who have become addicted to this product when they never were informed about its content at all.”

The lawsuit seeks class action status on behalf of all Kansas residents who bought or used products made by Juul and seeks unspecified damages for violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, negligence, fraud and other counts.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, accuses Juul of adopting the marketing strategies of tobacco companies by glamorizing vaping while downplaying its addictiveness and adverse health effects. It alleges that Juul specially formulated the liquids in its delivery systems to deliver more nicotine in higher concentrations in a way that would make it quicker and easier to consume.

In a statement, Juul said the lawsuit “largely copies and pastes unfounded allegations previously raised in other lawsuits which we have been actively contesting for over a year. This case is without merit and we will defend our mission throughout this process.”

The company said that it was “committed to eliminating combustible cigarettes” and that its product “has always been intended to be a viable alternative for the one billion current adult smokers in the world.”

“We have never marketed to youth and do not want any non-nicotine users to try our products,” Juul said. “We have launched an aggressive action plan to combat underage use as it is antithetical to our mission.”

Gant’s lawsuit, however, says that Juul intentionally targets minors and that individuals who use its products are more than four times as likely to start smoking cigarettes as those who don’t.

The Food and Drug Administration this month issued a warning letter to Juul, accusing it of illegally marketing its vaping device as safer than traditional cigarettes. The agency threatened the company with civil penalties and seizure of its products if it didn’t stop.

More than 400 people nationwide have developed lung illnesses after using vaping products and at least seven people, including one in Kansas, have died. California health officials announced this week that a 40-year-old man had died over the weekend from complications related to using e-cigarettes.

The specific cause or causes of the illnesses and deaths are unknown, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people concerned about the health risks of vaping refrain from using vaping products and particularly vaping ingredients bought on the street. It also urges people to stop modifying the devices.

With a greater than 70% market share, Juul dominates the e-cigarette market. Last year, just three years after introducing its vaping products, it boasted more than $1 billion in revenue. In December, tobacco giant Altria acquired a 35 percent stake in Juul in a deal valued at $12.8 billion.

Gant’s class action lawsuit is at least the second to be filed by a Kansas City area resident against the company. Last month, the mother of a Clay County teenager sued Juul in federal court in Kansas City, alleging it deliberately targets teenagers while knowing of “significant health risks posed by nicotine use.”

Gant’s lawsuit accuses Juul of taking a page from the tobacco industry’s playbook, going so far as to create advertisements bearing an uncanny resemblance in theme, appearance and language to those once used to market cigarettes. The lawsuit juxtaposes pictures of old cigarette ads with pictures of Juul ads to illustrate their similarity.

The suit says that Juul, like the tobacco industry, tracks teenage smoking patterns and attitudes because it views teenagers as future customers.

“Having learned from its predecessors,” the suit states, “Juul Labs has been doing exactly the same thing, reaching millions of teenagers and children – on purpose and for the same reason as ‘Big Tobacco’ did – in the process.”

Schlichter’s law firm has filed several other lawsuits on behalf of young people who have developed health conditions allegedly related to vaping.

“This is a serious problem,” he said.

E-cigarettes, also known as vapes, e-hookahs, vape pens and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), are battery-powered devices that convert liquid nicotine into a vapor inhaled by the smoker. Because they don’t contain all of the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes, they’ve been marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes and as a smoking cessation device.

They have rapidly become popular among teens and, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, are now the most commonly used form of tobacco among young people in the United States.

“Their easy availability, alluring advertisements, various e-liquid flavors, and the belief that they’re safer than cigarettes have helped make them appealing to this age group,” the institute says on its website.

Dan Margolies is a senior reporter and in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.

LINCOLN COUNTY —  One person was injured in an accident just after 6a.m. Wednesday in Lincoln County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Volvo semi driven by Lovepreet Singh, 23, Bakersfield, was westbound on interstate 70 near the Beverly exit.

The semi drifted into median and the driver over corrected flipping the semi onto its side blocking all of westbound I-70.

EMS transported Singh to the hospital in Salina in serious condition, according to the KHP. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.  

The westbound lanes reopened to traffic just before 11:30a.m.

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LINCOLN COUNTY — Authorities are on the scene of an accident early Wednesday in Lincoln County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported the crash on Interstate 70 near the Beverly exit in Lincoln County has forced westbound traffic to exit at the Brookville-Tescott exit and travel north to Tescott and west to Lincoln and south on Kansas 14 as officials work to clear the accident scene.

East bound lanes are still open.  The KHP reminded drivers to slow down as they approach the scene.

The KHP has not released details on injuries.

TOPEKA, KAN. – Two Kansas  men pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal carjacking charge, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Chauncey Elliott Lyles, 20, Topeka, Kan., and Mathdaniel Squirrel, 23, Topeka, Kan., both pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking.

In their pleas, they admitted that on Jan. 30, 2019, in Topeka, they threatened the driver of a 2007 Cadillac SUV and stole the vehicle.

Sentencing is set for Nov. 26. The parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of not less than 60 months and not more than 87 months.

JUNCTION CITY —The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Geary Community Hospital in Junction City have resigned.

Officials at the hospital released information to hospital employees Tuesday.

“On behalf of Mark Stenstrom, DVM, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Geary Community Hospital:

The Board of Trustees of Geary Community Hospital is working to finalize a new relationship with Community Hospital Consulting (CHC Consulting), the management and consulting arm of Community Hospital Corporation (CHC). Beginning on or about October 1, 2019, CHC Consulting will provide management services for the hospital for an initial period of one year.

Many employees are already familiar with CHC Consulting through the Operational Assessment conducted by the firm early in 2019, and through a Support Services agreement in place since May 1. The new Management Services agreement would replace the Support Services agreement with the goal to help us improve across all areas of hospital. Through the Operational Assessment and the Action Plan developed in cooperation with CHC, we have a plan in place to restore the financial health to the hospital in the near future.

Our CEO Joe Stratton, DBA, FACHE and CFO Steve Doherty have resigned and left the organization. Plans include moving forward with CHC Consulting providing oversight of day to day operations, assistance with Interim replacements and beginning the search process for permanent leaders. Until CHC Consulting begins the management services, all departments will report to the existing executive team leaders. Emily Emery-Shea will be the Interim CFO.

The Board of Trustees is confident that Geary Community Hospital will strengthen to continue our mission established a century ago: Providing quality healthcare and promoting the well-being of those we serve.”

 

DETROIT (AP) — Union and company bargainers are making progress toward a new contract as a strike by United Auto Workers brought 33 General Motors factories to a halt continued into its third day.

The strike includes some 2000 GM workers in Kansas.

Committees working on thorny issues such as wages, health insurance costs, use of temporary workers, and new work for plants slated to close worked until early evening Tuesday and are scheduled to resume bargaining early Wednesday.

UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg said the talks were moving slowly but progressing.

More than 49,000 workers walked off their jobs on Monday in a dispute over the union’s quest to get a bigger share of GM’s profits and the company’s goal of cutting labor costs so they’re closer to those at U.S. auto plants run by foreign companies.

Health care costs and giving temporary workers a clear path to permanent jobs were two major sticking points in talks toward a new four-year contract.

On the picket lines, many workers were hoping for a quick resolution, but said they’re willing to stay out as long as needed.

“I can’t see this lasting too long,” said machinist Clarence Trinity as he carried a union sign at GM’s engine and transmission factory in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, Michigan. “Both sides are losing bad.”

Citi analyst Itay Michaeli, in a note to investors, estimated that the strike is costing the company $100 million per day in earnings. However, GM has enough inventory to supply dealers for 77 days at the current sales pace, although it’s running lower on big SUVs, according to Cox Automotive.

If the strike ends soon, GM will be able to crank up production to make up for lost production time and mitigate some of the losses. But if it lasts more than a week, it will start to affect production in Canada and Mexico, putting more pressure on GM’s inventory. If supplies dwindle, consumers may go to other brands, costing GM sales and market share.

GM is facing weakening sales, a deteriorating global economy and an unpredictable trade war as it tries to keep its labor costs in check through 2023. But workers are looking at GM’s fat profits of more than $30 billion during the past five years, and they want a bigger share.