SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 1:00pm Friday, officers responded to a burglary at a residence in the 12000 block of west Briarwood in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

A resident of the home observed an unknown suspect inside her garage.  The suspect fled from the residence with an item from the garage and left in a blue Ford Mustang.

Officers quickly located the suspect vehicle and attempted to stop it but the driver accelerated and refused to stop.

The suspect wrecked the Mustang at Central and 135th and then continued to the 600 block of north Thoroughbred where the suspect fled from the vehicle on foot.

Officers quickly located the suspect at a residence in the 600 block of north Wheatland Place where a Sheriff K9 was utilized in taking the suspect into custody.

The suspect, a 24-year-old male, was transported to an area hospital for treatment of a minor dog bite, and then booked into jail for aggravated burglary, theft, evade and elude, and reckless driving.

There were no other injuries, and the stolen item was returned to the owner.  Davidson did not release the name of the suspect.

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reports the Kansas Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) held steady in 2016, at 5.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, with the lowest number infant deaths (223) ever reported in Kansas. This rate remained unchanged from 5.9 per 1,000 live births (230 infant deaths) in 2015.

The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) reflects the health and well-being of a nation or state. The U.S. rate is 6.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. The Kansas IMR of 5.9 is below the Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) target of 6.0. Healthy People 2020 is a 10-year program from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of HHS.

“The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is committed to working with our partners to reduce infant mortality and disparities in infant mortality. Together with community partners, we have continued to maintain the lowest ever recorded infant mortality rate for our State through applied research and community intervention,” said Susan Mosier, MD, MBA, FACS, Secretary of KDHE and State Health Officer.

The White non-Hispanic population IMR (5.2) and the Hispanic IMR (5.1) also met the HP2020 target while the Black non-Hispanic (15.2) rate did not.

For Kansas in 2016, the White non-Hispanic population group had the highest number of infant deaths (139 infant deaths), while the Black non-Hispanic group had the highest rate (15.2 per 1,000 live births). The disparity in rates between White and Black non-Hispanic infant deaths was evident in all periods of death.

In the last century, the Kansas infant mortality rate (IMR) has decreased dramatically, from 73.5 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1912 (2,795 infant deaths) to 5.9 in 2016 (223).

“Even though we have reached our lowest number of infant deaths ever reported, we are not done. We will continue to work with our partners to further decrease infant mortality and disparities in infant mortality,” said Dr. Mosier.

One way KDHE helps at-risk communities is through the Healthy Start Home Visitor Services. Maternal and Child Health Grants are provided to local health departments so they can provide outreach visits to pregnant women and families with newborns. Under public health nurse supervision, visitors provide in-home interventions such as education, support and referrals to other community services.

The Selected Special Statistics, Stillbirths and Infant Deaths, Kansas, 2016 summarizes vital records data on stillbirths and infant deaths. This report is attached and will be posted here.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident and have a suspect in custody.

Just after 11p.m. Friday, police officers responded to a vehicle vs. pedestrian accident in the 700 block of north Amidon in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Through the investigation, it was learned a Mazda Miata driven by a 19-year-old driver was north bound on Amidion with a 19-year-old female passenger.

The vehicle struck a 25-year-old man crossing the street in the 700 block of north Amidon.

The 25-year-old was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.

The 19-year-old female passenger was also transported to an area hospital for serious injuries.

The driver was not injured and was booked into jail for 2 counts of aggravated battery.  Speed was believed to be a factor in the accident, according to Davidson.

He did not release the name of the victim.

RILEY COUNTY—  Law enforcement authorities have captured an escaped inmate.

Just after 9p.m. Friday, the Riley County Police Department reported the arrest of 32-year-old Billy Joe Womack at a motel in the 2100 Block of Fort Riley Boulevard in Manhattan.

On December 5, police reported Womack did not return after being out on a work release. He was confined on a Shawnee County District Court warrant.

In August police arrested Womack for multiple charges of drug distribution.

Womack is being held on a $103,000 Bond for felony aggravated escape from custody and a felony probation violation.

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN

Gov. Sam Brownback has more hurdles to clear before potentially leaving Kansas to head the Office of International Religious Freedom at the U.S. State Department.

The governor’s name wasn’t among dozens of nominees approved in the Senate this week, nor was it on a list of nominees to hold over until its next session.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office said Friday that means when the session ends in early January, Brownback’s nomination will go back to the White House, which would need to renominate him.

It’s unclear how long the process will take. U.S. Sen. Bob Corker’s office confirmed Thursday that he has talked with Democrats about scheduling a vote on Brownback’s nomination for early January. Corker, a Tennessee Republican, is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Brownback has been awaiting confirmation since July, when President Donald Trump picked him for the ambassador-at-large post. His confirmation hearing at the Foreign Relations Committee was in October.

Democrats want a recorded vote rather than a voice vote on Brownback’s confirmation. This week the Senate used voice voting to green-light nominees, including Kansas Solicitor General Stephen McAllister, who was nominated in September to be the next U.S. attorney in Kansas.

Brownback’s nomination has drawn scrutiny from Democrats unhappy with his 2015 decision to repeal anti-discrimination protections for LGBT state workers and his 2016 decision to pull Kansas out of a federal program that resettled refugees.

During the October confirmation hearing, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, pressed Brownback to commit to defending women’s rights and LGBT rights. She pointed to examples of denying women access to abortions for religious reasons. Brownback replied that the International Religious Freedom Office should focus on stopping faith-based discrimination.

The delay in confirming Brownback means the lack of clarity over who is calling the shots in the Governor’s Office — and who will deliver the State of the State address before the Kansas legislative session — will continue a little longer.

In recent months, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer has taken over some of the key functions of Brownback’s job, including preparing the 2018 budget proposal and hiring Cabinet officials and other top administrative staff.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A New Jersey man will be sentenced next month for choking a 4-month-old child at a Walmart in Overland Park.

Fifty-four-year-old Oleh Zhownirovych , of Clifton, New Jersey, pleaded no contest Thursday to aggravated battery and intentional harm and battery. An aggravated kidnapping charge was dropped.

In October, authorities said Zhownirovych walked up to Monquisha Hill in a checkout line and started choking her daughter, who was in the shopping cart.

He stopped when the mother started screaming. People in the store came to help and held him until police arrived.

Hill didn’t know the man and a motive for his actions was unclear.

The baby wasn’t injured.

Zhownirovych was the pastor of a Ukrainian Orthodox church in Clifton but left the position last year.

RILEY COUNTY — The head football coach at Manhattan High School Joe Schwartz will not face charges of endangering a child in connection with the October 26, battery incident involving members of the football team, according to a media release from County Attorney Barry Wilkerson.

Riley County Police reported multiple teenage suspects kicked and hit two victims, a 15-year-old and 16-year-old boys.

In addition, two employees of the Riley County Attorney’s office have a child or relative who are members of the football team. The Riley County Attorney’s office has a conflict of interest which prohibits the office from determining what if any charges against the players. The Lyon County Attorney’s office has agreed to appoint a special prosecutor to determine possible charges in the case, according to the media release.

PAWNEE COUNTY — Sentencing is scheduled next month for a Kansas man for child sex crimes.

On Thursday, James Thomas, 59, Hutchinson, entered a no contest plea in the Pawnee County District Court to one count of attempted aggravated indecent liberties with a minor 14 years of age, to wit: lewd fondling, a severity level 6 person felony, according to a media release from the Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett.

Had the matter proceeded to trial the State would have presented testimony that on the night of November 27, 2013, Thomas entered the room of a 14 year child that was staying at the defendant’s home in Larned for the night and placed his hands inside the child’s pajamas without consent, according to McNett.

After hearing the proffer of evidence and reviewing the defendant’s understanding of the consequences of his plea, District Judge Bruce Gatterman accepted the plea and found Thomas guilty of the amended charge. Sentencing is scheduled for January 18, 2018.

As part of the plea agreement, the defendant agreed to waive his right to appeal the conviction and will be subject to lifetime Sex Offender Registration.

Thomas was arrested by the US Marshall Service at his home in Hutchinson on March 30, 2017, without incident. He later posted a $35,000 cash/surety bond and was ordered by the Court to report regularly to Court Services, surrender his passport, not leave the State without Court Service’s permission and have no contact, directly or indirectly, with endorsed witnesses. He has been reporting as required since his release.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas State worker says in a federal lawsuit that the university didn’t adequately respond to her complaints of sexual harassment by a co-worker.

In a lawsuit filed this week, Paulette Arnold says she was harassed for nearly three years while working in the Information Systems Office. She says the systems coordinator, Kevin Yaussi, sent sexually explicit emails, inappropriately touched her and left her inappropriate gifts.

Arnold says she and another worker reported Yaussi’s behavior to their supervisor.

The Kansas City Star reports the university determined Yaussi had harassed Arnold but only ordered him not to interact with her except for work. He was given a written warning and a recommendation to complete training on sexual harassment and workplace professionalism.

A Kansas State University spokesperson said the university doesn’t discuss pending litigation.