John Brislin of Midwest Ford Lincoln and Toyota (left) and Country 102.9’s Randy McKay shown broadcasting before the Hutch High-Maize football game at Gowans Stadium October 7th.
Someone will have the opportunity to win the 2011 Ford F-150 (background). Listen to Country 102.9 for details…………..home of Hutch High Salt Hawk football.
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A suspect in the murder of Joshua Haines was sentenced to nearly 12-years for his role in the murder of Joshua Haines back on April 10, of last year.
Vassie Coons had entered pleas to aggravated robbery, possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine, and misdemeanor possession of marijuana while the murder charge against him was dropped. That was part of a plea agreement. The state also agreed to recommend the standard sentence under sentencing guidelines.
But, Judge Tim Chambers only partially went along with that agreement, giving Coons that maximum on that aggravated robbery conviction. The judge says he couldn’t in good conscience give him anything but the maximum considering his participation in the killing. He told the defendant that you made the call to lure Haines to your apartment that led to his death. He says he was an active participant in the crime. Judge Chambers ran all the sentences for the drug charges concurrent to each other, but consecutive to that aggravated robbery.
Coons had been sent to Larned for 120-days for a mental evaluation prior to sentencing. Judge Chambers says that evaluation showed that he uses his mental illness to try get out of jams. He says he doesn’t believe Coons hears voices nearly as much as he lets on.
27-year-old Anthony Waller was sentenced to 40-years in prison for his involvement in the murder which occurred in April of last year.
The third co-defendant in the case, Jose Delacruz was found not guilty of murder, but was convicted of aggravated robbery. He was sentenced to 83-months for the robbery conviction. However, he is scheduled to face trial this month for contempt of court, for refusing to testify in the Waller trial.
The case center on Haines being savagely beaten and strangled in Coons apartment and then placed in his own car and driven to a nearby street where it was found later that day.
The jury in a case against a 39-year-old Texas man accused of attempted rape, aggravated kidnapping and sexual battery came back yesterday afternoon with a mixed verdict. The jury found Johnathan Riffe, “not guilty,” of attempted rape, and kidnapping, but, “guilty,” of aggravated sexual battery.
The jury didn’t buy the states contention that Riffe attempted to rape a Hutchinson woman in the early morning hours of October 31st, of last year, nor did they buy the argument that he held her against her will, but they did believe there was some unwanted sexual touches leading to them finding him guilty of the aggravated sexual battery.
Riffe offered her a ride home from the Grand Slam nightclub, and something did happened, but what? Only two people know for sure, the victim and the defendant.
The victim alleged he tried to sexually assault her in the driveway of Hospice House, but the defendant denies that there was anything forced and that the victim was extremely intoxicated. The defendant also told the jury that she wanted him and was into him. But, he says they didn’t have sex because he believed she was to intoxicated.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell told us, “after speaking with the victim, she’s very happy with the verdict, so justice is served.”
Again, the jury found Riffe not guilty of the two more serious charges, but guilty of aggravated sexual battery. Judge Tim Chambers after the verdict did raise his bond from 100-hundred thousand to 200-hundred thousand dollars and he was taken to jail until he could post the additional bond.
Judge Chambers telling us he set sentencing in the case for September 9 and according to Maxwell he could be looking at as much as 11-years in prison depending in his criminal history.
The Hutchinson Reno County Chamber of Commerce is holding a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the U-S Highway 50 project coming Monday August 22 at 10 a-m.
Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Deb Miller will be on hand to make remarks, and an invitation has also been sent out to area government leaders from Hutchinson, South Hutch and Reno County.
Representatives from Dondlinger Construction who is the general contractor and sub-contractors are also expected to be in attendance, and the event will be followed by a reception at the Kansas Underground Salt Museum.
The plan is to continue the project from just west of K-61 east junction to just east of Airport Road. That includes making that section of the highway four-lanes with two diamond interchanges, one at the east junction of K-61, and the other at Airport-Yoder road. Also included with be the straightening of a sharp curve just west of the K-61 junction which has been the scene of so many accidents over the years.
This is phase two of the U-S 50 project which started with making the highway four-lane from the south edge of South Hutchinson and the area near the K-61 east junction.
Again that ribbon cutting coming up a week from Monday.
A 47-year-old Hutchinson man accused of trying to strike two Hutchinson Police Officers with his vehicle was found not guilty after a one-day trial Tuesday in front of Judge Trish Rose.
Melvin Zahn of 626 North Monroe was charged with two counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer. He was accused of trying to strike officers Josh Long, and Matt Peil in the 400 block of West Avenue A. This occurring in October of last year.
He was stopped after the alleged incident at Avenue F and Woodyseat.
While the state alleged he intentionally threatened the two officers, putting them in fear of being injured, Zahn says he simply didn’t see them and that they didn’t have any vehicle lights on in the dark.
The jury agreed that it was a near accident, and that he didn’t intend to hurt anyone and found him not guilty.
A group of local clean energy advocates and electricity industry stakeholders will meet in Hutchinson next week to discuss how the state can benefit from building out its transmission grid.
The event – titled Expanding and Modernizing the Electrical Grid: Essential Infrastructure for the Heartland’s Clean Energy Future will take place here in Hutchinson August 15-17 and will feature addresses by Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Marc Spitzer.
The forum will also feature other national and regional experts on renewable energy and electricity transmission who will address key issues, such as how to build and pay for the transmission infrastructure necessary to unleash renewable power in Kansas and the rest of the nation’s Heartland.
Officials say these transmission updates are integral to lowering electricity prices for American businesses and consumers, creating new jobs in the wind energy industry, and unleashing domestic renewable energy resources.
Experts will also discuss current events central to the national energy debate, including FERC’s new rule, “order 1000,” that bolsters regional cost allocation and planning proposals from regions throughout the U.S.
Participants will include representatives from a broad range of organizations including electric utilities, environmental organizations, businesses, agriculture groups, landowners, and labor organizations.
The event will be hosted by Americans for a Clean Energy Grid, a project of the Energy Future Coalition, and the Climate + Energy Project based in Lawrence, KS. Event sponsors include the Heartland Alliance for Regional Transmission, the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce, Hutchinson Community College, Siemens, ITC Great Plains, Westar Energy, and Clean Line Energy Partners.
The event will be held at the Stringer Fine Arts Center Recital Hall on the Hutchinson Community College campus at 600 East 11th.
Jackie Rice has been appointed Community Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Reno County. Rice has been with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in Kansas since 2004 serving in Harvey, McPherson and Marion counties. She attended Hutchinson Community College and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. Rice was named the 2009 Woman of the Year by the Kansas Business and Professional Women.
Rice states that “Our priority and what differentiates Big Brothers Big Sisters is our commitment to providing long-term mentoring, resulting in proven positive educational and social outcomes, improving kids’ chances to succeed.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Reno County is currently serving 193 children, with an additional 114 children on the waiting list.
For more information call 620-662-8161 or go to www.kansasbigs.org.
The three people jailed last Wednesday have been formally charged by the state and were read the charges by Magistrate Judge Randy McEwen Thursday morning.
23-year-old Aaron Streight of Canton is charged with interference with law enforcement, flee and elude and an expired license.
Two people riding with him face drug charges. That includes 22-year-old Michael DeShazo of 115 East 12th, and 22-year-old Kasey Pisoni of Stafford. They’re both charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to package, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of marijuana.
The case starts with police looking for a small white pickup they suspected may have been involved in some burglaries. They spotted the vehicle driven by Streight, and the officer decided to stop the vehicle. Streight allegedly pulled into a driveway and took off running, but was quickly captured. This occurring in the 300 block of East 1st.
Meanwhile, one of the people riding with him is alleged to have dropped some methamphetamine, that suspected of being DeShazo. He along with Pisoni were arrested on the drug charges.
With the charges filed, the cases against the three will be placed on a waiver-status docket.
KINSLEY – A 42-year-old Kinsley man was killed in a one vehicle accident in Edwards County on Tuesday after he lost control of his vehicle causing it to flip then hit a light pole.
The driver, Marvin Gleason was taken to the Edwards County Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Gleason was eastbound on U-Road and came up some curves, then went into the south ditch, lost control and went into the north ditch causing the vehicle to flip and then hit the light pole. Gleason who was not wearing a seatbelt was ejected from the vehicle. The car ended up on its top with the vehicle on top of him.
The accident occurring about 3:30 p-m Tuesday about 8-miles south of Kinsley.
Hutchinson Fireman were called to the scene of a fire at the old Pegues building at 208 North Main shortly before noon Monday. There were never any real flames seen coming from the building, but some smoke could be seen coming from the top front left of the building and later as metal panels were removed from the front of the building, smoke also poured out from there.
Hutchinson Fire Inspector Tony Arpin explains that roofers were putting tar on the overhang and using a wood burner. Its used to spread the tar out into the cracks and apparently started a fire between the facia and the actual building. Fireman had to tear off the metal squares on the front of the building to figure out exactly where the fire was.
When they arrived, they could see smoke coming from the very top of the building and tore some of the metal panels off on the top left side of the front of the building, but then figured out that it was closer to the top of the overhang and began tearing those panels loose and found the source of the fire and was able to put it out fairly quickly once they found the location.
They did have the extension of one of the trucks up in case there was fire on the roof of the building, but luckily, there was none.
They did evacuate the entire block on the east side in the 200 block of North Main as a precaution. Arpin says the owners of Julian’s was in the building even though they are closed on Monday. The owner was doing some paperwork and told to leave her building. Both her business and the Petals Flower Shop to the south suffered some minor smoke damage. After the fire was out, fireman set up fans in the alley behind the buildings in an effort to air them out.
This was a double alarm fire because, when the call came in, they didn’t know how bad it might be considering its in the same general area of the fire a few years back. Eight trucks responded to the fire.
Police were called in to block streets from 2nd all the way to fourth street to keep traffic out of the area in one of the busiest times of the day in downtown Hutchinson.
No one was injured as a result of the fire which again was more smoke then flames in the old structure. No damage estimate was available.
