TOPEKA – The rainfall last week helped improve the condition of some crops, but for several areas the relief did not come soon enough to help improve the non-irrigated row crops, that according to Kansas Agricutural Statistics Service.

Sixty percent of the corn crop had reached the dough stage by Sunday, behind seventy-one percent last year and sixty-one percent for the 5-year average, while twenty-one percent of the crop had dented, behind twenty-four percent the previous year but ahead of nineteen-percent for the 5-year average.

Despite the rain last week, the condition of the crop declined to twenty-two percent very poor, nineteen percent poor, twenty-six percent fair, twenty-seven percent good, and six percent excellent.

Seventy-seven percent of the soybean acreage has bloomed, behind seventy-nine percent last year and eighty-three percent for the 5-year average. Twenty-eight percent of the crop had set pods, more than a week behind normal. Soybean condition declined slightly to sixteen percent very poor, twenty-five percent poor, thirty percent fair, twenty-five percent good, and four percent excellent.

The sorghum crop was thirty percent headed by Sunday, about a week behind normal, and behind fifty-five percent last year and fifty percent for the 5-year average.

Ninety-one percent of the cotton crop was squaring by Sunday, compared to both the previous year and the 5-year average at ninety-nine percent.

Fifty-two percent of the sunflower crop had bloomed as of Sunday, ahead of forty-eight percent last year and forty-seven percent for the 5-year average.

LYONS – A 21-year-old Great Bend man was killed in a two vehicle accident west of Lyons early Saturday during a police pursuit. Dead is Ryan Byers who was driving a 2000 Chevy Pickup.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Byers was traveling at a high rate of speed, eastbound on U-S Highway 56 being chased by Great Bend Police when he crossed into the westbound lanes and collided head-on with a semi driven by 51-year-old Scott Zwick of Lyons.

Byers was pronounced dead at the scene. Zwick was taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita for treatment of his injuries. He was wearing a seatbelt, but its unknown if Byers was wearing his.

The accident occurring around 4:10 a-m this morning 9-miles west of Lyons in Rice County.

A 2-year-old child taken to a Wichita hospital suspected of being the victim of abuse is doing better according to District Attorney Keith Schroeder. He says the child whose been at a Wichita hospital is being taken to a hospital out of state that specializes in parallelized individuals. The child after the alleged abuse is parallelized on the left side.

24-year-old Toby Hippen is suspected of being responsible for the injuries. He’s charged with aggravated battery. He was arrested back on July 22.

Police say they were dispatched to 910 E Sherman on Monday July 18 for a medical condition where a child had been badly injured. The child was taken to Promise Regional Medical Center, and later transported to Via Christi St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Wichita.

Hippen, as we told you previously, is the brother of a woman who awaits trial involving the death of her 2-month old child. Bridget Hippen is charged with 2nd degree murder in the death when she allegedly put a hair dryer near her child and the child died from hyperthermia.

Troy Hippen remains jailed on a 150-thousand dollar bond and awaits a possible preliminary hearing.

The Reno County Sheriff’s Office received a report that on August 1 at approx 9 p-m, a woman was stopped on Yoder Rd just south of US 50 by someone whom she believed to be a Law Enforcement officer.

This individual flashed his headlights multiple times to get the woman to stop. Once stopped the man told the driver that she matched the description of an earlier reported gas drive-off and that she needed to accompany him back to the gas station. With some verbal resistance, the driver complied and returned to the Kwik Shop on the south end of South Hutchinson with the man who again she believed was an officer. He then had her stand outside her car and he went inside for a short time. When he returned, he told her that he was sorry for the trouble and returned she got back in her car. Once she left the scene, she contacted family members and ultimately contacted the sheriff’s office.

Reno County Sheriff Captain Steve Lutz says they’re actively working the case and believes that the man who stopped the woman is not an actual officer, but someone posing as one for some unknown reason.

The vehicle is described as a white mid-sized car with black wheels and a spotlight on the left windshield pillar. There were no markings or decals on the vehicle.

The woman says the man was dressed in clothing that appeared to be a uniform however had no patches and the badge used was hanging from a breast pocket in some type of wallet.

Normally traffic stops are performed by easily recognizable marked patrol cars equipped with red and blue emergency lights. Officers are also easily recognizable in their uniformed appearance.

If you have any information in regards to a similar incident or a possible suspect, you’re asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 694-2735 or Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 694-2666 or 1-800-222-TIPS.

One of the people arrested back in 2009 for drugs entered a plea in the case this morning in front of Judge Tim Chambers.

42-year-old Nancy Meier was also sentenced this morning and given 20-months for possession of methamphetamine.

It was back on February 4, 2009 when a traffic stop led to four people being arrested along with Meier, but charges have since been dropped against two of them, that being Patricia Smith, and Holly Wuthnow.

The three were passengers in a vehicle driven by 49-year-old Dale Edward Geer of Sedgwick. He allegedly had a tag which was registered to a Ford Taurus, but on the Saturn the four were in. That caused Reno County Sheriff Deputy Tony Cook to make a traffic stop near K-14 and K-96. During the investigation of the occupants of the vehicle, he discovered outstanding warrants for Smith. Then while searching the vehicle after the arrest allegedly found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in that vehicle.

He alleges he found a brown purse that allegedly contained a broken glass pipe with brown residue and some white powder on it, a silver spoon also with some powder residue, and a baggie with the same type of residue. He then later found a orange and gray Tupperware container that also contained white powder. It was allegedly found under the drivers seat of the vehicle.

Meier has another conviction from last year where she was convicted and sentenced to 44-months in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell within a thousand feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia, felony possession of marijuana, and no tax stamp.

Judge Tim Chambers had suppressed the evidence against Geer over whether the search in the 2009 case was proper. The state appealed and Judge Chambers was overturned and the case will come back to District Court next Wednesday for a status hearing.

The stop being made back on February 4, 2009.