HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The 34-year-old man jailed early New Year’s Day for a charge of voluntary manslaughter after he allegedly stabbed a man to death was before a judge Monday morning where he became agitated over his bond.

Kevin Wayne Ginn Jr. allegedly stabbed 24-year-old Deshamus Diron Lucky during a large disturbance just after 2 a.m. in the area of 8th & Madison.

It started at the Grand Slam Sports Bar where Ginn may have been struck by the victim of the stabbing. The victim then left that bar and went to another. Ginn then showed up at that bar upset, so the victim then left there and went to the party in the 300 block of West 8th.

That’s when the suspect showed up and got into an altercation with another man, Mark Morgan, who was apparently cut with the knife as well. Lucky was stabbed during that altercation in his upper chest and collapsed on a porch. He was transported by Reno County EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where he later died from his wound. Police have not yet charged Ginn for the wounds to Morgan, but that could still happen.

Ginn was taken to Hutchinson Regional to be treated for injuries, then taken to jail.

He complained during his appearance about the bond. He said he was told it was only going to be $10,500, but when taken to jail complained that it was set at $50,000. He requested a bond reduction, however, Magistrate Judge Cheryl Allen denied the request which made the defendant angry, so much so that jailers at the Reno County Correctional Facility cut him off, telling him, “you’re done.”

The next court appearance will be next Monday when the state is expected to have filed formal charges.

Ginn is no stranger to the law with convictions for aggravated false impersonation, aggravated assault, domestic battery, drugs, battery of a law enforcement officer, assault of a law enforcement officer, criminal damage and obstruction. Most of the convictions are out of Sedgwick County, but also includes convictions in Johnson, Labette and Wyandotte counties.

Police are still asking that anyone with information in regard to this case should call Hutchinson Police Detective Dean Harcrow at 694-2867 or you can call Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 1-800-222-TIPS.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 34-year-old Hutchinson man is in jail on a charge of voluntary manslaughter after he allegedly stabbed a man to death early New Year’s Day.

Police were dispatched to a large disturbance just after 2 a.m. to an area around 8th and Madison. When they arrived, they found 24-year-old Deshamus Diron Lucky of Hutchinson with a stab wound. He was transported by Reno County EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where he later succumbed to his wound.

Kevin Wayne Ginn Jr. was taken to jail charged with the stabbing and is in the custody with a $50,000 bond.

Anyone who has information in regard to this case may call Detective Dean Harcrow at 620-694-2867 or Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 1-800-222-TIPS.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After one of the five teens arrested and accused of making criminal threats against Hutchinson High reached a plea agreement, the other four did the same Tuesday afternoon in Reno County Juvenile Court.

Takota Bowman, Jacobsen Eells, Andre Smith and Tyler Cabral all entered pleas to one count of criminal threat, while the charge of conspiracy to commit murder was dismissed. The pleas are similar to the one offered to, and accepted by Dominic Collins just before Christmas. Like Collins, the four were sentenced to court services until May of 2016 and time already served.

According to Daniel Gilligan of the District Attorney’s office, all had made strides to improve their lives, including obtaining or trying to obtain their GEDs. Bowman is also attending classes at Allen Community College in Iola, and will go through his court supervision there.

All must write a letter of apology to Hutchinson USD 308 for their actions.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Fire Crews, along with Reno County EMS, were on the scene of a house fire in the 700 block of West 25th Tuesday morning.

When crews arrived, they found smoke coming from the rear of the home. Crews entered the structure and were met with high heat. The fire was located near the rear of the structure next to a fireplace and the fire was controlled in 20 minutes.

The single-story home was occupied by one person who sustained burns to her chest, back, hands, and feet. She made it out and to a neighbor’s house before fire crews arrived.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the probable cause was combustibles too close to the fireplace. Damage is estimated at $75,000.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was airlifted to a Wichita hospital for treatment of her injuries.

The call came in around 8:15 a.m.

Today…Partly sunny, with a high near 30. North northwest wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable.

Tonight…A 50 percent chance of snow, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 17. Light and variable wind. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Wednesday…Partly sunny, with a high near 32. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night…Partly cloudy, with a low around 13. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday…Sunny, with a high near 33. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday Night..Mostly clear, with a low around 14.

New Year’s Day…Sunny, with a high near 34.

Friday Night…Clear, with a low around 16.

Saturday…Sunny, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night…Mostly clear, with a low around 19.

Sunday…Sunny, with a high near 39.

Sunday Night…Mostly clear, with a low around 20.

Monday…Sunny, with a high near 40.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The standoff with Hutchinson Police and the Reno County Sheriff’s Office ended peacefully with the armed man giving up during the noon hour.

At approximately 12:30 p.m., Charles Mendenhall III was taken into custody without incident for aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault & criminal threat.

The approximate six hour long standoff with members of The Hutchinson Police Department, Reno County Sherriff’s Office, South Hutchinson Police and Wichita Police Department. A female inside the residence was released unharmed. Nickerson Blvd reopened after the incident was resolved, however police say an investigation into this incident is ongoing.

This all occurring at a residence at 707 Pierce.

They say there were others in the home when it started around 6:30 a.m., but they apparently left the home and reported it to police. Early reports of a fire was over the fact that someone smelled smoke, but no fire was reported. However, Hutchinson Fire units as well as a Reno County E.M.S. unit on scene as a precaution.

There were also reports that kids may have been in the home, but Jason Yingling with Hutchinson Police tells us the kids are also okay.

Traffic on Nickerson Blvd. between Buchanan and Whiteside was re-routed to allow officials to work the situation and keep others out of harms way.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A short hearing held Wednesday in the Sam Vonachen case.

The defense for the teen accused of two counts of first degree murder wants a transcript written from a court reporter outside of the case to be presented to Judge Trish Rose so that she can compare it to audio from an in car camera. That audio is part of an overall motion to suppress various audio and video recordings done by police in the case.

That hearing is expected to resume on Monday. While the transcript will not be used as evidence,prosecuting attorney Steve Maxwell objected to the use of the transcript says it contained several inaccuracies stating that several key pieces of audio that were plainly evident during the hearing were written down as inaudible in the defense transcript.

Judge Trish Rose said she will take transcripts from both sides and look them over while listening to the audio. Again the transcript will not be used as evidence.

Vonachen is accused of setting fire to the family home killing his mother and sister in September of 2013.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Sheriff’s Office says that a man who claimed he was robbed and stabbed in the county Monday pretty much made it all up.

Deputies were dispatched to Silverlake Road and Yoder Road on the report of a robbery around 1:20 p.m. When they arrived, they found 48-year-old Timothy Ray Ball with an abrasion to his face and a stab wound to his lower right abdomen. He told deputies that two Hispanic males had robbed him of his cash and a 9 mm handgun.

He stated one of the males threw his keys into a field and they both left eastbound in a 2000-2008 Honda Accord, dark blue in color with South Carolina tags.

Ball was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center where he was treated for minor wounds and released.

During the sheriff investigation, it was discovered that the evidence didn’t match what was being told to the deputies.

The Reno County Correctional Facility inmate log shows Ball is jailed on a bond of $200,250 for failure to appear, apparently for some criminal cases out of Sedgwick County.

They are no longer looking for any suspects in the case.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Board of Directors for the Reno County Historical Society Thursday announced that Mary Grace Clements has been hired as Director of Strataca – Kansas Underground Salt Museum.

“We feel very fortunate to bring Mary Grace on board at Strataca and believe she brings a wealth of leadership and business experience to this role,” Laura Snyder, 2016 chair-elect for the RCHS Board, said. “Mary Grace has demonstrated a passion for Strataca and for leading people, and those two factors heavily influenced our decision to offer her this position.”
Snyder said Clements was chosen by a committee of board members after a thorough search process.

Clements joins Strataca with more than 20 years of management and executive-level experience with three different airline carriers, where she helped develop and launch revenue-generating programs, increased operational efficiencies and managed and developed both front line and management-level employees. Most recently, Clements was Vice President of Customer Operations at Allegiant Travel Company in Las Vegas. In 2014, Clements moved to Hutchinson to be closer to family. Raised in a rural area on a dairy farm in upstate New York, Clements said she feels very at home in Hutchinson and has quickly begun to get involved in the community, participating in a Family Community Theater production and coaching girls’ basketball for Nickerson High School.

“I am so very excited to have this opportunity,” Clements said. “Strataca is an amazing and unique place to visit here in Hutchinson. I look forward to working with the dedicated team of employees and volunteers who, along with Linda Schmitt, have built a wonderful attraction for people to experience. It is impressive what they have been able to accomplish and I look forward to continuing its growth and success.”

Clements, who will begin Jan. 6, will lead RCHS’s 650-foot-deep attraction and museum and manage its 30+ employees and volunteers. In part, Clements will replace outgoing Director of RCHS Linda Schmitt, who retires Dec. 18. Schmitt oversaw both Strataca and the Reno County Museum. While Clements’s primary focus will be on Strataca, she will also oversee the Reno County Museum and curator Ashley Maready, who is currently managing operations at the museum.

The Reno County Historical Society oversees Strataca – Kansas Underground Salt Museum, and the Reno County Museum. Strataca, located 650 feet below Hutchinson in a mined-out area of the former Carey Salt Mine, is the only attraction of its kind in North America. It has been named one of the “Eight Wonders of Kansas” and was recognized in 2014 by TripAdvisor’s FlipKey subsidiary as one of the “Top Museums Worth Traveling For.” The Reno County Museum, also in Hutchinson, collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the history of Reno County, Kan., to inspire awareness and appreciation of the past for present and future generations.

WICHITA – The National Weather Service is reporting a summary of the rare December flooding event that affected much of the region on the weekend of December 12.

An intense low pressure system lifted out of the desert southwest and moved into the High Plains that weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

This storm system pulled rich Gulf moisture into the Plains causing rare December flooding for much of central and eastern Kansas.

In addition, this storm also brought heavy snow to parts of western Kansas

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