HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Police responded to the report of an armed individual on Hutchinson’s south side during the noon hour Monday. That also resulted in the Lincoln Elementary School going into lock down.

Hutchinson Police Captain Troy Hoover telling us that a Hispanic woman called 911 telling them that there was a man with a gun and knife at a home at 302 East Bigger. Police arrived and had trouble communicating with the woman because she spoke very little English. They brought in an interpreter allowing them to get more information.

They determined the man was in the home and when they made contact with him, they discovered that he wasn’t upset, had no gun or even a threatening knife. Apparently the two had an argument leading to her making that call.

No one was in any danger at the school or elsewhere as a result of this incident which was reported shortly after 12 noon.

The lock down has since been lifted at the school.

SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Municipal Court on South Hutchinson is again offering its “Food For Fines” program to active court clients.

This is an opportunity for citizens to reduce their financial obligation to the court while giving back to the community.

The program will run from November 1 through November 30.

A credit of $5.00 per can will be applied to fines or warrant fees, up to a maximum of $50 per person.

Donated cans cannot be dented, rusted, expired, or non-labeled. If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact the court at (620) 560-6251.

They will be available to take those donations from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

All donations will go to the Food Bank of Reno County to assist families with the upcoming holiday season.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Once again, Hutchinson Police are investigating the report of an aggravated robbery. This time at a dollar store in the 13th & Main area.

An employee of the Dollar Sense store at 1301 North Main reports a black male coming into the store and demanding money at gun point.

This occurring just after 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The suspect got away with an undisclosed amount of money.

No one was hurt from the robbery and no arrest have been made.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A 54-year-old Hutchinson man jailed Monday for the armed robbery of Dollar General at 7 S. Adams made a first appearance in the case Tuesday morning.

Leroy Randall is jailed on two counts of kidnapping and one count of aggravated robbery.

It was approximately 10:00 p.m. Friday when a black male came into the store, stuck a gun in the face of a female employee and demanded money. That employee apparently screamed, causing another employee to come out of the bathroom of the store. Randall is then alleged to have pointed the gun at him.

During the robbery, he allegedly managed to get over $3,000, according to statements made in court.

He then locked two employees in a bathroom and fled the store on foot and was not located.

As we first told you, employees stated that he had been in the store earlier that evening.

During the course of the investigation by police, the suspect was identified as Randall.

Monday, they served two search warrants at his residence and allegedly found clothing that matched what he was wearing, which included a blue coat and brown stocking cap. Police also allegedly found $3,600 in cash. He apparently denied to police that he robbed the store during the arrest.

He’s jailed on a bond of $75,000 and will be back in court on Oct. 27 for a status hearing to see if the state has filed formal charges.

If anyone has information in regards to this investigation, please call Detective Rodriguez at 694-2831 or Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Associate all tips with #2015-28066.

Police say the investigation is ongoing.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — New numbers from the Kansas Department of Labor show the unemployment rate for Hutchinson has dropped from 4.9 percent in August to 4.1 percent in September. Reno County also saw a pretty good drop from 4.7 percent in August to 3.9 percent last month.

According to the numbers, 1,245 residents of the county were looking for work last month, with 828 of those living in the city of Hutchinson.

All of the surrounding counties also saw drops in unemployment rates as well. Harvey County saw its rate drop from 4.5 percent in August to 3.5 percent in September.

Other rates show Kingman County at 4.1 percent, McPherson at 2.8 percent, Pratt County at 4 percent, Rice County at 3.5, Stafford at 3.4 and Sedgwick County at 4.2 percent.

The state’s September seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, down from 4.6 percent in August and an increase from 4.3 percent in September 2014.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Police are investigating a robbery at the Dollar General Store at 7 S. Adams late Friday. Ironically, the store is located just south of the Reno County Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center.

Employees of the store report that a black male came into the store, pulled a gun and demanded money. He was wearing what was described as a blue puffy coat and a brown ski mask.

He had apparently been in the store earlier, according to police, then came back at closing. After getting the money, he locked the employees in a back room then fled the scene.

No word on how much money the bandit may have gotten, but police are investigating.

There were no reports of injuries and no arrests have been made.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Even though a jury found a Kansas Department of Corrections parolee guilty of making a criminal threat against his parole officer, Judge Trish Rose granted a defense motion for judgment of acquittal, meaning the conviction is no more.

Thirty-three-year-old James Brown was convicted of the charge for threatening to burn down Stefaney Suro’s home, calling her a bad name and saying he wished she would die. A jury found him guilty of the charge after a brief trial where the defendant took the stand and denied ever saying it. The threat apparently was not made directly to his parole officer, but in fact to another parole officer who came to see him while he was incarcerated on the parole violation. The alleged threat came on Dec. 30, 2014.

The defense argued that he shouldn’t be convicted because, after he made the threat, he told the parole officer that he didn’t mean it and that he was just angry because his parole officer had told him she was going to send him back to prison for a parole violation, one for using methamphetamine after he was paroled on Dec. 19, 2014, but also for failing to report to a parole officer after his release. He finally voluntarily reported on Dec. 29.

Judge Rose stated in court that she thought the comment or threat was taken out of context, saying he immediately stated he didn’t mean it and apologized. She admits it rare for a judge to grant such a motion, especially after a jury found him guilty, but did anyway, saying she believes it’s “justified” in this case. Because Judge Rose granted the judgment of acquittal in this case, the state cannot appeal.

Brown has been serving time for drug convictions out of Finney County and he will most likely be sent back to prison to serve the remaining time of that sentence.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A record number of people attended the Kansas State Fair this year. The best-ever crowd also set new records for Midway revenue and Kansas Lottery ticket sales. This year’s Fair took place Sept. 11-20 in Hutchinson.

The audited audience for 2015 was 369,322, beating the previous record, set in 1995, by more than 7,500 attendees. Mother Nature was definitely on the Fair’s side, delivering pleasant, cooperating weather throughout.

Pat Repp, of North American Midway, said the 2014 Fair set the record for largest Midway growth, and the 2015 Midway surpassed that with another 8.1 percent increase.

With the help of a strong Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand entertainment lineup and talented performers at the free stages, the Fair continued to attract crowds throughout the grounds. Pumpkin growers got in on the act, too. The largest-ever pumpkin weighed in at 1,034 pounds – so big the judges had to call in a special scale in order to confirm its victory.

The Kansas Lottery has been a presence at the Kansas State Fair since the first lottery ticket was sold and this year provided the most excitement yet. Players visited the Lottery building in large numbers to buy $1 Fried N’ Joy instant scratch tickets and other lottery products, driving sales to a new record.

Inspired by the record turnout, the Kansas State fair is already planning for next year with the fair scheduled for Sept. 9 through 18, 2016.