Kansas Man Accused of Trying to Drown 4-year-old
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 37-year-old Topeka man is behind bars after being accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old girl and trying to drown her. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the man was taken into custody after police responded at 12:20 p.m. Friday to a reported kidnapping. Topeka police spokeswoman Lt. Jana Harden says witnesses reported a man had taken the girl into the yard of a private residence and held her underwater in a swimming pool. A witness was able to get to the girl and take her to safety. Harden says the man and the child are not related. The man was being held at the Shawnee County Jail on charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.
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Young Kansas Girl Killed After Shootout
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — An eastern Kansas police chief says it's unclear who fired the shot that killed a young Kansas girl at the end of a high-speed chase that started after she was reported to be abducted. Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said Saturday initial reports that a 30-year-old man who took the girl from her home fired the shot that killed Cadence Harris might be inaccurate. Platte County, Missouri, police notified Leavenworth police at 7:30 p.m. Friday they were in pursuit of a man suspected of abducting a child. The Kansas City Star reports the chase crossed the Missouri River into Leavenworth, where it ended at a construction site. Kitchens says the man was wounded in a shootout with police and was taken to a Kansas City hospital with non-life-threatening wounds.
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Natural Gas Pipeline Company Cited for Violations
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The company responsible for a recent natural gas pipeline accident that spewed a hazardous substance outside a small Kansas town has since faced more than $270,000 in federal penalties for problems elsewhere along its pipelines. A section of a Panhandle Eastern pipeline erupted June 19, spraying 1,300 gallons of natural gas condensate over a rural area near Olpe, Kansas, a town of about 550 residents south of Emporia. Natural gas condensate is a mix of natural gas and hydrocarbons, and typically contains toxic chemicals, including benzene, a carcinogen. Federal records show the U.S. Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration fined Panhandle Eastern a total of $272,400 for violations in 2007 and 2012. No injuries were reported. Panhandle Eastern spokeswoman Vicki Granado says the company follows pipeline safety regulations.
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Huelskamp, GOP Foe Raise $109K Each
FOWLER, Kan. (AP) — Kansas congressman Tim Huelskamp's challenger in the Republican primary matched him in cash contributions from April through June, but the incumbent had nine times the cash on hand when the period ended. Finance reports filed this week show Huelskamp and GOP challenger Alan LaPolice each raised about $109,000 in cash contributions during the quarter. Huelskamp is seeking a third, two-year term representing the 1st District of western and central Kansas. LaPolice is a Clyde farmer and educator. Huelskamp's advantage as an incumbent showed in his cash on hand. He had $800,000 at the beginning of the period and built it up to nearly $835,000. LaPolice began with a balance of $14,400 and ended with almost $91,000. Huelskamp spent about $75,000 during period, while LaPolice spent less than $33,000.