FEC Reviews Father's Campaign Funds Funneled to Kansas Congressman Watkins
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Federal Election Commission is examining now-refunded campaign contributions that Kansas Representative Steve Watkins’ father funneled through the freshman Republican congressman’s sisters and others during the 2018 campaign. The Kansas City Star reports that Topeka physician Steven Watkins Sr. confirmed Friday that the FEC is looking into thousands of dollars he steered into his son’s campaign through other donors, including his daughters and a homebuilder. The congressman has been under investigation by local officials over whether he violated state election laws for previously listing a UPS Inc. store as his residence. He's facing a GOP primary challenge from State Treasurer Jake LaTurner.
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Missouri Hosts Last-Minute Campaign Rallies before Tuesday Primary
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri is taking its turn in the presidential race spotlight head of the state's Tuesday primary, with visits from former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders over the next three days. Voters head to the polls Tuesday to pick the Democrat they want to see face off against President Donald Trump. Biden is holding an event Saturday at the National World War One Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, as well as an event in St. Louis. Sanders had planned a get-out-the-vote rally in Kansas City Monday, but cancelled it due to scheduling conflicts; he will be in St. Louis on Monday. Local election officials are projecting 40% of Missouri’s registered voters will cast ballots for the Republican, Democratic, Green, Constitution or Libertarian parties.
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Kansas Officials: 2 Potential COVID-19 Cases under Investigation
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) Two potential cases of the new coronavirus are being investigated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The KDHE website reports that eleven previous cases in Kansas have all tested negative for the disease. So far, no COVID-19 cases have been detected in Kansas, but earlier this week, KDHE Secretary Lee Norman said it was "only a matter of time" before the virus would be confirmed in Kansas. KDHE is releasing no further information about the two potential cases currently under investigation.
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KCK Ex-School Officer Pleads No Contest to Sex Crimes
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas City, Kansas, school resource officer will be sentenced in May for committing sex crimes against children. Michael Eugene English Sr. pleaded no contest Monday to three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with children between the ages of 14 and 16. The Kansas City Star reports English was a school system security guard before joining the Kansas City, Kansas, School District's independent police unit in 2015. Authorities say the crimes began in January 2018. An investigation began in March of that year when a parent notified police. English faces a maximum of just over 14 years in prison. He will be sentenced May 8.
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KU: Female Athletes Treated by Massage Therapist Charged with Indecent Liberties
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas officials say a man recently charged with a child sex crime had provided massage services to some women's athletic teams since 2015. The therapist, 48-year-old Shawn O'Brien, was an independent contractor who operated Medissage in Lawrence. O'Brien was charged recently with aggravated indecent liberties with a child after a girl accused him of touching her sexually seven or eight years ago under the guise of a “massage.” Chancellor Doug Girard and Athletic Director Jeff Long said in a statement Thursday they were “deeply troubled” by an internal inquiry into the situation. They say the school is providing support to student-athletes, parents and staff.
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Kansas Prison Dental Instructor Sentenced to 32 Months
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas prison dental instructor convicted of molesting a female inmate has been sentenced to 32 months in prison. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Thomas Co also will have to register as a sex offender for 25 years. Prosecutors had said Co molested six female inmates at the Topeka Correctional Facility between 2011 and 2018 while teaching them how to make dentures, but a jury convicted him on only one count. The conviction involved a woman whose complaints in January 2017 prompted an internal investigation that concluded Co should be fired.
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Kansas Trooper Grazes Fleeing Motorist with Bullet
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper fired multiple shots at a fleeing Missouri motorist and grazed the man with a bullet after he rammed a patrol car. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that the pursuit started Thursday night after a trooper attempted to stop a pickup truck with a stolen tag on the Kansas Turnpike in Douglas County. The release said 40-year-old Robert Knapp, of Springfield, drove west toward Topeka until troopers were able to use tire-deflating devices and a tactical maneuver to stop the truck. The KBI said Knapp then rammed the patrol car, leading a trooper to fire shots.
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Senators Urge Changes to Reduce Missouri River Flooding
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Republican senators from four states that have seen severe flooding from the Missouri River are backing legislation that would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to change its management of the river to reduce flood risk. The proposal would require the Corps to take steps to reduce flood risks along the lower Missouri River by changing the way it manages the dams and by strengthening levees along the river. The proposal is backed by all the senators from Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. Corps officials say flood protection remains their highest priority.
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6 Arrested, 1 Sought in Multi-County Kansas Meth Bust
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — Central Kansas law enforcement authorities arrested six people and are searching for a seventh after an investigation into a multi-county methamphetamine ring. Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir said seven warrants were issued Wednesday in Barton, Stafford and Pawnee counties. He said officers developed information from several sources including an inmate who was allegedly running drug deals on a recorded line in the Barton County jail. KAKE-TV reports officers found large amounts of cash, methamphetamine, drug processing materials and firearms. Three preschool-aged children were taken into protective custody at one location. Five of the warrants were served in Great Bend, with one in St. John and one in rural Larned.
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Woman Sentenced to 13 years in Kansas Deputy Dragging Case
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A driver who dragged a Kansas sheriff's deputy while fleeing after being stopped has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison. Melissa Heinzman was sentenced Thursday for aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer and for probation violations. She also was ordered to pay more than than $33,000 in restitution. Prosecutors say Heinzman drove off in June 2019 after a Sedgwick County sheriff's deputy pulled her over, dragging the deputy about 100 feet and running over her leg. The deputy wasn't seriously hurt.
