SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to an attempted robbery outside a Wal-Mart in Kansas that ended with a good Samaritan wounded and a second suspect dead.
The Kansas City Star reports that 28-year-old Arthur Fred Wyatt III, of Overland Park, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that included second-degree attempted murder. He was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder.
Investigators say Wyatt and another man attacked a woman on Sept. 11, 2016, as she was putting her child in a safety seat in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City.
A man in the lot intervened and was shot several times. Shawnee police say another Good Samaritan shot and killed one of the attackers, John Simmons of Kansas City. Sentencing is set for Nov. 2.
First slot machines arrived in early March -photo courtesy Kansas Crossing Casino
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — A new, state-owned casino in southeast Kansas is trimming the hours it runs table games and cutting staff after failing to generate as much revenue as expected.
The Joplin Globe reports that Kansas Crossing in Pittsburg was expected to rake in about $3 million monthly. In its first four months of operation, the casino has generated between $2 million and $2.4 million monthly.
General Manager Doug Fisher says the casino has reduced hours to reflect customer interest and has laid off 10 employees out of about 400 staff members.
Keith Kocher is the director of gaming facilities with the Kansas Lottery. He says casinos typically see revenue drop in the summer because regular customers are on vacation.
Kocher says the state receives just over 20 percent of the casino’s revenue.
BUTLER COUNTY — A Kansas police department showed off their new police department K9 officer Friday.
The Andover Police Department purchased a 17-month old Belgian Malinois, born in the Netherlands, from Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Indiana.
On September 18, the dog and Officer Joel McLaughlin will begin a 10-week Police K-9 training with the Wichita Police Department and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.
Before they go to school, the needs a name. The Police Department is asking for the public’s help to name the dog.
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — The last of five defendants in the death of a Pittsburg State University student has been sentenced.
Tyler Smith was sentenced Friday to two years and four months in prison for conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery as his role in the 2014 death of 20-year-old Taylor Thomas. Smith also was ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution with other defendants in the case.
The Pittsburg Morning-Sun reports Smith was accused of planning a robbery that led to Thomas’ death. Authorities say Smith did not participate in the actual robbery.
The other defendants broke into a home to steal money and drugs that belonged to Thomas’ roommate. The roommate escaped from the house but Thomas was shot and killed.
The other defendants have all pleaded guilty to various charges in the case.
WICHITA – Law enforcement authorities continue investigating an armed robbery at a department store and need help identifying a suspect. According to Detective Wendy Hummell, Gordmans is offering an additional reward to help solve the case.
Just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 8, officers were dispatched to an armed robbery with shots fired at the Gordmans in the 7000 block of west Central in Wichita.
Witnesses and employees told police an unknown suspect approached two employees working in the customer service area.
The suspect produced a black handgun, pointed it at the female clerk, demanded money and fired a shot. It did not hit her.
The suspect then pointed the handgun at the male clerk and demanded money. The suspect then fired a second shot grazing the shoulder of the male employee.
The suspect then fled the store on foot with cash and several rounds were fired in the parking lot.
photo Wichita police
Another suspect left the store with clothing, according to Hummell. Police are working to determine if the two were working together.
Police released security camera pictures of the suspect. He is described a light-skinned black male, in his early 20s, 6-foot tall and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, tan shorts, white cap and was carrying a red backpack. The second suspect is a black male who wore a yellow shirt, black shorts and had long hair pulled back in a pony-tail with a red streak.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Wichita Police Crimestoppers. Gordmans is offering an additional reward of $2500
Kenny Vink, left, and Terry Vink, owners of Office Products Inc., display a plaque commemorating OPI’s 30 years as a Canon authorized dealer. (Photo by Joey Bahr)
When Office Products Inc. (OPI) was recently recognized for its 30-year partnership with Canon USA Inc., Joey Bahr immediately was able to explain the reason for the longevity of “this amazing brand loyalty.”
As OPI technology sales manager, Bahr said “it all comes down to customer service by our local, family-owned business and by a national leader in the manufacture of reliable copiers. Canon provides great customer service to OPI and we pass this along to our clientele.
“Canon is the top of the line,” Bahr added. “Early on, OPI sold other brands but we eventually became a single-line dealer. Canon has proven to be the best machine out there.
“In addition, Canon should be commended for providing factory training at Dallas, as well as updates right here at OPI and online. A Canon instructor was here just the other day. There is a wealth of information they share on a regular basis.”
Canon copiers are multi-functional machines, with the capability to copy, print, scan and fax, as well as connect to the Internet. An especially attractive feature is the ability to automatically report
maintenance information, Bahr noted.
“This feature can be compared to the check-engine light in your car,” Bahr explained. “It then reports all service information, which helps the operator keep up-to-date.”
For example, a user might receive a signal that reports a paper jam; the Canon machine then records the event.
“We can access this and other background information to help us better troubleshoot and diagnose any problems,” the technology sales manager said.
“In the past, we could rely only on what the customer told us. And, of course, we still do that. But the machine’s history is a great tool to help us pinpoint the problem.”
Bahr also noted that Canon has one of the largest patent portfolios in the United States, “which demonstrates Canon’s commitment to research and development.”
Asger Hansen, Canon technical sales executive in the company’s regional office at Irving, Tx., said “we are proud to present OPI with a 30-year dealer award. OPI has a decades-long history of providing exemplary service to Canon customers in the central Kansas marketplace.”
Police on the scene of Thursday afternoon shooting in Wichita-photo courtesy KWCH
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have identified a possible suspect.
Just before 3:30p.m. Thursday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 300 Block of North Topeka in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
First responders found a 41-year-old man who had been shot multiple times. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Witnesses told investigators several suspects were assaulting a victim. An innocent bystander’s attempt to help led to an altercation and he was shot several times.
Four suspects left the scene in a gray 4-door sedan according to Davidson. Investigators have identified a possible suspect in the case.
The victim, who police believe is homeless, remains hospitalized with wounds to both arms and a leg.
The incident occurred in an area where police typically get complaints about homelessness, according to Davidson.
Tom Docking- photo courtesy Law offices of Morris Laing
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas Lt. Gov. Tom Docking’s law firm says the Wichita attorney and son and grandson of governors has died. He was 63.
Docking died Thursday night after battling cancer. His death was confirmed by A.J. Schwartz, the CEO of Docking’s law firm. Other details were not immediately available.
Docking served as lieutenant governor from 1983 to 1987 during Democratic Gov. John Carlin’s second term.
He was a member of the state’s most prominent Democratic family.
His father, Robert Docking, was governor from 1967 to 1975, and his grandfather, George Docking, held the office from 1957 to 1961. Tom Docking was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1986 but lost to Republican Mike Hayden.
His wife, Jill, ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1996 and lieutenant governor in 2014.
TOPEKA —The Kansas Supreme Court Friday affirmed a Saline County District Court judge’s order that Rayburn Tappendick Jr. be required to register as a sex offender under the Kansas Offender Registration Act, according to a media release from the court.
Tappendick pleaded no contest in 2011 to two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child for offenses committed in 2008. At the time of his plea, the Kansas Offender Registration Act required lifetime registration.
On appeal, Tappendick claimed the lifetime registration requirement violated the ex post facto clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits legislatures from retroactively punishing previously committed crimes, because at the time he committed the crimes, the Kansas Offender Registration Act required only a 10-year registration period. A Court of Appeals panel declined to consider Tappendick’s claim based on the general rule that a new legal theory may not be asserted for the first time on appeal. The panel noted Tappendick failed to show his claim invoked any of the exceptions to the general rule.
In his petition for review, Tappendick asked the Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals decision, asserting that the panel incorrectly ruled that he could not raise the ex post facto claim for the first time on appeal.
The Supreme Court opinion, written by Justice Dan Biles, noted Tappendick merely mentioned the exceptions to the general rule and argued without any explanation or authority that the new issue invoked the exceptions but made no effort to challenge the panel’s rationale for declining to address his claim. The court held Tappendick’s petition for review failed to challenge the panel’s decision not to consider his claim raised for the first time on appeal.
