Barton County Sheriff’s Office Incident Log (8/2)

Non-Injury Accident

At 9:48 a.m. a single vehicle accident with a deer was reported at NW 220 Road & NW 130 Avenue.

Warrant Arrest

At 12:38 p.m. Rodrigo Castro was arrested at 1615 Morphy Street on a Rice County District warrant.

Non-Injury Accident

At 3:36 p.m. an accident was reported at NW 40 Road & NW 10 Avenue.

Fire

At 6:03 p.m. a fire was reported at SE 60 Road & SE 60 Avenue.

Non-Injury Accident

At 6:37 p.m. an accident was reported at W. K-4 Highway & NW 90 Avenue.

Great Bend Police Department Incident Log (8/2)

Warrant Arrest

At 7:26 a.m. an officer arrested Jeremy McFann at 1910 Madison for a warrant.

Theft

At 1:55 p.m. theft of a Glock 26 from a vehicle was reported at 2701 Jackson Street. Firearm was entered into NCIC.

Warrant Arrest

At 3:20 p.m. an officer arrested Brianna Lamb at 1408 Kansas Avenue.

Burglary / In Progress

At 4:57 p.m. a report of a subject breaking into the residences at 1106 Baker Avenue was made.

Non-Injury Accident

At 5:09 p.m. an accident was reported at 1811 Main Street.

Theft

At 5:28 p.m. Dillons, 1811 Main Street, reported a David Mickle stealing. NTA signed.

At 6:01 p.m. Dillons, 1811 Main Street, reported a juvenile case.

Burglary / Not in Progress

At 8:09 p.m. theft of power tools from a garage at 2516 8th Street was reported.

Non-Injury Accident

At 8:24 p.m. an accident was reported at 2601 10th Street.

Diabetic Problems

At 10:05 p.m. EMS assistance was needed at 3307 10th Street.

BOOKED: William Ellington of Great Bend on Great Bend Municipal Court warrant for contempt of court with bond set at $1,420.00 or 90 days in jail. GBMC warrant with bond set at $770.00 or 90 days in jail. GBMC warrant with a bond set at $670.00 or 30 days in jail.

BOOKED: Michael E.H. Clark on Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear with a bond set at $200.00 cash only or 48-hour OR bond.

BOOKED: Jeremy McFann of Great Bend on Great Bend Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $1,000.00 C/S. GBMC case for battery LEO, obstruction, bond set at $1,000.00 C/S. BCDC warrant for failure to appear, no bond. Ford County District Court warrant for probation violation, no bond.

BOOKED: Brandon Dannebohm of Great Bend on BTDC case for hold for court, no bond.

BOOKED: Briana Lamb of Hoisington for GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond set in lieu of $877.21 cash or 30 days. GBMC warrant for contempt of court, bond set in lieu of $867.00 cash or 19 days. Rush County District Court warrant, bond set in lieu of $7,500.00 C/S.

BOOKED: Kelli Kaler of Hoisington for Comanche County District Court warrant for contempt of court, bond set in lieu of $570.00 cash.

RELEASED: Michael E.H. Clark of Claflin on Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear after posting a $200.00 cash bond.

RELEASED: Rodrigo Castro of Great Bend on a Rice County District Court warrant for failure to appear after posting a $1,000.00 surety bond through A-1 Bail Bonds.

RELEASED: Tyler Marvin of Hoisington received a $300.00 OR bond after being held 48 hours on Barton County District Court case for failure to appear.

RELEASED: Candy Mickle on Barton County case with a serve sentence.

RELEASED: Kelli Kaler of Hoisington for Comanche County District Court warrant for contempt of court with $570.00 cash bond.

RELEASED: Garret Mallow of Great Bend for BTDC case for aggravated assault x2, criminal threat x2, criminal damage to property after posting a bond of $5,000.00 through TNT.

Making room for the fall harvest is always on the mind this time of the year for the folks at the Great Bend Co-op Association, but the way the 2017 conditions have been going they might have to make room faster.

Seed Manager Jeff Mauler says consistent hot temperatures the Barton County area received two weeks ago has caused the grain crops to mature quickly. The heat and lack of moisture has made a big impact on the corn.

Jeff Mauler Audio

Mauler says on the corn side of grains he encourages farmers to be on the lookout for spider mites. Most producers have been spraying for the mites the last couple of weeks, but southern rust is another issue that farmers face.

Mauler says the southern rust exposure is not nearly as high as last year, but it is starting to reappear.

Jeff Mauler Audio 

Grain futures were higher Wednesday in early trading on the Chicago Board of Trade. September corn was up 4.40 cents at $3.67 a bushel while wheat for September delivery was higher at $4.654 a bushel.

The agenda for the Great Bend City Council meeting on Monday, August 7 was emailed to the Eagle Media Center Wednesday afternoon. While there is no mention of a hearing for Great Bend Police Chief Cliff Couch, there is a document for the request of proposals for a Police Department compensation and management study.

The request describes the scope of work and requirements for qualified consulting firms to conduct the studies. “The study shall analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of the police, procedures, management, and operations of the Great Bend Police Department to respond to issues…”

Couch still awaits a date and time for his hearing regarding his suspension with pay with potential for termination that was handed down at the special meeting on July 24. The notice for Couch’s suspension stated Couch made “false or reckless” accusations against city administration along with other reasons that went against the employee handbook. The City was informed that Couch is now represented by a different attorney. The attorney requested additional time to prepare for the hearing and now the hearing will be pushed back until later in August.

The compensation and management study does not outline the issues Couch presented before the city council regarding possible misconduct and unethical procedures by city administration. Instead, the studies focus primarily on the Police Department itself.

The notice for the study goes on to state, “Consultant will review the number, type and purposes of the department’s various organizational components and interrelationships that exist between them…The city is particularly interested in police strategies to stem drug related crime, as well as strategies for dealing with concentrated crime areas.”

The study which was approved at a special meeting on June 29, asks the consultant to study wage structure, compare and contrast the department’s recruitment and retention efforts with other Kansas law enforcement agencies.

The written proposals are asked to be filed to Great Bend City Attorney Bob Suelter by no later than 4 p.m. on August 21, 2017.

While the city council agendas typically have an item line for recognition of visitors and announcements towards the beginning, the August 7 agenda provides additional text. “An opportunity will be given for those wishing to address the governing body at this time subject to guidelines announced at the meeting.”

The meeting is scheduled for its regular time of 7:30 p.m., but has been moved to the Great Bend Events Center, 3111 10th Street.

Chief Couch, hired in 2015, addressed officer shortage and compensation discrepancies at the city council meeting on June 5. At the same meeting, Couch mentioned he was told to keep quiet about the struggles at the Police Department and was chastised by City Administrator Howard Partington when he tried to make the issues public. Following multiple executive sessions the next seven weeks discussing the issues with each side hiring outside attorneys, the city council voted 5-3 to suspend Couch. Couch submitted his notice for a hearing and a chance for a rebuttal to the council’s decision.