BOOKED: Martin Pedroza-Ramirez of Liberal on BTDC case for driving without a license and defective tail lamp, bond is set at $1,000 C/S.
BOOKED: Zachariah Dittrick of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear, no bond.
BOOKED: Ralph Tuey Jr. of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrant for theft and criminal damage to property with bond set at $2,500 C/S.
BOOKED: Angelo Palermo of Hoisington on Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear with no bond. BCDC warrant for failure to appear with bond set at $2,500 C/S.
BOOKED: Nicholas R. Hixson for Barton County District Court case for disorderly conduct with $500 C/S.
BOOKED: Maria Delacruz-Sanchez of Great Bend on a Barton County District Court warrant for probation violation, bond set at $1,480.
RELEASED: Nicholas R. Hixson for BCDC case for disorderly conduct after posting a $500 surety bond through Ace Bail Bonding.
RELEASED: Martin Pedroza-Ramirez of Liberal on BTDC case for driving without a license and defective tail lamp after posting a $1,000 cash bond.
SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a rape suspect on additional child sex charges.
Just before 9p.m. Wednesday, police arrested Caleb Gaston, 21, after the Wichita/Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Child Unit (EMCU) detectives identified a three-year-old girl as the victim in a child sex crime that occurred at the Downtown YMCA, 402 N. Market Street in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
He was arrested in the 1400 Block of east Cresthill in Derby and booked into the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility on one count of Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child.
Gaston was arrested last week in a separate alleged child sex abuse case involving a four-year-old girl. On Tuesday, he was released on bail.
The latest case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, according to Davidson.
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SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a rape suspect on additional charges.
Caleb Gaston charged with the rape of a 4-year-old girl while working at the Downtown Wichita YMCA bonded out of jail earlier this week. He is back in jail.
Police have not released additional details on Wednesday’s arrest.
The Greater Wichita YMCA did report they will begin daily sex offender registry checks. Prior to working for the YMCA, Gaston was fired from a church preschool last year after a complaint about inappropriate touching. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment concluded the allegation was not substantiated.
When Sheryl Cheely talked with Golden Belt Community Foundation (GBCF) officials recently, “a light bulb came on.” That flash of inspiration has led to a change in a local memorial scholarship in honor of Cheely’s husband, Ray A. Cheely. The scholarship, which was established in 2009, was available for business/accounting students. Now it is geared to vocational-technical careers.
“As a certified public accountant, Ray had many clients with vo-tech educations,” said Cheely, Great Bend. “He took great pride in seeing his clients succeed; he loved small-business entrepreneurs.
“Ray would absolutely support this change because vo-tech careers are vital to our community,” Cheely noted. “He would be pleased to help those who are interested in pursuing these professions.”
Vo-tech education programs offer certifications for professionals such as electricians, plumbers, mechanics, welders, machinists, truck drivers, and heating and air-conditioning specialists.
“All of us need this type of expertise available locally,” said Cheely, who is a former GBCF board member. “If your electricity goes out or you are facing a plumbing problem, you want to call a local expert.”
An applicant for the Ray A. Cheely Vocational Scholarship must be a Barton County high school graduate, or a Barton County resident for at least two years with plans to stay in the area after completing program requirements.
In addition, the applicant must attend an accredited vocational/trade school to pursue a certificate program. (This doesn’t include continuing education or re-certification.) Preference will be given to programs that encourage local entrepreneurship; could result in a better-paying local job; and/or that fill a gap in the community.
Anyone with a GED, high school diploma or an under-graduate college degree is eligible to apply from April 1 to June 1. The application form is on the Foundation’s website: www.goldenbeltcf.org.
Sue Cooper, GBCF program officer, noted the board of directors recently voted to amend the scholarship’s purpose after analysis of scholarship funds and recipients, as well as career interests and trends.
“The board determined there was a gap in funding for vo-tech students,” Cooper explained. “The Foundation did not have any scholarships solely designed for these important programs. However, there are other scholarships available for business/accounting majors.”
Last year, approximately 2 percent of scholarship applicants were majoring in accounting, with another 5 percent in business.
“When the board considered all these factors in its thorough review and during many discussions, it became apparent this change would be a great fit for our community,” Cooper said. “And, most important, Sheryl strongly supports the change.”
Ray Cheely was a 1971 Great Bend High School graduate. He attended Barton Community College, earned an accounting degree in 1975 from Fort Hays State University and became a CPA. His Great Bend business, Ray A. Cheely Chartered, specialized in small business accounting and consulting, and personal accounting and tax returns. He passed away in 2009.
Great Bend High School’s Aron Clark will play his college football at Emporia State. Clark made it official yesterday by signing a national letter of intent with the Hornets from the MIAA.
The 6-5 320 pound offensive tackle is coming of a tremendous career at Great Bend High School. The past year he was named All-State Honorable Mention by the Wichita Eagle and Topeka Capital Journal and was named an all-state offensive lineman by the Kansas Football Coaches Association. He is also a Two-Time All-Western Athletic Conference all league selection.
Emporia State Head Coach Garin Higgins says he is excited to have Clark in the Hornet program. “Aaron is an exciting in-state addition to this class of offensive lineman. We watched him compete in multiple camps, and became more and more impressed each time we saw him perform. Aaron brings true leadership qualities to ESU on the field and in the classroom. We are looking forward to a great future with Aaron at the offensive tackle position.”
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue their search for a suspect who fled on foot from a US Marshal’s service unit Wednesday.
Just after 12:30 p.m., authorities were serving a warrant at a home in Topeka for 24-year-old Tommy Sherrill, Jr., in connection with a parole violation. He fled the home on foot.
The Shawnee County sheriff’s office assisted the US Marshals Service in an attempt to locate Sherrill, according to Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer. Two schools in the area were notified of the search and placed on alert.
A Kansas Highway Patrol aircraft and K-9 units were used in the search, according to the Marshal’s service.
Sherrill has six previous convictions for theft, aggravated burglary, flee/attempt to elude and obstruction, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Shawnee County officials had no updated on the search early Thursday.
MANHATTAN— Kansas State University Associate head football coach Sean Snyder has reached out to the community and others to say thank you following the death of his son Matthew.
On social media Wednesday night, Snyder said, “Wanda and I want to share our deepest thanks for the love, thoughts and prayers that so many of you have shared with our family.”
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Dean Wade scored 16 points and Kansas State rallied late in the second half to beat Texas 67-64 and earn a tough road win the in the Big 12 on Wednesday night.
Wade went to the free throw line with 3 seconds left and made one, but missed the second that would have given the Wildcats a four-point cushion. Texas’s last shot to tie was an off-balance, stumbling 3-pointer by Kerwin Roach II that didn’t get anywhere close to the basket.
The Wildcats (17-7, 6-5) trailed 54-52 before taking the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Cartier Diarra, who followed it with a steal and a layup for a 57-54 lead Kansas State never relinquished.
Texas (15-9, 5-6) got within 66-64 on a 3-pointer by Eric Davis with 44 seconds left. The Longhorns had a chance to tie but Matt Coleman turned it over on a desperate drive to the basket with 3 seconds left on a play that sent Wade to the free throw line.
Mo Bamba had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Longhorns, but scored just three points in the second half and only took four shots after halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas State: The Wildcats shook off some of their offensive struggles of late. Their 14 field goals in the first half matched their total for the game in a blowout loss at West Virginia over the weekend. Wade was fearless in the middle against Bamba, who is one of the country’s premiere shot blockers. The Wildcats had five players score in double figures.
Texas: Texas dropped a key home loss after a stretch of games that saw the Longhorns start to build a solid postseason resume. Texas lacked the offensive punch it usually gets from Dylane Osetkowski and Roach, two of their most dependable scorers. Both were scoreless in the first half. Osetkowski finished with 8 points and Roach was 2 of 10 shooting.
UP NEXT
Kansas State hosts No. 7 Texas Tech
Texas plays at TCU on Saturday in a rematch of a double-overtime game Texas won when the Horned Frogs missed a layup at the buzzer.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) – Freshman guard Zhaire Smith scored a career-high 21 points and No. 7 Texas Tech beat Iowa State 76-58 for its fifth straight win. The Red Raiders are the first Big 12 team to reach 20 wins overall, and they are tied with No. 10 Kansas atop the conference standings. After Iowa State scored seven straight points in a 77-second span to get within one after halftime, Smith had a steal that led to his alley-oop dunk. Jarret Culver added 16 points and Keenan Evans 15.
(AP) – Tom Herman and the Texas Longhorns have one of the top signing classes in the nation, not just in the best in the Big 12. After a winning record on the field in Herman’s first season, the Longhorns also made significant strides with the coach’s second recruiting class. Eight more players signed on Wednesday to bolster what was already a strong class with the 19 players added during the early signing period in December.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The new coaches in the Southeastern Conference got their first opportunity to compete with one another over the last two months on the recruiting trail. All had to navigate the new recruiting calendar and none brought in top 10 classes. Six SEC teams have new coaches this year, including former Mississippi interim coach Matt Luke.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Signing day marked the end of the two-month whirlwind for new Nebraska coach Scott Frost and his assistants. The staff coached Central Florida to a bowl win over Auburn and simultaneously assembled a top-25 recruiting class with the Cornhuskers. Frost said the effort of his staff was unprecedented in college football.
CHICAGO (AP) – Marcus Foster scored 29 points, including a step-back 3-pointer that swished through with the winning points as Creighton battled past DePaul 76-75. The Big East battle went through 12 lead changes and six ties and neither team led by more than six after halftime. Foster was 5 of 8 from behind the 3-point arc and Khyri Thomas added 18 points. Creighton is alone in third place in the Big East.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Dean Wade scored 16 points and Kansas State rallied late in the second half to beat Texas 67-64 and earn a tough road win the in the Big 12. Wade went to the free throw line with 3 seconds left and made one but missed the second that would have given the Wildcats a four-point cushion. Texas’s last shot to tie was an off-balance, stumbling 3-pointer by Kerwin Roach II that didn’t get anywhere close to the basket. Mo Bamba led Texas with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
SAINT BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (AP) – Jaylen Adams set career highs with 44 points and a school-record 10 3-pointers and St. Bonaventure beat Saint Louis 79-56 to with its fifth straight. Adams shot 10 of 14 from 3 in scoring his second 40-point game in as many games, a feat last accomplished at St. Bonaventure by Bob Lanier in 1969 and Tom Stith in 1959.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) – Wyatt Lohaus scored a career-best 25 points and Northern Iowa snapped a three-game skid, beating Bradley 74-65. Lohaus was 7 of 11 from the field including six 3-pointers for the Panthers. Klint Carlson added 12 points and led with nine rebounds. Bennett Koch had 11 points and seven rebounds.
First responders on the scene of Wednesday fire-photo courtesy WIBW TV
MERIDEN, Kan. (AP) — The owner of a Topeka-area auto body and restoration shop says it was “brutal” watching his business burn, knowing that six classic cars inside the building were destroyed.
High Torque Racing Auto Body and Paint in Meriden was destroyed in the fire early Wednesday.
The company owner, Mike Garrison, said the fire destroyed a 1967 Buick GS-400 convertible, one of only 421 ever built. Other cars included a ’69 Camaro convertible Restomod, a 1957 Chevy and a 1972 convertible.
Garrison says he hopes his insurance is enough to cover a claim that could reach $1 million. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
BOOKED: Martin Pedroza-Ramirez of Liberal on BTDC case for driving without a license and defective tail lamp, bond is set at $1,000 C/S.
