LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas police say one of four carnival workers accused of dumping the bodies of a slain Kansas couple had ordered the killings while posing as a carnival mafia member.

Carnival workers Kimberly Younger, Michael Fowler, Rusty Frasier and Christine Tenney were charged this week in Crawford County Circuit Court. The charges include abuse of a corpse in the deaths of Alfred and Pauline Carpenter of Wichita.

Van Buren police say Younger posed as a carnival mafia member named “Frank Zaitchik” and texted others last month to kill the Carpenters on the Barton County fairgrounds in Great Bend where the couple were vendors.

Police say Fowler told investigators that the killings were initiation into the carnival mafia.

Younger, Fowler and Frasier are being held on $1 million bond. Tenney is being held on $250,000 bond. All have pleaded not guilty.

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USD 428 Superintendent Khris Thexton says principals at all the public schools gathered this week to discuss potential transfers within the district. Parents or guardians can make requests for a variety of reasons to have their children transferred to a different school within USD 428. Thexton says the staff was going through the process of determining which transfers to approve.

Families that move to a different location in town have the option of staying in their current school or the school they are moving closer to.

Khris Thexton Audio

Thexton added there were more than 30 requests for transfers to begin the 2018-2019 school year.

The general rule for USD 428 is if there is room in the requested class and school, then the district will allow the transfer. With that said, the district tries to keep the classes in the elementary schools as balanced as possible.

Golden Belt Humane Society announced it is participating in KSN’s fourth annual Clear the Shelters™ pet adoption drive on Saturday, August 18.  On this day, Golden Belt Humane Society will offer waived pet adoption fees to help local families adopt a new pet. Since 2015, NBC and Telemundo stations’ nationwide Clear the Shelters™ campaign has resulted in more than 150,000 pet adoptions.

“We are very excited to be participating in this event,” said Heather Acheson, Golden Belt Humane Society Director.  “This is the first time Golden Belt Humane Society will be included in an event like this and we look forward to all the happy tails, for both the humans and pets. Each year, the shelter takes in 1100-1600 animals per year and it is not always easy to get them all placed in a timely manner. We work to transfer to other shelters and rescues when length of stay becomes an issue. This platform of this capacity is such a breath of fresh air in placing everyone that is adoptable, we certainly appreciate everyone who has helped make this event possible.”

“The Kansas Humane Society in Wichita, Ks., reached out to ask us if we would partner/host this event. With out any hesitation, we agreed to take on the challenge. Since then, planning for this event has been extremely exciting as several folks have stepped up to volunteer, partner and sponsor with our expectations soaring. Without these kind-hearted and dedicated people in our community both near and far, we could not have made this happen on this scale.”

WHAT:            Golden Belt Humane Society to participate as an official Clear the Shelters™ partner with KSN.  On Saturday, August 18 Golden Belt Humane Society will waived pet adoption fees to help families adopt a new pet. Some restrictions will apply.

WHEN:            Saturday, August 18 from 10 AM to 2 PM.

WHERE:         151 S US Hwy 281 Great Bend, Ks 67530

INFO:              Visit CleartheShelters.com to access more information about Clear the Shelters™, including the full list of local participating animal shelters.

ADOPTION:   A real-time pet “Adoption Tracker” – posted on CleartheShelters.com – will

TRACKER      record the total number of pets that are adopted across all participating markets.

SOCIAL:         Use the hashtags #CleartheShelters and #DesocuparlosAlbergues to follow the effort on social media.

For more information about NBC and Telemundo stations’ pet adoption campaign, visit CleartheShelters.com. To access information in Spanish, please visit DesocuparlosAlbergues.com and follow #DesocuparlosAlbergues.

Clear the Shelters™ is an initiative spearheaded by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal. Clear the Shelters™ is sponsored nationally by Cat’s Pride and Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

About NAME OF SHELTER

The Golden Belt Humane Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to animal welfare that provides housing and medical care to unwanted and stray animals. Our mission includes the placement of these animals by adoption or by networking with rescues. Euthanasia is ONLY used for animals that are unadoptable for reasons of aggressions, sickness and injury.

Christopher Lee Trimble, 54 of Rozel, appeared in custody Wednesday afternoon before Pawnee County Magistrate Judge Julie Cowell. Judge Cowell advised the defendant that he faces a six-count complaint, to wit: Aggravated Violation of Offender Registration Act, Criminal Use of An Explosive, Possession of Methamphetamine, Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant on August 9, 2018 at Trimble’s home in Rozel, by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department was assisted by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas Fire Marshall and the Kansas Highway Patrol. Trimble was taken into custody at the scene without incident.

Trimble is being held in the Pawnee County Jail in lieu of $7,500 bond. In the event the defendant posts bond, the Court directed he report to Court Services with standard drug and alcohol conditions. A Preliminary Hearing has been scheduled for August 27, 2018.

BOOKED: Sandra Hickey of Great Bend for Great Bend Municipal Court case for battery DV, bond set in lieu of $1,000 C/S or 48-hour OR.

BOOKED: Juvenile of Great Bend on Barton County District Court case for battery and criminal restraint with no bond.

BOOKED: Jessica Carr of Great Bend on Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $5,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Jennifer Welcher of Hoisington on Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear with a bond set at $428 cash only.

BOOKED: Tyler Tomlinson on GBMC case for driving while suspended and no tail lamps, bond set at $500 C/S.

RELEASED: Amy Hartung of Great Bend on Sedgwick County District Court warrant for possession of narcotics, ID theft x2, obstruction x2, criminal use of a weapon, and theft, bond of $20,000 Kansas Parole Arrest and Detain paperwork also sent.

RELEASED: Joel Davis to Reno County Sheriff’s Department on their charges.

RELEASED: Juvenile of Great Bend on BCDC case for battery and criminal restraint after being released to Saint Francis.

RELEASED: Sandra Hickey of Great Bend for GBMC case for battery DV, posted bond through Ace Bail Bonding.

RELEASED: Gail Manley of Hoisington on BCDC warrant for contempt of court after time served.

RELEASED: Jessica Carr of Great Bend on BCDC warrant for failure to appear after posting a $5,000 surety bond through Dyn-O-Mite.

RELEASED: Judith Evans of Hoisington on BCDC case for possession of methamphetamine and possession of paraphernalia, posted bond through Dyn-O-Mite.

BUSINESS NEWS

Story by Micah Oelze

“What were you wearing?” is an art installation on display in the Barton County Court House lobby through Aug. 17 and at the Great Bend Library through Aug. 24. The show will continue its time in Great Bend at Barton Community College in the upper level of the Student Union September 7-24.

The show made its first debut in Great Bend last year thanks to the hard work of Tanya Day, the Outreach Program Coordinator at the Family Crisis Center of Great Bend and Title IX Coordinator Cheryl Brown at Barton Community College.

“What Were You Wearing?” originated from Rape Education Services by Peers Encouraging Conscious Thought (RESPECT) Program at the University of Arkansas in 2013. It was created by Jen Brockman and Dr. Mary Wyandt-Hiebert. The project was inspired by the poem “What I was wearing” by Dr. Mary Simmerling. Student-Survivors voluntarily contributed brief descriptions of what they were wearing when they experienced sexual violence. Outfits displayed in the installation are not the actual clothing worn by the survivors, but a visual representation of their stories.

“Most of these [outfits] are so ordinary,” Brown said. “One of the myths about sexual assault is that women are blamed for it because of what they were wearing when they were attacked. It is an attempt to shift the burden of blame from the accused to the victim. It is rapists who cause rape, not clothes. Even if you had the shortest, tightest dress in the world, that dress cannot consent.”

The goal is to respond to the phrase “she was asking for it” by showing viewers how normal and average the clothing these victims wore when they were raped. Another purpose is to dispel another myth: that only women can be raped. Men and children can be and are sexually assaulted every day. “What Were You Wearing?” will allow participants to reflect on the experiences of the survivors and the irrelevance of their outfits.

Brown is extremely thankful for all the help she had in bringing this event back to Barton County.

“We are glad to be able to bring this show back to Barton County. Some of the stories are new this year,” Brown said. “The original founders continue to gather actual stories from survivors here in Kansas and the Midwest. As you read the stories, you will notice almost all of rapes were committed by persons known to the survivors. Sometimes they are family members or family friends; others are acquaintances. This is borne out by national statistics that show 80-90 percent of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.”

The Family Crisis Center of Great Bend is a free confidential agency available to help survivors and victims through healing and moving forward. The Family Crisis Center is located across the street from the Barton County courthouse at 1924 Broadway Avenue, Great Bend. A 24-hour crisis line is also available at (866) 792-1885.

PAWNEE COUNTY — Two people were injured in an accident just after midnight Wednesday in Pawnee County.

A 2007 Chevy Malibu driven by Jordan Kramer, 19, Larned, was westbound on U.S. 56 one mile east of Larned.

The Chevy struck a 2000 Chevy Silverado pulling a camper that was disabled in the roadway from an earlier crash. The occupants of the Silverado had already exited the vehicle

Kramer and a passenger Brennan Behnke, 18, Larned, were transported to the hospital in Great Bend. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP

Teachers in Great Bend are getting ready for students to arrive on August 22, and are also staying busy with training and orientation. USD 428 hired 32 new teachers to the district for the 2018-2019 school year. New teacher orientation started last week and carried over into this week.

Director of Teaching & Learning Tricia Reiser says the district staff will participate in a development session Thursday to improve their teaching techniques.

Tricia Reiser Audio

All the teaching positions have been filled, making use of four long-term substitutes. The three school psychologist jobs remain open with no licensed applicants received.