RENO COUNTY— A Kansas woman has been formally charged with three counts of animal cruelty.
Following an investigation, police arrested her September 13, and took the dogs after reports indicated she hit them.
Cheyenne Rippy, 19, Pretty Prairie, is accused in one of the charges with failing to provide food, water, protection from the elements and opportunity to exercise or other care for the well-being of several dogs in her care.
The final two counts accuse her of causing injury to her dogs.
One of the charges, according to the state, occurred on Aug. 31, while the other two occurred between Sept. 1 and Sept. 13.
Rippy is free on bond and entered not guilty pleas to the three misdemeanor counts. She was assigned an attorney and she’ll be back in court on Oct. 5.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue their investigating of the Tuesday afternoon shooting of an employee the Kansas Department of Revenue office in Wichita.
Officer Charley Davidson confirmed Wednesday morning that the suspect Ricky Wirths, 51, Wichita, is being held for attempted first-degree murder.
Just after 2:30p.m. Tuesday police responded to report of a shooting at the Department of Revenue Taxation office near the intersection of 21st Street and Amidon in Wichita, according to Davidson. Officers found a 35-year-old employee of the office with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Davidson reported Wednesday that the victim is improving and in stable condition.
On Tuesday morning, the Department of Revenue and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s office had been at a home in the 900 Block of West 31st Street North following up on a Department of Revenue investigation. The shooting victim has been part of this investigation, according to Davidson. Tax records indicate Wirths has two tax warrants totaling almost $400,000 related to his construction business, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue.
At 2:30p.m. Tuesday, Ricky Wirths, the individual who is the object of the Department of Revenue investigation, walked into the Department of Revenue office and asked for the victim by name. The victim came to the front of the business to meet with Wirths. As they discussed the investigation, Wirths pulled a handgun and shot the victim multiple times, according to Davidson.
The victim fled back into the office area and the suspect fled in a pickup truck. Officers found the suspect and arrested him without incident near the intersection of 31st North and Arkansas. Police have interviewed multiple witnesses to the crime and have recovered a gun.
Wirths is being held without bond, according to the Sedgwick County Jail booking report.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a man under investigation by the Kansas Department of Revenue is suspected in a shooting that critically injured an employee at the agency’s Wichita office.
Wichita Police spokesman Charley Davidson told reporters that a 35-year-old employee was shot multiple times Tuesday before the gunman fled the scene. The suspect was arrested about a half hour later and is in custody.
Davidson says there was a Revenue Department investigation involving the suspect earlier in the day, but he did not have details.
Police were called at about 2:40 p.m. to the shopping center where the office is located.
The investigation is ongoing. No names or other details were immediately released.
Gov. Sam Brownback released a statement asking for prayers for the victim. The statement also said the office where the shooting occurred will be closed the rest of the week.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a man under investigation by the Kansas Department of Revenue is suspected in a shooting that critically injured an employee at the agency’s Wichita office.
Wichita Police spokesman Charley Davidson told reporters that a 35-year-old employee was shot multiple times Tuesday before the gunman fled the scene. The suspect was arrested about a half hour later and is in custody.
Davidson says there was a Revenue Department investigation involving the suspect earlier in the day, but he did not have details of its nature.
Police were called at about 2:40 p.m. to the shopping center where the office is located.
The investigation is ongoing. No names or other details were immediately released.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City school officials say a student was critically injured when a parent and her child came into a school and began beating the student.
The fight happened Tuesday inside Ruskin High School.
Police said the parent assaulted the other student during the fight. No weapons were involved.
Off-duty officers and school security were able to break up that fight.
Ruskin High School is in the Hickman Mills C-1 School District.
FAIRVIEW, Okla. (AP) — Federal marshals say the last of two inmates who overpowered guards, stole a prison transport van and escaped from northwest Oklahoma last month has been apprehended in Missouri.
The U.S. Marshals Service says authorities apprehended 37-year-old Darren Walp Wednesday at a truck stop in Norwood, Missouri, after a standoff that lasted several hours.
The second inmate, 32-year-old Andrew Foy, was apprehended on Friday at a hotel in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.
The inmates escaped near Fairview, Oklahoma, on Aug. 22 during a multi-state inmate transfer by a private transportation company. The van was later found abandoned and the men were last seen on Aug. 24 driving a stolen tractor-trailer rig in northeastern Oklahoma.
Authorities said they were taking Walp to Kansas to face charges for nonviolent offenses.
Police on the scene of Wednesday domestic violence attack and stolen vehicle- photo courtesy WIBW TV
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a report of domestic violence and a stolen vehicle.
Just before 5 a.m. Wednesday, police were flagged down in the 1300 Block SW 37th Street in Topeka by a victim who reported being battered by her husband who then left the area, according to a media release.
The victim went by private vehicle to a local hospital where she was treated and released for minor injuries.
A report of a stolen vehicle, a silver Ford, was reported at the same time from the same apartment complex area. The victim of the stolen vehicle advised the alleged person was the same as the man reportedly involved in the report of domestic violence.
At 5:15 a.m., a vehicle fitting the description initiated a vehicle pursuit with Capital Area Police in the 1200 Bock SW Boswell but the vehicle was lost soon after.
Just before 6 a.m., the police were notified of an injury accident in the 2800 Block South Kansas Avenue in Topeka involving two vehicles, one rolled over into a ditch.
The rolled over vehicle was identified as being the stolen silver Ford. The Topeka Fire Department arrived and extricated the driver of the Ford who was then transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
JACKSON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on child porn charges.
Following an investigation, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Chaz Aaron Zibell, 19, Holton, on a 7 count District Court Warrant.
He is charged with 6 counts of sexual exploitation of a child and 1 count of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child.
The complaint alleges between July 2015 and November 2015 that Zibell possessed child pornography and solicited a child for child pornography pictures. The alleged victims in the case are reported to be all minors.
SEWARD COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with forgery.
Just after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, police served a search warrant at a residence in the 900 block of East Second Street in Liberal, according to a Captain Patrick McClurg.
The search warrant was obtained in furtherance of an ongoing counterfeiting investigation. Investigators seized a number of counterfeit bills as well as equipment used to make the counterfeit bills.
Investigators arrested a 23 year old man and a 21 year old man without incident. They were booked into the Seward County Jail on forgery charges. Affidavits will be submitted to the Seward County Attorney’s Office seeking formal charges.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka man faces a sentence of up to 20.5 years in prison after he was found guilty in the stabbing death of another man.
A Shawnee County jury on Monday convicted Caleb John Kanatzar of voluntary manslaughter in the death of 24-year-old Terrin Holloway. Holloway’s body was found in December 2015 in a car stopped in the middle of a street in Topeka.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Kanatzar testified last week that he stabbed Holloway in self-defense because he thought Holloway had a gun.
Kanatzar said before the stabbing, he heard that Holloway fired shots during a drive-by shooting that wounded Kanatzar’s cousin. The shooting apparently was over the theft of Holloway’s lawn mower.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has suspended a Missouri doctor’s medical license for 90 days for failing to preserve a fetal tissue sample from a 13-year-old girl’s abortion.
The State Board of Healing Arts concluded that Dr. Allen S. Palmer violated a Kansas law during the December 2014 abortion. Palmer was working as a contractor for Planned Parenthood’s clinic in Overland Park. He no longer provides services there.
Kansas requires doctors to preserve fetal tissue when abortion patients are under 14 to be forwarded to authorities.
Palmer says he didn’t know the girl’s age and blamed Planned Parenthood staff. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a message Tuesday seeking comment.
The board’s order last week said the suspension runs through Dec. 7. It affects Palmer’s ability to practice medicine in Kansas, but not elsewhere.
Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Phyllis Gilmore-
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State contractors are acknowledging that dozens of foster children in Kansas have stayed in their offices overnight in the past year because places for them can’t be found.
Contractors KVC Kansas and Saint Francis Community Services told a state task force Tuesday that more than 100 abused and neglected children stayed overnight in offices from September 2016 through the end of June. Most overnight stays were this year.
The contractors said it’s the first time that they’ve kept foster children overnight in offices.
Children stay in offices overnight when they are removed from their families but contractors cannot immediately find foster homes.
Secretary Phyllis Gilmore said the state Department for Children and Families is working to increase the number of foster care homes available for children.
