OTTAWA COUNTY —A Kansas homicide victim’s Australian shepherd found in California where it had been adopted out by an animal shelter has been reunited with his Kansas family.

The dog, named Zeus, and a pickup truck were missing when a family member found Matthew Schoshke’s body at his rural home on Aug. 12.

The Ventura County California Animal Services Center shared more of the story on their social media page.

“Tragedy struck a Kansas family in early August when Jan and Gary Schoshke’s son, Matthew became the victim of a senseless homicide. The suspected killer presumably stole his truck, kidnapped his loyal companion, an Australian Shepherd named Zeus, and eventually made his way to California.

Law enforcement caught up with the suspect after he spent time in a Northern California hospital. Zeus, however, was not with him. The dog was found tethered to a tree near the train station in Ventura where the suspect left him before boarding a northbound train – leaving Zeus with no known connection to the victim or to the crime.

Following Matthew’s murder, the family began searching for Zeus. They subsequently created a Facebook page titled, Help the Matt Schoshke Family, to which an individual posted a picture of an Australian Shepherd taken at our Camarillo Animal Shelter suggesting that it might be the missing dog.

This person also thought that the dog had been adopted out of the shelter to another family. After speaking to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Ottawa Sheriff Department, we concluded that the dog that had been in our care was, in fact, Zeus!

Tara Diller, Director of Ventura County Animal Services, and Bryan Bray, VCAS Field Operations Supervisor, met with the family who adopted Zeus from VCAS and explained the horrific circumstances surrounding the dog.

They had no idea their new four-legged family member had suffered such a traumatic loss. After presenting them with documentation related to the case, the family agreed to release Zeus back into the shelter’s custody so the dog could be reunited with Matthew’s parents in Kansas.

Tara Diller made contact with the Schoshkes by phone. She said, “It was the most touching conversation! Matthew’s mother told me, ‘Getting Zeus back is almost like getting my son back!’”

Since his death, Matthew’s family has gone through an unbelievable ordeal. It is our hope that Zeus’ homecoming will not only bring some closure, but also provide them a piece of the love that was shared between the dog and his beloved master.”

Thirty-four-year-old Robert Colson, of Bucksport, Maine, is charged with second-degree intentional murder in the killing. He was arrested about two weeks after the killing in Martinez, California. He had been injured while trying to escape from an Amtrak train after a person was stabbed.

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and school district officials are investigating the cause of a fire Wednesday morning at a Salina Middle School.

Students and faculty at Lakewood Middle School, 1135 East Lakewood Blvd, evacuated the building at approximately 9 a.m. for the fire alarm, according to Jennifer Bradford-Vernon, USD 305 public information director.

“The alarm was due to smoke from a small fire started in a bathroom that was quickly extinguished,” she said.

Students and faculty waited outdoors for about an hour as crews extinguished the fire and aired out the building. There were no injuries and no significant damage to the building was reported.

The rest of the school day will resume as scheduled as investigators determined that the fire was not electrical or caused by anything defective in the building.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors are appealing a judge’s decision to throw out a firearms charge against a man accused of plotting to attack Somali immigrants in a meatpacking town in western Kansas.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren in August dismissed a firearms charge against Curtis Allen along with evidence upon which that charge is based.

The government appealed that ruling Tuesday. Prosecutors contend that the evidence is substantial proof of a material fact in the case.

Allen and co-defendants Patrick Stein and Gavin Wright still face charges of conspiring to detonate truck bombs at an apartment complex in Garden City where Somali immigrants live. All three have pleaded not guilty.

The U.S. attorney’s office said Wednesday that prosecutors do not expect the appeal to delay the Feb. 20 trial.

NEW YORK (AP) — Target says it is recalling nearly 180,000 dressers because they can tip over and pose a risk to children.

The Minneapolis retailer said Wednesday that it has received 12 reports of its Room Essentials four-drawer dressers falling over or collapsing. Two 3-year-old children were struck by a dresser, but no injuries have been reported.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says customers should stop using the $118 dresser immediately and return it to any Target store for a full refund.

About 175,000 of the dressers were sold in the U.S., and 3,000 were sold in Canada.

The dressers, which were sold at Target Corp. stores and Target.com between January 2013 and April 2016, came in three colors: black, espresso and maple.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a carjacking and have made an arrest.

Just before 9p.m. Tuesday, police responded to 2024 SE California in Topeka, according to a media release.

A woman traveling on Interstate 70 stopped at the Phillips 66 convenience store when she noticed a tire on her Dodge Caravan needed air. As she was near the store, three suspects approached, held her at gunpoint and drove away in the vehicle.

Officials broadcast a description of the vehicle.  A Kansas Highway Patrol officer saw the van traveling on 6^th Street near Croco Road.  During the pursuit, the suspects made it to the west side of Lawrence before they were detained.  Two of the suspects are juveniles and are being held for Aggravated Robbery in the Shawnee County Juvenile Detention Center. Police

continue searching for other suspects.

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SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a carjacking.

Just before 9p.m. Tuesday, police responded to 2024 SE California in Topeka, according to a media release.

A woman traveling on Interstate 70 stopped at the Phillips 66 convenience store when she noticed a tire on her Dodge Caravan needed air. As she was near the store, three suspects approached, held her at gunpoint and drove away in the vehicle.

Officials broadcast a description of the vehicle.  A Kansas Highway Patrol officer saw the van traveling on 6^th Street near Croco Road.  During the pursuit, the suspects made it to the west side of Lawrence before they were detained.

Police did not release names of the suspects or possible charges they face.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A registered sex offender from Kansas has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for taking a 16-year-old from Virginia across state lines for sex.

Federal prosecutors say 21-year-old Logan Viquesney, of Kansas City, Kansas, was sentenced Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of a minor for sexual activity.

In his plea, Viquesney admitted that he communicated with the girl on the internet while she was staying with her grandparents in Virginia.

The girl was reported missing from her grandparents’ home in May 2016. Investigators learned that Viquesney drove to Virginia and picked up the girl. He took her to Maryland, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas and had sex with her on the trip.

He was arrested when he and the girl arrived in Kansas City, Kansas.

LYON COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and have identified the teen victim.

Just before 10p.m. September 6, deputies responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle that had been on fire at Road 160 and Road T in rural Lyon County. When deputies arrived, they located a body inside the vehicle, according to a media release.

The investigation revealed this death to be ruled as a homicide and the victim has been identified as Jesus Avila-Galvin Jr, 19, of Emporia.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is seeking any and all information related to this homicide and we are currently asking anyone with information to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 620-341-3205.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Scene Response Team, Investigators with the KBI, the Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office, the Emporia Fire Department, the Emporia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms as well as the Lyon County Coroner, Dr. Erik Mitchell assisted with the investigation.

By Rocky Robinson

SALINE COUNTY —A video published to Facebook of a Saline County traffic stop has racked up nearly 7 million views in a little over a week.

The video shows a man, 25-year-old Jonathan Devan Ayers, of Colorado Springs, refusing to submit identification to a Saline County Sheriff’s deputy. The video, which is a little over 20 minutes long, ends with the deputy and a Salina Police Officer breaking out a car window to arrest Ayers and a female driver.

The stop occurred on Sept. 2 on Interstate 70 in Salina.

Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said that the initial traffic stop was for failure to maintain a lane. When the deputy approached the passenger side of the vehicle to ask for identification, Ayers refused, saying “you are pulling us over without a crime.”

Sheriff Soldan said that it is common for officers to approach the passenger side of the vehicle while on the interstate, for safety reasons, and the deputy was initially asking for the driver’s information.

Through a small opening in the window, Ayers continued, adding “we are travelers, we don’t need identification.”

By talking over the deputy and not letting him communicate with the driver, Sheriff Soldan said that Ayers was obstructing the deputy from completing the traffic stop.

According to Kansas Statute 21-5904, interference with law enforcement is (2) “concealing, destroying or materially altering evidence with the intent to prevent or hinder the apprehension or prosecution of any person.”

The driver is also required to produce a license according to Kansas Statute 22-2402: “Stopping of suspect. (1) Without making an arrest, a law enforcement officer may stop any person in a public place whom such officer reasonably suspects is committing, has committed or is about to commit a crime and may demand of the name, address of such suspect and an explanation of such suspect’s actions.”

At around the three minute mark, Ayers and the driver, later identified as Tia Lashawn Jones, of Colorado Springs, began praying, repeating “flee from this car right now demon.”

The deputy called for backup as the couple continued praying inside the car for over 14 minutes. At one point, the deputy again knocks on the window, saying “sir, please, provide me with a driver’s license.”

At around the 20 minute mark, a Salina Police Officer can be seen near the front of the vehicle, pointing a weapon at Ayers. The Officer bangs on the hood of the car once before the deputy breaks out the window.

Salina Police say the officer was wielding a ARWEN, less lethal weapon.

Ayers and Jones began to scream as they were placed in custody.

Sheriff Soldan said that Jones was operating the vehicle with a suspended license. She is also facing interference with law enforcement and misdemeanor obstruction charges. Ayers was arrested for interference with law enforcement and obstruction.

Whenever force is used, the case goes through an internal review, according to Sheriff Soldan. “The actions they took were very appropriate,” Soldan said.

The video was picked up by “The People’s Content” Facebook page, posted with the title “Who Is In The Right And Who Is In The Wrong?” on Sept. 3.

According to the page administrator, they received the video from a third party source and did not have any information on the people involved. Since it was posted, it has been viewed 6.9 million times, shared over 63,000 times and has over 25,000 comments.

 

 

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teen suspect on alleged kidnapping charges.

Just after 2p.m. Monday, a 17-year-old woman was having a conversation with Chasin Arroyo in a vehicle parked in the 2500 block of Simmons Street, according to Police Captain Paul Forrester.
When Arroyo wouldn’t leave her vehicle, the woman got out of the car to open his door.

While the woman was out of the car, Arroyo got out and picked her up and carried the woman to a fenced-in-yard, where he tripped.
The confrontation continued into the garage, where Arroyo allegedly blocked the exit, not letting the woman leave.

An unknown party called in the disturbance. A KHP Trooper was first on the scene, walking in on Arroyo holding the victim from behind.

Capt. Forrester said that the woman got into the house after hitting Arroyo with a piece of ceramic art as he continued to block the exit. The object broke, leaving a laceration on Arroyo’s shoulder.

Arroyo was transported to the hospital before being taken into custody. He was booked into the Saline County Jail for battery, criminal restraint and kidnapping.