RENO COUNTY — A Kansas who managed to get his conviction and 72-year sentence overturned for two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy and rape will go to trial. 

James Rodney Quinton, 44, Hutchinson, had filed a habeas corpus motion in a sexual assault case that was denied at the District Court level, but reversed by the Kansas Court of Appeals.

Quinton was convicted in 2003 of sexually assaulting a young woman at a Reno County residence. She was able to escape through a window when he fell asleep. She called the police after walking to a closed convenience store in the middle of the night and was treated at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for injuries inflicted during the attack.

In court Friday, his attorney Shannon Crane was taken off the case after plea negotiations broke down. Judge Trish Rose agreed to grant Quinton a new attorney, which means an even longer delay in the case.

He was sentenced to 72 years in prison by the late District Judge Richard Rome. Quinton was represented by the Public Defender Tim O’Keefe and claimed ineffective counsel in his appeal.

District Attorney Keith Schroeder wanted to get the defendant to enter a plea so the victim wouldn’t have to testify. Barring any changes, however, that won’t be an option and the case will go to trial.  Quinton has previous conviction for Robbery and Theft in 1994.

SUMNER COUNTY — A small earthquake shook Kansas Sunday morning. The quake measured a magnitude 2.9 and was centered approximately 2 miles southwest of Mayfield in Sumner County, according to the Kansas Geological Survey.

Four quakes over four days shook Kansas August 18-22 and measured from 2.2 to 2.8 in Sumner and Harper Counties.

A series of earthquakes shook the same area August 5 and 6. They measured from 2.8 to 3.4, according to the USGS.  There are no reports of damage from Sunday’s quake, according to the Sumner County Sheriff’s Department.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Texas businessman has been sentenced in Iowa to two years of probation and six months of home confinement for his role in a lottery scandal that impacted players in Kansas and three other states.

Robert Rhodes, who lives near Houston, reached a plea deal to testify against his friend Multi-State Lottery Association computer programmer Eddie Tipton.

Tipton rigged computers to make numbers predictable and gave them to Rhodes and others who won $2.2 million in jackpots from four states. A $16 million Iowa jackpot win wasn’t paid out because lottery officials grew suspicious.

Rhodes pleaded guilty to fraud in Iowa and a computer crime in Wisconsin. The sentence Friday resolves cases in both states.

Eddie Tipton was sentenced Wednesday to up to 25 years in prison. His brother, Tommy Tipton, is serving a 75-day sentence in Texas.

JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A move in Kansas to increase pay for corrections officers in prisons is building pressure on legislators to consider raises for all government workers.

But lawmakers would have to figure out how to pay for the raises even after a significant tax increase this year.

Budget director Shawn Sullivan told lawmakers this week that revenues must grow more quickly to sustain the spending lawmakers already have approved.

Gov. Sam Brownback earlier this month announced raises for uniformed officers following inmate disturbances at the prison in El Dorado. A state employees union and some lawmakers had said low pay made prison jobs hard to fill.

Lawmakers in both parties say many state employees remain underpaid and they expect legislators to consider broad pay raises during their next session in January.

OSAGE COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Osage County Sheriff’s Office are investigating after human skeletal remains were found Friday night at Melvern Lake.

At approximately 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, a park ranger from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discovered skeletal remains during a routine check on the north side of Melvern Lake. The discovery was made near an area of the lake called Turkey Point Waterfront Day Use. The park ranger contacted the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, who then requested KBI assistance Friday at around 6:20 p.m. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded to help investigate.

Further forensic examination needs to be performed on the remains before the person’s sex, race, age, and cause of death can be determined. Forensic anthropology experts from the Washburn University Anthropology Department are also assisting with this investigation.

This investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time.

LANSING, Kan. (AP) — Federal officials are investigating the death of an inmate at the Lansing Correctional Facility.

A Kansas Department of Corrections spokesman says that 56-year-old James Beeson died March 26 under circumstances that were “out of the ordinary.” No further details, including how Beeson died, were provided.

Beeson had eight convictions since December of 1998 for a variety of child sex crimes in Osage County.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson told The Kansas City Star the U.S. Attorney’s Office is investigating Beeson’s death.

An autopsy is being conducted by the Leavenworth County coroner.

The federal investigation into Beeson’s death comes amid reports of several violent disturbances and staffing shortages at Lansing and other Kansas prisons.

TOPEKA–Although nearly 900 hundred miles from Hurricane Harvey Kansas is playing a major role in helping respond to the needs after the storm in Texas.

Kansas is again the national coordinating state for the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a multistate, mutual aid agreement that facilitates interstate assistance to support response and recovery actions during a disaster. As such, Kansas is assisting Louisiana and Texas to coordinate resources from other states to storm-stricken states when needed.

Jonathan York, Response and Recovery Branch director and EMAC coordinator for the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, is the chairman of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact Executive Task Force. As the national coordinating state KDEM has the following responsibilities:

1. Ensure that operational procedures are followed
2. Identification and staffing of A- (Advance) Teams and liaison teams
3. Ensure timely status reports on EMAC deployments are issued
4. In coordination with the National Emergency Management Association, resolve any policy or procedural issues

“Kansas stands ready to offer support to those impacted by Hurricane Harvey,” said Governor Sam Brownback. “Having just experienced significant flooding in parts of our state just a few days ago, we certainly understand the devastating impact the forecasted rainfall amounts from Hurricane Harvey will bring to Texas. It is our hope Texans will heed the evacuation orders and remain safe during this terrible storm.”

Peak wind gusts from #HurricaneHarvey across the Middle TX Coast. Highest official wind gust was 132 mph in #AransasPass #Harvey #txwx pic.twitter.com/EofRtpB9K4

— NWS Corpus Christi (@NWSCorpus) August 26, 2017

Kansans who want to donate or provide assistance to those in Texas should go to to the FEMA website.

DECATUR COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 5a.m. Saturday in Decatur County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Honda Accord driven by Christian T. Johnson 54, Boelus, NE., was traveling northeast on Kansas 383 one mile west of Dresden.

The Honda crossed left of center and collided with a 2006 Freightliner semi driven by Jesus Noe Rubio, 43, Garden City.

Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Mickey-Leopld Funeral Home in Hoxie.

Rubio was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

TOPEKA -Gov. Sam Brownback signed a State of Disaster Emergency declaration on Aug. 25 for severe thunderstorms, straight line winds, hail, torrential rainfall, and flooding. The declaration covers the period beginning Aug. 3 and continuing.

Based upon damage reports and local disaster declarations received by the Kansas Division of Emergency

Management, initial counties included on the declaration are Barber, Douglas, Franklin, Greenwood, Johnson, Miami, Seward, and Trego.

Additional counties may be added to the governor’s declaration once damage assessments have been completed. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management is in the process of gathering damage assessment information from county emergency managers to better determine if the governor can request federal disaster assistance.

DONIPHAN COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 12a.m. Saturday in Doniphan County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Polaris UTV driven by Steven Greg Sims, 50, Trenton, MO., was northbound on Ash Point Road just south of 170 Road. The UTV rolled onto its right side. The driver and a passenger were ejected.

Sims was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger Cody Ryan Brown, 25, Trenton, MO., was transported to the hospital in Hiawatha. Sims used no safety equipment, according to the KHP.