FINNEY COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on reported sex trafficking.
On August 4, information was received through internet activity of possible prostitution occurring in Garden City, according to a media release from police.
The investigation revealed the alleged prostitution activity was run by Joe Wimbley, 34, Wichita.
Further investigation revealed the 31-year-old female victim was being forced to provide services for money for Wimbley and if not she was threatened with bodily harm.
Information was obtained that Wimbley had physically harmed the victim in the past. The victim did have signs of possible physical abuse.
Family Crisis was contacted to assist in the investigation. Wimbley was arrested and could face the possible charges of Human Trafficking. The victim was released to family.
With President Donald Trump’s poll numbers sliding into historically low territory, Democrats won’t be satisfied with modest gains in next year’s midterm election.
They’re hoping for an anti-Trump wave that gives them control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Several Democrats have announced they are up for challenging U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder for his 3rd District seat, which the Kansas Republican has held for four terms. JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Needing 24 seats to gain a majority, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting up to 50 potential swing districts across the country.
Among the districts that the DCCC has circled in red is the Kansas 3rd, now represented by Republican Kevin Yoder.
It’s a compact KC metro area district that encompasses Johnson County, Wyandotte County and a sliver of Miami County.
Yoder is in his fourth term, but he’s one of 23 Republicans attempting to hold seats in districts where Trump lost to Hillary Clinton.
“Dozens find themselves defending seats where Donald Trump is already deeply unpopular,” DCCC Director Dan Sena wrote in a memo circulated to the media in January.
“Together the House Republicans and Trump administration are pushing a wildly unpopular agenda that threatens their standing from the Rust Best to the Sun Belt,” Sena wrote, singling out the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Yoder’s vote for the Obamacare repeal bill and his general support of the president’s agenda could make him vulnerable, said Patrick Miller, a University of Kansas political scientist.
“He’s a very conservative Republican representing a much more moderate, swingy district, which certainly puts him on the radar for potentially having a very competitive race,” Miller said.
The 3rd District can be competitive even in normal political times, Miller said, noting that Kathleen Sebelius carried it both times she ran for governor and that Democrat Dennis Moore held the seat for six terms before he retired for health reasons.
“It traditionally has a bit of a Republican tilt to it, but it can be quite competitive,” he said.
Democrats lining up
Retired corporate attorney Andrea Ramsey, a Democrat, raised $200,000 by the end of June for her campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder in the 3rd District. CREDIT JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
With the 2018 primary still a year away, the race for the Democratic nomination is already crowded.
Retired corporate attorney and health care advocate Andrea Ramsey — who last week received an endorsement from EMILY’s List, a national fundraising group that backs Democratic women who support abortion rights — appears to be among the early front-runners. She entered the race on June 13 and raised more than $200,000 by a June 30 campaign finance reporting deadline.
However, it took a $25,000 loan from Ramsey to meet the fundraising target, according to her Federal Election Commission report.
Looking for a constructive way to channel her anger after Clinton’s defeat, Ramsey began thinking about running for Congress in the spring. She said Yoder’s May 4 vote in favor of what she calls “that disastrous Trumpcare bill” cemented her decision.
“That’s when I knew I had to step up and run,” Ramsey said. “That’s the day that I declared, ‘Not only am I in, I’m all in.’”
Recent entrant Tom Niermann, a Pembroke Hill history teacher, also appears to be building a strong campaign, with former Clinton staffer Zach Helder at the helm.
With Yoder referring to Ramsey and Brent Welder, a Bonner Springs attorney who entered the race in late July, as “Bernie Sanders extremists,” Niermann hopes to prevail by appealing to moderates in both parties.
Tom Niermann, a Pembroke Hill history teacher, hopes to prevail in the 3rd District race by appealing to moderates in both parties. CREDIT SUSIE FAGAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
“My belief in a particular political philosophy is not bound up in big government or small government but in good government,” Niermann said in a recent interview. “Government that is responsive to the needs of the people.”
Meanwhile, Welder, a former union official whom Sanders appointed to the Democratic National Platform Committee, told the Kansas City Star that “only a populist candidate” can defeat Yoder.
Jay Sidie, the 2016 Democratic nominee who despite getting into the race late gave Yoder his strongest challenge to date, has said he intends to run again but hasn’t formally announced.
“I moved the needle to within 10 points of Yoder with a five-month window,” Sidie said in a recent interview. “So, I think I’ve proven I’m a viable candidate.”
However, Sidie appears to be struggling to raise money. From January through the end of June, he raised only $30,000, according his FEC report.
Also bidding for the Democratic nomination are Reggie Marselus, an electrician from Lenexa who ran unsuccessfully in 2016, and Chris Haulmark, a deaf rights activist from Olathe.
Yoder’s war chest brimming
Yoder, meanwhile, raised nearly $800,000 in the latest reporting period and has more than $1 million in cash on hand, according to his FEC filing.
He’s also armed with talking points to counter charges that his conservative voting record makes him vulnerable in a district that is trending more moderate in recent state and national elections. In an interview, he said he’s working to bridge the partisan divide.
“I think people are frustrated with the bitter partisanship both in Washington and here at home,” Yoder said. “I’ve been a voice of reason, I think, in that storm. Trying to reach across the aisle (and) work with Democrats and Republicans to solve problems.”
Yoder points to his sponsorship of legislation to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health and to broaden access to child-care tax credits as evidence that he’s not a tea party conservative.
But he’s quick to label his opponents — Ramsey in particular — as “leftists.”
“Their attempt to lurch this district so far to the left is going to make them out of touch with the constituents I work with every single day,” he said.
Yoder’s campaign experience and fundraising prowess make him formidable even if the anti-Trump climate persists, Miller said. It will take an opponent with the right message and enough money to make it stick to deny Yoder a fifth term, he said.
“Because I guarantee you, a lot of money is going to come in to defend Kevin Yoder,” Miller said. “You need a candidate on the other side capable of attracting enough Democratic money to offset the pro-Yoder spending.”
The DCCC is also targeting Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District, currently held by Lynn Jenkins, who’s not running for re-election. Democrat Paul Davis, a former Kansas House minority leader who narrowly lost a 2014 bid to unseat Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, is likely to run.
Two Republicans have announced: state Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, of Leavenworth, and Basehor City Council member Vernon Fields. Several more Republicans are eyeing the race, including other members of the Kansas Senate.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer has confirmed that he will seek a full, four-year term as Kansas governor in 2018 after assuming the office upon Gov. Sam Brownback’s departure.
Colyer announced Tuesday that he appointed a treasurer for his campaign for the Republican nomination. He said in a statement that he is committed to doing the work necessary to win.
Brownback has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Brownback has not set a date for stepping down as governor.
Both Brownback and Colyer are conservative Republicans who ran together on a single ticket in 2010 and 2014.
The race for the GOP nomination already is crowded with six other candidates that include Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer.
FINNEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects for alleged attempted 2nd Degree Murder.
On September 9, 2016, the State Department of Children and Families contacted the Garden City Police Department that a two-year-old boy from Garden City was admitted to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City with life threatening illnesses.
The investigation revealed the two-year-old special needs child suffered from extreme malnutrition and dehydration. The child requires special care and feeding and has since birth. It is alleged that the child was not cared for properly and medical care was neglected for the child by the parents.
The child required extensive medical treatment for life threatening conditions. The child has since been released from the hospital and is currently in foster care.
Pollman-photo Finney Co.
Police arrested the mother of the child, Kiala Pollman,26, and the step-father Elias Allen, 31, both of Garden City. They could face the possible charges of Attempted 2nd Degree Murder and abuse of a child, according to police.
Police on the scene of Tuesday’s officer-involved shooting in Junction City
JUNCTION CITY –The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer involved shooting which occurred early Wednesday morning outside the Walmart store on the west side of Junction City.
According to a media release, the Junction City Police Department contacted the KBI at approximately 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8 to request assistance following an officer involved shooting. KBI agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded to the scene to conduct the investigation.
The preliminary information indicates that officers from the Junction City Police Department were dispatched to conduct a welfare check at a residence on the west side of Junction City at approximately 12:45 a.m. Soon after arriving at the residence, another call came in reporting an armed disturbance only a few blocks away at the Walmart Neighborhood Market, 1723 McFarland Rd., Junction City.
Officers from both the Junction City Police Department and the Geary County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Walmart parking lot. Once they arrived, they located a male subject armed with two handguns on the sidewalk north of the parking lot. The male subject was given commands to drop his weapons. The confrontation escalated further and four law enforcement officers from two agencies fired at the subject.
The subject was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a 23-year-old white male from Fort Riley, Kansas. His identity will not be released until next of kin has appropriately been notified.
No law enforcement officers were injured during this incident.
GEARY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Geary County are investigating a Tuesday morning officer-involved shooting.
Just after 12:48a.m., police were dispatched to the incident on Caroline Avenue on the west side of Junction City, according to Public Information officer Trish Giordano. Police did not release the identity of those involved.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is now in charge of the investigation, according Giordano.
No officers were injured.
A portion of Caroline Avenue near the Walmart grocery store on the west side of Junction City remains barricaded due to the investigation.
TOPEKA – A Kansas man has been charged with sex crimes against a dependent adult and Medicaid fraud, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
On Monday, Schmidt filed criminal charges against Thomas James Tholstrup, 25, in connection with an incident alleged to have occurred last week in Cloud County.
The charges are one count of aggravated criminal sodomy, one count of Medicaid fraud and one count of mistreatment of a dependent adult. Based upon the investigation to date, there is no reason to suspect that there are additional victims.
He is being held on a $50,000 Bond, according to the Cloud County Sheriff’s Department.
The case is set for a first appearance in Cloud County District Court on August 23 at 9 a.m.
The White truck is the vehicle police believe hit Wilhelm- Image courtesy RCPD
RILEY COUNTY – A Kansas man is free on bond and facing charges of aggravated battery; reckless great bodily harm in connection with a hit and run accident woman, according to the Riley County Police Department Arrest report.
Just before 2a.m. April 13, police responded to a report of a hit and run injury accident at the intersection of 12th Street and Bluemont Avenue in Manhattan, according to a media release.
First responders found a pedestrian identified as Amber Wilhelm, 21, Manhattan, suffering from severe injuries after being struck by a pickup driven by 21-year-old Nicholas Blaha of Manhattan. He left the scene of the accident.
Wilhelm was transported to Via Christi and then flown to Stormont Vail in critical condition.
Blaha came forward following the release of a video of the truck involved in the accident. Police booked him Monday on charges as a result of the crash.
SYDNEY (AP) — The Latest on the crash of a U.S. Marine Osprey aircraft off Australia’s coast (all times local):
U.S. military officials have identified the three Marines who were killed after their aircraft crashed into the sea off the east coast of Australia.
The three men remain missing and were declared dead by the military on Tuesday. They were among 26 people on board an MV-22 Osprey that crashed off the coast of Queensland state on Saturday.
The U.S. Marine base Camp Butler in Japan said the victims were 21-year-old Cpl. Nathaniel Ordway of Sedgwick, Kansas; 26-year-old 1st Lt. Benjamin Cross of Oxford, Maine and 19-year-old Pfc. Ruben Velasco of Los Angeles.
The Australian navy found the wreckage of the aircraft on Monday.
SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on alleged felony charges.
On Saturday, police say Gary Ingram Jr., 34, Salina, forged his father’s information on a loan application at a car dealership.
While Ingram took a 2015 Toyota Tundra on a test drive, staff at Conklin Cars, 2700 South 9th in Salina reviewed the loan application.
Ingram’s father also called the dealership after he received a call from his bank about the loan, according to Police Sgt. James Feldman.
The dealership called police. They found the pickup valued at almost $32,000 in the 100 block of South Ninth Street and arrested Ingram.
He is being held on requested charges of attempted felony theft, forgery, identity theft, possession of an opiate and driving while suspended.
He has previous convictions for theft by deception, making false writing and forgery in Sedgwick County, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
