Kansas Klips
Bear attempted to tunnel out of enclosure at Kansas zoo
MONTGOMERY COUNTY—On Sunday, June 9th, the staff at Ralph Mitchell Zoo in Independence discovered one of its three Siberian bear sisters had apparently decided zoo life had become unbearable and made an unsuccessful attempt to tunnel out of her enclosure, according to a media release from the city. While the bear never made it out of the enclosure confines, she did manage to dig under the viewing platform and slip barely out of sight of staff for a very brief period of time. Staff quickly responded to the situation, coaxed the bear back into the security of her pen, and took steps to reinforce the enclosure to eliminate any chance of a future breakout. To fully ensure public safety while the bear was misbehaving, staff cleared the zoo of all visitors, locked the secondary enclosure within five minutes of discovering the dig, and had the bear back safely secured in the enclosure within ten minutes. Per protocol, the Independence Police Department was notified of the issue and responded to the zoo to provide any necessary assistance. “Safety for our visitors is always our number one priority, followed by the well-being of our animals, so I am very thankful for the quick actions of the zoo staff and responding officers to avert danger,” said Independence City Manager Kelly Passauer. The bear sisters will be off public exhibit for a while as staff continue to modify and reinforce their enclosure. (Hays Post)
French fries burn on Interstate 70
GEARY COUNTY—In Geary County, a load of French fries went up in flames on Tuesday, June 11th. Just after 1:30 a.m. Geary County Fire responded to a semi-trailer fully engulfed in flames on Interstate 70 just east of Milford Lake Road, according to Geary County Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges. The truck was a refrigerated unit carrying approximately 30,000 pounds of French fries. There were no injuries reported. The eastbound I-70 off-ramp was closed until noon during the cleanup. Berges estimated the total loss of $80,000.00 (Hays Post)
Police release details in fatal Kansas workplace accident
ATCHISON COUNTY—Authorities are investigating a fatal industrial accident in northeast Kansas when just after 11:00 a.m. on Monday, June 10th, police, fire, and EMS responded to a report of a workplace accident at the Shannon Industrial Park on the west side of Atchison, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson. Gerald Weidler, 30, of Atchison, died in the accident at Atchison Tubular Manufacturing, located at 8154 Industrial Park Lane. The company is a manufacturer of steel pipe products. Weidler was working on what is known as a pipe trimmer machine that is located in a building at the south end of the complex. Pipe leaving that building is rolled out of the facility on elevated rails to an exterior location adjacent to the building. Weidler had walked outside to the exterior location and was working on the pipe at the exterior location when the accident occurred. (Hays Post)
Man falsely accused of shooting wife
SALINE COUNTY—A man accused of shooting his wife in the stomach is out of jail after a lengthy investigation by the Saline County Sheriff’s Office. Just before 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 26th, deputies responded to a residence located at 10798 West Atkins Road in rural Saline County for a report of a woman claiming to have been shot by her husband. Responding deputies found Janet Wilson, 42, in the yard of the residence with a single .410 gauge shotgun wound to the abdomen. Deputies took 60-year-old Timothy Lecklider into custody at the scene and booked him into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of Attempted Murder. On June 10th, investigators interviewed the victim and, coupled with the evidence collected at the scene, determined that Lecklider was not involved in the shooting. The sheriff’s office released him from jail. According to a statement from the Saline County Sheriff’s Office, the woman’s injury is now believed to be self-inflicted. (Hays Post)
Kansas man jailed after attempted child abduction
RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating an attempted child abduction and have made an arrest. Just after 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12th, police responded to a report of attempted child abduction outside of So Long Saloon in the 1100 block of Moro Street in Manhattan, according to a media release from the Riley County Police Department. When officers arrived on the scene the manager identified the suspect as Jonathan Valentine, 43, of Manhattan. Witnesses reported the subject aggressively claimed a child did not belong to the child’s guardian and attempted to forcibly take the seven-month-old, causing a minor injury to the child. Officers quickly detained Valentine and arrested him on a requested charge of attempted aggravated kidnapping. He is being held on a $50,000.00 bond. (Hays Post)
