Kansas Klips

Kansas inmate serving time for burglary found dead in his cell

BUTLER COUNTY—El Dorado Correctional Facility (EDCF) inmate Blade A. Floyd, 24, died Thursday, July 18th, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections. Floyd was found unresponsive in his cell. Staff and EMS administered life-saving measures but were unable to revive him. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy. Floyd was serving a 96-month sentence for three counts of burglary, two counts of attempted aggravated burglary, and drug possession based on convictions in Wilson County, Kansas. Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. (Hays Post)

Delegate from Hays represented Kansas at Republican National Convention

HAYS—Kansas made its presence felt at the Republican National Convention with Hays local and delegate Travis Couture-Lovelady representing the Sunflower State. This was Couture’s fourth convention since 2012. Couture previously served as a Kansas State Representative, first elected in 2012. During his tenure in the Legislature, he served as majority caucus chairman and vice-chairman of the Federal and State Affairs Committee. He also managed Congressman Tim Heulskamp’s 2014 re-election campaign and worked for State Treasurer Ron Estes. Additionally, he spent two years at Capitol Hill with Senator Sam Brownback. Also attending the convention were Tracey Mann, Ron Estes and Kris Kobach. (Hays Post)

Wichita man sentenced to 13 years in jail for dismembering cats, other charges

WICHITA—A 31-year-old Wichita man, Logan Cavender, was sentenced to 13 years in the county jail for dismembering cats and domestic-related charges. The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said Judge Eric Williams sentenced Cavender on Monday, July 22nd, to one year for each of the 13 counts and ran the sentences consecutively. Cavender pleaded no contest in May to ten counts of animal cruelty, two misdemeanor counts of stalking, and a misdemeanor count of breach of privacy. The animal cruelty charges stemmed from the discovery of ten dismembered cats that were discarded in rural Sedgwick County in 2022. “The stalking charge resulted from interactions between Cavender and his wife and babysitter while he was under investigation in the animal abuse case,” the DA’s office said. “The breach of privacy charge resulted from Cavender secretly videotaping a family member in 2020. The video was discovered during the investigation of the animal cruelty case.” Judge Williams imposed the maximum sentence for each count and said Cavender is a threat to public safety. Judge Williams also made findings that the breach of privacy was sexually motivated, which will require Cavender to register as a sex offender upon release. (KAKE)

Logan man admits defrauding Montana rancher in hay scam during drought

BILLINGS, MONTANA—A Kansas man is accused of devising a scheme to steal from Montana and Wyoming ranchers who were trying to find hay to feed their livestock during a drought admitted to a fraud charge on Thursday, July 18th, U. S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said. The defendant, Jory D. Parks, 43, of Logan, Kansas, was arraigned and pleaded guilty to information charging him with wire fraud. Parks faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000.00 fine, and three years of supervised release. U. S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U. S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. After considering the U. S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, the court will determine any sentence. Parks was released pending further proceedings. In court documents, the government alleged that a drought in the summer of 2021 created a hay shortage for ranches in Montana and Wyoming, and ranchers were struggling to find enough hay to feed their livestock. During this time, Parks intentionally devised a scheme to defraud these ranches. Parks advertised on Facebook, claiming that he was selling large amounts of hay and was willing to deliver to Montana and Wyoming from out of state. Operating as Heart Cross Ranch, LLC, Parks received money from customers in exchange for promises to deliver hay. Instead, Parks used the money for unrelated business and personal expenses and made false promises about what he would deliver and the scale and success of his business. In September 2021, when Parks tried to convince a prospective customer that he had a successful business selling high-quality hay, he told the victim that he had sold all his hay the previous year to a known horse racing facility in Nebraska to feed racehorses. After interviewing the CEO of the facility and analyzing Parks’ financials, the FBI determined that Parks’ statements were false. In Montana, a ranching business owned by a couple of Ingomar responded to one of Parks’ Facebook ads in which he claimed to be selling hay cheaper than they had been able to find. The couple signed a contract with Parks to buy 190 tons of hayfrom Parks for $43,400.00 and mailed half of the amount, $21,650.00, as a down payment to Heart Cross Ranch. Parks deposited the check into his business account in a bank in Colorado. Three weeks later, Parks delivered the couple’s first shipment of 23 tons of the 190 tons they had purchased but never delivered the additional hay or repaid the remainder of the down payment. The U. S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation. (Hays Post)