Kansas Klips
Undersheriff jailed for alleged domestic battery
KINSLEY — Special agents of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) arrested the Edwards County Undersheriff early Monday related to a domestic violence incident, according to a media release from the KBI. Just after 7:30 p.m. Sunday, a 911 call was made from a residence in Kinsley. When a deputy from the Edwards County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene, he learned that Robert “Bobby” Blackwell, 39, of Kinsley, who is the Edwards County Undersheriff, was involved in a physical altercation. At approximately 8:15 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office contacted the KBI to investigate the incident. KBI agents responded to Kinsley to investigate. After collecting evidence and conducting interviews of involved parties, Blackwell was arrested for aggravated domestic battery. The arrest occurred at around 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. He was then booked into the Ford County Detention Center. (HaysPost.com)
Oakley man dead, another hospitalized after head-on crash
OAKLEY — A 53-year-old man died in an accident just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Logan County. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Ford F150 driven by Robert E. Long, 53, Oakley, was northbound on U.S. Highway 83 one half mile south of Oakley. The pickup exited the road to the right, entered the east ditch, came back onto the roadway, crossed the center line, and hit a 1997 Ford F250 driven by 20-year-old Kavan A. Smith, from Eckley, Colorado, head on. EMS transported Long to Hays Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Smith was transported to Via Christi in Wichita for treatment. Long was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP. (HaysPost.com)
Jail deputy arrested twice, charged in another case last month
WICHITA — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a jail deputy on new charges after two arrests and charges filed against him in another incident over the past month. On Sunday, police arrested Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Detention Deputy Aareon White on a requested charges of misdemeanor Domestic Violence Battery and Battery, according to Sheriff’s Lt. Benjamin Blick. White was released on bond. A few hours later the police arrested him again for misdemeanor Violation of Protection from Abuse Order. The charges stem from incidents involving White’s domestic partner. In August, White was charged for misdemeanor Disorderly Conduct, due to an off-duty incident on August 26. When probable cause exists to support the elements of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense, an arrest is mandatory under Kansas law, according to Lt. Blick. (Kansas.com)
High school student receives racist homecoming invitation
OLATHE — A suburban Kansas City school district is investigating after a student asked a girl to homecoming using an offensive sign referencing Black people. A picture of two white students holding the sign and smiling that was posted online drew sharp criticism on social media. School officials in Olathe said they are working to contact everyone involved, including the parents of the students. “The type of behavior displayed in the social media post does not meet the expectations of our core values,” Olathe South High School Principal Dale Longenecker said in a letter sent to parents. “Any behavior like this will be immediately addressed in accordance with our Student Code of Conduct.” (HaysPost.com)
Man accused of DUI after wrong-way crash kills teen
WICHITA — A Kansas man has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and manslaughter after a head-on collision that killed a 19-year-old from Caldwell. Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Lt. Benjamin Blick said the crash happened early Saturday around 2:45 a.m. on Kansas Highway 254 in northeastern Sedgwick County. Blick said the man who was arrested was driving a GMC Sierra pickup truck the wrong direction in the eastbound lanes of the highway when he collided with a Chrysler PT Cruiser driven by Clayton Patterson who died after the collision. Jose Rios-Cruz, 39, is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond, according to online jail records. (Kansas.com)
Feds uncover Kansas cocaine distribution conspiracy
KANSAS CITY — A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kan. returned an indictment charging 15 people with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, according to the United State’s Attorney. The defendants allegedly intentionally conspired to distribute cocaine in the state of Kansas and elsewhere between January 2019 and September 2021, according to court documents. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Kansas City and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Northeast Kansas Drug Task Force are investigating the case. “This joint federal and state investigation stopped more than a million dollars’ worth of cocaine from reaching our communities, and more than $730,000 of proceeds from returning to the organization,” said Assistant Agent in Charge Rogeana Patterson-King, DEA lead for the state of Kansas. (Kansas.com)
