BOONVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Federal officials say a small plane pilot who crashed last year in central Missouri, killing himself and a passenger, was under the influence of illicit drugs and was nearly blind in one eye.

The National Transportation Safety Board says 67-year-old Charles McCutcheon, of Fayette, tested positive for cocaine, methamphetamine, the sedative clonazepam and the antihistamine ingredient diphenhydramine.

He was making the final descent into Jesse Viertel Memorial Airport near Boonville in April 2017 when he his Bellanca 17-31ATC aircraft hit high tension power lines. The crash also killed his 49-year-old passenger, Bryan Roth, of Franklin.

VAN BUREN, Ark— An Arkansas judge has dismissed local charges against four carnival workers suspected in the deaths of a retired couple for the July deaths of 78-year-old Alfred Carpenter and 79-year-old Pauline Carpenter who were working at the Barton County Fair in Great Bend.

Investigators say one suspect texted the others posing as a carnival mafia boss and ordered them to kill the couple.

The suspects were originally charged in Arkansas with abuse of a corpse and other crimes after the couple’s bodies were found in Arkansas.

Prosecutors asked that the Arkansas charges be dropped because the suspects have been extradited to Great Bend. A Crawford County judge granted the motion last week.

The suspects are 52-year-old Kimberly Younger and 54-year-old Michael Fowler Jr., both of Florida; and 35-year-old Rusty Frasier and 38-year-old Christine Tenney of Texas.

Fowler Jr., is being held on a Barton County District Court warrant for capital murder, two counts of murder in the first degree and theft. Bond set at $1,000,000.

Frasier is being held on a Barton County District Court warrant for capital murder, two counts of murder in the first degree. Bond set at $1,000,000.

Younger is being held for capital murder, two counts of murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit first degree murder, solicitation to commit first degree murder and theft. Bond set at $1,000,000.

Tenney is being held on a Barton County District Court warrant for three counts of obstruction. Bond set at $300,000.

In addition, 31-year-old Thomas Drake of Van Buren, Arkansas is being held a Barton County District Court warrant for obstructing apprehension. Bond set at $300,000.

-The AP contributed to this report.

GEARY COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple charges after a Wednesday chase on Interstate 70.

The pursuit started at the Fort Riley exit on Interstate 70 after report of an alleged stolen license plate on a 1999 Jeep Cherokee, according to the Geary County Sheriff’s Department.  The chase at speeds of 100-miles-per-hour continued to the Abilene exit in Dickinson County.

Just before 4p.m., authorities stopped the Jeep and arrested 38-year-old Scott Keady, of Kansas City, Missouri.

He is being held on suspicion of Fleeing and Eluding, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, two counts Possession of Stolen Property, Driving while License Revoked, Passing on the Left, Improper Driving on Laned Roadway, No Turn Signal, Speeding, Reckless Driving, Possession of Heroin and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

There were no injuries reported, according to the sheriff’s department.

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspicious death.

Just after 10a.m. December 24, Pottawatomie County Dispatch received a report of a body in the Kansas River, approximately 1/2 mile West of Wamego, according to Sheriff Greg Riat.

Deputies, Wamego police and Wildlife and Parks units responded to the area as well as Wamego Fire and Pottawatomie County EMS.

Sheriff Water Rescue launched from the Wamego boat ramp heading west up the Kansas River, according to Riat.

Authorities located the body of a deceased man approximately one mile west of Wamego near the north bank of the Kansas River.

With the assistance of the Manhattan Fire Water Rescue, the victim was recovered from the water. The cause of death of the victim is pending completion of an autopsy.

The identity of the victim will be released pending positive identification.

The death at this time is being investigated as suspicious, according to Riat.

The Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office is asking for anyone with information on this incident contact to contact the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office at 785-457-3353, or leave a crime tip at ptsheriff.com

AL-ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq (AP) — President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Wednesday, leaving behind a partially shuttered U.S. government to greet American troops helping hold off extremists in a country where thousands of Americans died during the recent war.

President Trump and the First Lady traveled to Iraq late on Christmas night to visit with our troops and Senior Military leadership to thank them for their service, their success, and their sacrifice and to wish them a Merry Christmas. pic.twitter.com/s2hntnRwpw

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 26, 2018

It comes a week after Trump stunned his national security advisers by announcing that he would withdraw U.S. troops from neighboring Syria where they have been fighting Islamic State militants. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly resigned following the announcement, and Trump’s decision rattled allies around the world, including in Iraq.

Trump’s trip was shrouded in secrecy. Air Force One flew overnight from Washington, landing at an airbase west of Baghdad under the cover of darkness Wednesday evening. It is his first visit with troops stationed in a troubled region.

Fifteen years after the 2003 invasion, the U.S. still has more than 5,000 troops in Iraq supporting the government as it continues the fight against remaining pockets of resistance by the Islamic State group. IS has lost a significant amount of territory in Iraq and Syria but is still seen as a threat.

Trump, who speaks often about his support for the U.S. military, had faced criticism for not yet visiting U.S. troops stationed in harm’s way as he comes up on his two-year mark in office. He told The Associated Press in an interview in October that he “will do that at some point, but I don’t think it’s overly necessary.” He later began to signal that such a troop visit was in the offing.

Trump had planned to spend Christmas at his private club in Florida, but stayed behind in Washington due to the shutdown. It’s unclear whether his trip to Iraq was added after it became apparent that the government would be shut down indefinitely due to a stalemate between Trump and congressional Democrats over the president’s demand for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Adding to the tumult, the stock market has been experiencing heavy losses over concerns about a slowing global economy, Trump’s trade war with China and the president’s public slamming of the Federal Reserve and its chairman over interest rate hikes by the independent agency.

Trump’s visit comes at a time when his Middle East policy is in flux. He went against the views of his top national security advisers in announcing the Syria withdrawal, a decision that risks creating a vacuum for extremists to thrive.

There are dire implications in particular for neighboring Iraq. The Iraqi government now has control of all the country’s cities, towns and villages after fighting its last urban battles against IS in December 2017. But its political, military and economic situation remains uncertain, and the country continues to experience sporadic bombings, kidnappings and assassinations, which most people attribute to IS.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi recently said Iraqi troops could deploy into Syria to protect Iraq from threats across its borders. Iraq keeps reinforcements along its frontier to guard against infiltration by IS militants, who hold a pocket of territory along the Euphrates River.

Trump campaigned for office on a platform of ending U.S. involvement in foreign trouble spots, such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. The Syria decision will ultimately affect all of the approximately 2,000 troops deployed in the war-torn country. The Pentagon is also said to be developing plans to withdraw up to half of the 14,000 American troops still serving in Afghanistan.

During the presidential campaign, Trump blamed Democrat Hillary Clinton for the rise of IS, due to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq at the end of 2011 during her tenure as secretary of state.

President George W. Bush is the one who set the 2011 withdrawal date as part of an agreement with the Iraqi government to gradually shrink the U.S. footprint and slowly hand off security responsibilities to the government and Iraqi security forces.

His successor, President Barack Obama, wanted to leave a residual force in Iraq to help the government manage ongoing security challenges. But he ultimately went ahead with the scheduled pullout in 2011 after Iraqi’s political leaders rejected terms the U.S. sought for legal protections for the U.S. troops that would have remained.

Two of Trump’s recent predecessors visited Iraq early in their terms.

Bush visited Iraq in November 2003, about eight months after that conflict began. Due to security concerns, Bush waited until 2006 to make his first visit to Afghanistan.

Obama visited Iraq in April 2009, the first year of his eight years in office, as part of an overseas tour. He visited Afghanistan in 2010.

Vice President Mike Pence visited Afghanistan in December 2017, not long after Trump outlined a strategy to break the stalemate in America’s longest war. Pence met with Afghan leaders and visited with U.S. troops stationed in the country. Trump has not visited Afghanistan.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for an alleged car theft and robbery.

Just before 8:30p.m. Sunday, police responded to the area of 1600 Block of SW Fillmore in Topeka on the report of an Aggravated Robbery, occurring to an individual, according to Lt. Aaron Jones.

The victim reported a blue colored vehicle approached him, when a Hispanic male jumped out, wearing a gray and black striped hooded sweatshirt. The suspect approached him demanding his keys and wallet. During the robbery the suspect, indicated he had a weapon, but the weapon was never displayed and took the victims vehicle described as a Silver, 2011 Dodge Caliber, with Kansas tags.

Just before 6p.m. Christmas Eve, officers of the Topeka Police Department located the stolen Dodge Caliber near 13th and SW Harrison.

When they attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver failed to stop initiating a pursuit. The occupants abandoned the vehicle in the 600 Block of SE Lake east alley, according to Jones.

Information was developed leading to a house on the west side of the 600 block of SE Lake in search of the occupants. The house was surrounded as the vehicle was searched. 2 firearms were recovered from the vehicle; both used small caliber rifle rounds. At approximately 7pm, officers made contact with the homeowner. Police took five men and one woman from the house for questioning.

On Christmas Day, police reported Christopher Jackson, 25, was taken to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections under suspicion of aggravated robbery in relation to the theft of the silver Dodge Caliber as well as possession of stolen property in relation to the aggravated robbery of a white Pontiac G6.