AUBURN, Maine (AP) — A man suspected in a series of burglaries and thefts and wanted in nine states has been arrested by police in Maine.
York County Sheriff William King Jr. says an investigation by his department and other law enforcement agencies led to the arrest of 55-year-old Joseph Hodge of Jacksonville, Florida.
Hodge was taken into custody early Wednesday at an Auburn motel.
King says Hodge has multiple warrants for theft-related offenses in Missouri, Idaho, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado and Arkansas.
He was named a suspect in multiple robberies around Maine as the investigation got underway Monday.
Hodge’s next court appearance will be Oct. 4 in Alfred Superior Court.
It wasn’t immediately known if Hodge had a lawyer.
According to Chillicothe Fire Chief Darrell Wright, with Thursday’s rain, conditions have temporarily improved. Presiding Commissioner of Livingston County Ed Douglas has authorized a 48-hour temporary lifting of the burn ban to allow for necessary burning.
The ban will go back into effect at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 21.
Wright adds, should conditions change, the decision will be re-evaluated.
CRAWFORD COUNTY, AR — Authorities have arrested three carnival workers in the deaths of two vendors who disappeared from the Barton County Fair and were found in a shallow grave in an Arkansas forest.
Rusty Frazier -photo Crawford County
Police Cpl. Jonathan Wear says the three Kimberly Frazier (Aka Myrna Khan) , Rusty Frazier and Michael Fowler are jailed without bond in Van Buren, Arkansas, on suspicion of abuse of a corpse, felony theft and tampering with physical evidence in the deaths of Sonny and Pauline Carpenter of Wichita, Kansas.
No charges have been filed. The bodies were found Wednesday in the Ozark National Forest.
Michael Fowler – photo Crawford Co.Kimberly Younger -photo Crawford Co.
Wear says authorities believe the couple was killed Friday after meeting the carnival workers at the fair in Great Bend.
He says the suspects on Saturday drove the bodies 320 miles to Arkansas in the couple’s recreational vehicle.
-The Associate Press contributed to this report
————-
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say the bodies of a couple who recently disappeared from a Kansas fairground have been found in a shallow grave in northwest Arkansas.
Investigators on the scene in rural Crawford County Arkansas -photo courtesy KFSM TV
Van Buren, Arkansas, police spokesman Jonathan Ware says the bodies were found early Wednesday near Natural Dam in Crawford County.
Police identified the victims as Alfred “Sonny” and Pauline Carpenter
Van Buren police took three people identified as Kimberly Frazier (AkaMyrna Khan) , Rusty Frazier and Michael Fowler. into custody after the bodies were found.
Barton County Attorney Amy Mellow said the victims disappeared from the county fairgrounds west of Great Bend in the last few days.
WICHITA– The Kansas Turnpike Authority Board has approved the organization’s budget for the new fiscal year through June 30, 2019. The $145.5m expenditures budget focuses on safety enhancements, according to a media release.
KTA camera view Thursday morning in Douglas County
Beginning October 1, adjustments will be made to KTA’s tolls in the following ways:
Electronic passenger vehicles (2-4 axles using a K-TAG or compatible device) will see an approximate 5% increase and realize a savings of up to 25% off cash tolls.
Electronic commercial vehicles (5+ axles using a K-TAG or compatible device) may see an adjustment due to rounding electronic fares to the nearest nickel and realize a savings of up to 18% off cash tolls.
The less than 40% of cash customers will see an approximate 12.5% increase (passenger) and 10% increase (commercial). All cash fares will be adjusted to the nearest quarter, which could cause variances in the percentage increase.
“KTA’s toll rate per mile continues to be one of the lowest in the country,” said Steve Hewitt, KTA’s CEO. “We encourage travelers to maximize their savings by using an electronic transponder like K-TAG to pay for tolls.”
Additional thunderstorm development is expected across portions of the area. Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible, most likely in portions of central and northern Missouri. Damaging winds and hail are the primary concerns. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 98. South southwest wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. West southwest wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 90. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66. North wind 5 to 9 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 89. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 65.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 88.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump will visit Kansas City next week to deliver his first address as president to the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention.
Trump addressed the VFW convention in 2016 as a candidate for president -image courtesy CSPAN
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump will head to Kansas City on Tuesday to address the gathering.
On Wednesday, Trump gave his “full and total endorsement” to Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder in a Kansas district that Democrats see as competitive after Hillary Clinton narrowly carried it in the last presidential election.
Thank you to Congressman Kevin Yoder! He secured $5 BILLION for Border Security. Now we need Congress to support. Kevin has been strong on Crime, the Border, the 2nd Amendment, and he loves our Military and Vets. @RepKevinYoder has my full and total endorsement!
Trump tweeted his support for the four-term congressman after House Republicans released a spending bill providing $5 billion next year for building Trump’s proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Yoder is chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee on homeland security.
Yoder is expected to have no trouble winning his Aug. 7 primary race against two unknown and underfunded GOP challengers. Six Democrats are running for the right to challenge him in November, and their party has made Trump a key focus for months.
Trump’s endorsement of Yoder came less than a week after Vice President Mike Pence came to the district for a fundraiser. The tweet also was two days before New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a rising Democratic star, planned to campaign in the district with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for one of the party’s candidates, labor lawyer Brent Welder.
“This election is going to be a referendum on whether or not, in the 3rd District, voters want somebody who’s going to carry Trump’s water or not,” said Ethan Corson, the Kansas Democratic Party’s executive director.
Yoder has touted his work in recent weeks on immigration and border security issues. He pushed the Trump administration last month to end the separation of children from parents during a crackdown on illegal entries at the border.
Trump’s tweet Wednesday thanked Yoder, saying he “secured” the $5 billion for “border security.”
“Kevin has been strong on Crime, the Border, the 2nd Amendment, and he loves our Military and Vets,” Trump tweeted, adding that the congressman “has my full and total endorsement!”
Trump carried Kansas in the 2016 presidential election by nearly 21 percentage points and some counties with more than 80 percent of the vote. But Clinton received 47 percent of the vote in the 3rd District to Trump’s 46 percent, and Yoder won a narrower-than-expected race against an unknown Democrat.
Still, Republicans are bullish on Yoder’s chance for re-election. He already has spent more than $1.4 million on his re-election campaign and ended June with nearly $1.9 million in cash in his campaign fund — more than four times as much as the top Democrat.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – An investigator says a man who was fatally shot by Kansas City police after wounding three officers had an extensive criminal record in Oklahoma.
Tulsa police Sgt. David Walker says 25-year-old Marlin James Mack Jr. was only 15 when he was first arrested for breaking into cars.
The detective tells The Kansas City Star that Mack’s most violent crime came in 2011, when he robbed a woman at gunpoint in front of her three children. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
Kansas City police weren’t aware of Mack until this month, when he became a person of interest in the shooting death of 25-year-old Sharath Koppu, a college student from India. Mack was under surveillance when he was fatally shot Sunday during confrontations with police.
SALINE COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 10a.m. Wednesday in Saline County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Nissan Altima driven by Dalton T. Newton, 20, Carrollton, was southbound on U.S. 65 just north of Route BB.
The vehicle traveled off the left side of the road, struck a utility pole and the driver was ejected.
Newton was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) was named by Speaker Paul Ryan as a conferee for the Conference Committee for the 2018 Farm Bill. As part of the committee, made up of leaders from the House and Senate, Hartzler will help resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of the 2018 Farm Bill.
Honored to be named as conferee for the 2018 #FarmBill. Looking forward to working w/ my colleagues to make sure we have the most abundant food supply in the world for the American people! pic.twitter.com/XDZm0ux5yJ
“Providing the safest, most abundant food supply in the world for the American people is the primary objective of the Farm Bill. I look forward to working with my fellow House and Senate conferees to put forth strong farm policy during these difficult times in farm country. It is critical that the Farm Bill conference report continue to prioritize farmers and ranchers while addressing other needs such as rural broadband, trade, research and development, and good conservation practices. The House version contains historic improvements to the SNAP program to help recipients break the cycle of poverty by improving work opportunities for able-bodied adults receiving federal nutrition assistance, and I will work hard during conference to ensure the final bill promotes individual success for those receiving government assistance,” said Hartzler.
“Today, we move one step closer to delivering a strong, new farm bill to the president’s desk on time as he has called on Congress to do. America’s farmers and ranchers and rural America are struggling right now and they deserve the certainty of a strong farm bill to see them through to better times. The House has pulled together a solid team of conferees – including Rep. Hartzler. I’m looking forward to working with Vicky, who has been a strong voice for agriculture through this process, and the rest of our House and Senate colleagues to reach a final product that helps millions of low-income Americans climb the economic ladder, while standing by our nation’s hard-working farm and ranch families,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (TX-11).
The Farm Bill is a five-year reauthorization of agriculture programs, conservation, nutrition, trade, credit, and other programs important to rural America. Hartzler has served as a member of the House Agriculture Committee since joining Congress in 2011.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri Democratic Party is appealing the dismissal of its lawsuit challenging a governor’s ability to appoint a lieutenant governor.
The appeal was filed Tuesday. The party has argued that ambiguity in Missouri’s constitution and law mean lieutenant governors can only be elected, not appointed.
A Cole County Circuit judge ruled last week that the party did not have standing to challenge Gov. Mike Parson’s recent appointment of Mike Kehoe as Missouri’s lieutenant governor. The judge also said governors have the constitutional ability to fill the executive branch’s No. 2 position, a matter that has been open to debate for the past several decades.
Both Parson and Kehoe are Republicans.
The party has asked that the case skip the Court of Appeals and go directly to the state Supreme Court.
