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Kan. Judge: No reduced sentence for man to be with ill mother

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas judge has declined to end a man’s prison sentence four months early so he could be deported to Mexico to be with his ailing mother.

Victor Anzua-Torres-photo KDOC

Shawnee County District Judge Nancy Parrish on Wednesday reaffirmed the full sentence of 40-year-old Victor Anzua-Torres. He was returned to his cell.

Anzua-Torres was convicted of reckless second-degree murder for the December 2005 head-on collision that killed 28-year-old paramedic Ryan Ostendorf. Anzua-Torres was driving on the wrong side of a road and also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol. He was sentenced to 13 years and nine months. Four months remain on the sentence.

Anzua-Torres’ mother lives in Mexico. She is battling heart disease, high blood pressure and other ailments.

Prosecutors opposed the reduced sentence.

NE Kan. district decides to arm school security guards

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Security guards at a Leavenworth middle school will be carrying firearms beginning next week.

The Leavenworth Board of Education voted Wednesday to buy the firearms and other equipment such as handcuffs and Tasers.

The Leavenworth Times reports two retired law enforcement officers who work at Richard Warren Middle School will begin using the equipment when students return to school next week after spring break.

A statement from the board said the officers will be responsible for the equipment and will be certified twice a year with the Leavenworth Police Department.

Leavenworth High School already has an armed school resource officer from the city police department.

Kansas man who shot 5-year-old girl sentenced

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been sentenced to more than 18 years in prison for a gunshot that struck a 5-year-old girl at a hotel in Lenexa.

Fulton-photo Johnson Co.

Antwaun Nelson Fulton, 36, Topeka, was sentenced Thursday. He pleaded guilty in January to felony charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery and discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling.

The child suffered non-life threatening injuries to her leg when she was shot in July at the Crossland Economy Studios. Authorities say Fulton was shooting at a man with whom he had a previous dispute.

UPDATE: Woman charged with murder in death of Clinton police officer

Widger-photo Henry Co.

CLINTON, Mo. (AP) – The Latest on a woman being charged in the shooting death of a Missouri police officer (all times local):

2 p.m.

A woman charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a western Missouri police officer says she didn’t have any reason to believe the officers were in danger when she let them enter her home.

Tammy Widger was charged Wednesday in the March 6 death of Clinton police officer Ryan Morton, who was gunned down by a man inside Widger’s home. The suspect, James Waters, also wounded two other officers before he died of gunshot wounds.

Widger told The Kansas City Star on Wednesday from the Henry County jail that she thought Waters had left the house to avoid the police. She says she didn’t know Waters had a gun and was inside the home with the officers when the shooting started.

Officers told her to go outside and when she did, she was handcuffed and arrested.

———-

CLINTON, Mo. (AP) – A woman is now charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a western Missouri police officer killed last week.

Tammy Dee Widger, 37, was charged Wednesday.

Her rental home was the site of the fatal shooting of Clinton officer Ryan Morton on March 6. She had previously been charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Prosecutors say the murder charge was added because Morton was killed “as a result of” Widger’s drug crime.

Morton was wounded after being sent to the wrong house while responding to a 911 call made from another town. The suspect, James Waters, then barricaded himself inside the home. By the time officers got to Morton hours later, he was dead, along with Waters.

Man sentenced for road rage killing of former KC Chief

GRETNA, La. (AP) — The man convicted of manslaughter in the 2016 road rage shooting death of former NFL running back Joe McKnight was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday.

Gasser-photo Jefferson Parish Sheriff

Ronald Gasser, 56, had faced up to 40 years in prison. Defense lawyers argued that Gasser fired in self-defense when McKnight walked up to his car following a 5-mile confrontation that began on a bridge spanning the Mississippi River in New Orleans and ended with gunfire in neighboring Jefferson Parish.

McKnight’s mother testified Thursday during the sentencing hearing. Jennifer McKnight left the courtroom sobbing after angrily telling Gasser: “You didn’t have to do that.”

Witnesses at the trial said McKnight had been weaving in and out of traffic at high speed before the shooting. Prosecutors acknowledged to the jury that he was, in the words of Assistant District Attorney Seth Shute, “driving like a jerk.” But they argued that Gasser escalated the conflict, following him down an exit that he would not ordinarily have taken moments before the shooting.

Shute acknowledged that McKnight had a hand on the open, passenger side window of Gasser’s car before he was shot. But he said physical evidence proved Gasser lied during extensive police questioning when he claimed McKnight lunged at him.

Witnesses at the scene of the road rage shooting- photo courtesy WWL

McKnight had been a high school football hero at Louisiana’s John Curtis Christian School. He signed with the University of Southern California in 2006. In the NFL, he played three seasons for the New York Jets and one with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gasser was indicted on a second-degree murder charge. The jury voted 10-2 for the lesser verdict of manslaughter.

Gasser did not leave the scene of the shooting and he was released for a time after being questioned. He is white and his release after the shooting of the black athlete sparked protests from some who said race was a factor.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand, who has since retired, denied that race played any role and noted that a thorough investigation led to Gasser’s arrest and indictment. Prosecutors later recounted a painstaking investigation, including an extensive search for witnesses and physical evidence that eventually led to Gasser being charged.

The case in some ways echoed another New Orleans-area road rage shooting from 2016. Former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith was gunned down in that April incident. The shooter was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 25 years.

400 new citizens participate in naturalization ceremony in Kan.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — More than 400 people are now U.S. citizens following a naturalization ceremony at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park.

People from 66 different countries participated in the program Wednesday. Among them was 24-year-old Gabriel Garay, a native of Bolivia. He says he cherishes the opportunity to live in the U.S. and raise a family here.

U. S. Magistrate Judge Teresa J. James presided over the ceremony and told the new citizens they bring, “diverse talents, experiences, culture and hope for the future.”

Easton teen seriously injured in Andrew County crash

An Easton teenager was seriously injured in a crash in Andrew County Wednesday.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 17-year-old Sierra M. Muse of Country Club was driving a Toyota Yaris north on Route W, three miles east of St. Joseph shortly before 5 p.m. The vehicle went off the road, hit a ditch and came to rest in a field.

One of the passengers in the vehicle, 16-year-old Christina A. Kneib, was transported to Mosaic Life Care for treatment of serious injuries.

The driver was transported by private vehicle to Mosaic for treatment of minor injuries and another passenger, 19-year-old Lance T. Whipple of Cosby, did not seek medical treatment for minor injuries.

According to the crash report, Muse and Whipple were wearing seatbelts, Kneib was not.

Sunny today with temps reaching upper 60s

Rain chances begin to increase tonight and continue through Friday, and while unseasonably warm temperatures are expected today, slightly cooler conditions are possible Friday and Saturday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 69. Light south wind becoming east southeast 6 to 11 mph in the morning.

Tonight: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., then showers after 4 a.m. Low around 43. Breezy, with an east wind 11 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: Showers before 1 p.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., then showers and thunderstorms likely after 4 p.m. High near 56. Breezy, with an east southeast wind 17 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 7 p.m., then a chance of showers between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. East wind 9 to 14 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. North northwest wind 6 to 11 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.

Sunday: A chance of showers after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Sunday Night: Showers. Low around 45. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Monday: Showers. High near 51. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Monday Night: A chance of rain showers before 3 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow showers between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., then a chance of snow showers after 5 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Tuesday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.

During Mo. speech, Trump admits making up trade claim

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump freestyled with the facts when talking trade with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Republican described the discussion during a fundraising speech in St. Louis on Wednesday.

According to audio obtained by The Washington Post , Trump insisted that the United States runs a trade deficit with Canada.

Trump said Trudeau told him there was no trade deficit. Trump said he replied, “‘Wrong, Justin, you do.’ I didn’t even know. … I had no idea. I just said, ‘You’re wrong.'”

Trump claimed the figures don’t include timber and energy.

However, the Office of the United States Trade Representative says the United States has a trade surplus with Canada

Suspect jailed for alleged murder at NE Kansas lake

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a murder and have a suspect in custody.

Blevins -photo Jefferson Co.

Just before 10a.m. Wednesday, The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a Douglas County Detective advising he had received a call from a subject stating they witnessed a murder Tuesday night at Perry Lake, according to Sheriff Jeffrey Herrig.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded to the reported area at Perry Lake.  They found the body of an unidentified man with apparent gunshot wounds. The victim was later identified as 22-year-old Taylor Sawyer.

Following an investigation, deputies made an arrest in Lawrence.

They booked Jonathan Blevins, 22, Topeka, Kansas into the Jefferson County Jail Wednesday afternoon on requested charges of Intentional 2nd Degree Murder.

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