A U.S. Judge sentenced a man from Washington state Monday to 10 years in federal prison for drug trafficking in Kansas.

Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Hector M. Birrueta, 32, Pasco, Wash., pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Law enforcement officers found 57 pounds of methamphetamine in his car when they stopped him Oct. 17, 2015, on I-70 Ellis County, Kan.

Beall commended the Drug Enforcement and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs for their work on the case.

A Kansas man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to taking part in the kidnapping of a prostitute who was killed during the abduction.

Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Drexel A. Woody, 26, who lived on Fort Riley at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping resulting in death. The body of Amanda Clemons, 24, of Junction City, was found in February 2014 in Geary County, Kan.

In Woody’s plea, he admitted that on Feb. 7, 2014, he and his co-defendants met the victim, who was a prostitute, at a hotel in Junction City and kidnapped her. The defendants beat the victim in retribution for comments she had made on social media. During the beating, the defendants demanded the victim pay $300. They took the victim to another hotel room in an unsuccessful attempt to get the money, after which they transported her to Woody’s residence on Fort Riley.

While at Woody’s residence, the defendants allowed the victim to call her young son and her mother. The victim’s mother realized the victim was in danger and called Junction City Police. When police called the victim’s number to check on her, the defendants listened to the call on speaker phone. Fearing arrest, the defendants transported the victim to a bridge in a remote part of Geary County, where they resumed the beating and attacked her with a knife. The victim broke free and jumped off the bridge, falling 15 feet and breaking her ankle. The defendants found the victim in the snow and resumed the assault during which they cut her throat and killed her.

Woody is set for sentencing Jan. 30. He faces a penalty of up to life in federal prison.

Four co-defendants are awaiting trial. They are:
Larry L. Anderson, 27, Manhattan, Kan.
Marryssa M. Middleton, 25, Fort Riley, Kan.
Shantrell D. Woody, 27, Fort Riley, Kan., formerly an active duty service member.
Christopher Pugh, 32, Junction City, Kan.

A Lenexa man was sentenced Tuesday to five months he already served in jail for harassing former girlfriends and business partners by sending them letters on Internal Revenue Service letterhead.

Officials say Jeffrey Nickerson used IRS letterhead and publications brought home by an acquaintance who worked for the agency.

Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Nickerson, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of impersonating a federal employee. In his plea, Nickerson admitted he was an acquaintance of a woman who worked at the IRS Service Center in Kansas City, Mo. She brought IRS letterhead and IRS publications home.

He admitted he used the information to send letters to former girlfriends and former business partners. The letters said the victims were under investigation as a result of reports being filed to the Internal Revenue Service Fraud Investigations Hotline.

A house fire in the southeastern Nebraska village of Nehawka killed six people, including four children. Investigators with the Nebraska State Fire Marshall say the blaze was caused by a fireplace that ignited some carpet and room furnishings in the living room.

The fire was reported shortly after midnight on the morning of October 20 in a two-story residence at 10014 NcKelvie Road in Nehawka. The fire resulted in the deaths of John Speer, age 36, Michelle Speer, age 36, and four young girls, 11-year-old Elli Perez, 7-year-old Adilynn Speer, 5-year-old Emma Speer and 2-year-old Anniston Speer.

A visitation is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Monday at Calvary Christian Church in Bellevue, Nebraska. A memorial service is set to begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the church.

“The continued fire progression led to the collapse of exterior walls and portions of the roof prior to the fire departments arrival,” according to a news release from the Fire Marshall’s Office. “Arriving fire crews were not safely able to make entry into the residence to conduct a search as a result of the wall/roof collapse and extensive fire.”

“Consequently, the smoke produced from the fire, filled the house and led to the death of all six occupants,” according to the release.

During the examination of fire debris the Fire Marshal Investigative Team was unable to locate identifiable parts of smoke detectors. However, interviews conducted indicate that detectors were present, but the condition and function of the battery operated smoke detectors was unclear.

The extensive destruction of the residence as a result of the fire made the recovery of the deceased a lengthy process with the final recovery completed at approximately 7:45 pm on October 20. The autopsies and dental forensic examinations conducted on October 21 confirmed the positive identification of the victims. The preliminary autopsy report indicates the cause of death in all six deceased’s to be smoke inhalation.