(Salina Post) – Salina Police Thursday afternoon arrested a 51-year-old woman on requested charges of aggravated battery.

Captain Mike Sweeney said Christine Knipp, of 1912 Simmons is alleged to have caused bruising around the neck of a preschool aged girl she was caring for at her daycare near June 7th.

The mother contacted police on June 7th, and the girl was taken to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment of the bruising which was consistent with strangulation.

Knipp was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after police completed their investigation, and booked into jail and then released after bonding out.

(Salina Post) -A 30-year-old Salina man was arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly using nunchucks to damage a car of a woman acquaintance.

James E. French allegedly damaged the windshield, and rear window of the car of the woman while the car was in a parking lot in the 600 block of E. Crawford, just before 2p.m.

Damage was estimated at $1,000. French was booked into jail on requested charges of felony damage to property and stalking.

Days after a shooting that left 49 dead and more than 50 hospitalized at an LGBT night club in Orlando, Florida, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has taken part in a Demcratic fililbuster of gun control legislation, as Democrats pushed for universal background checks on gun purchases, and a ban on letting people on the terror watch list buy guns.

McCaskill read a message she said came from a 14-year-old girl in St. Louis, talking about things she wanted to do like graduating and going to prom, getting married and having children.

“‘But since Missouri voted that those on terrorist watch lists can purchase guns, I’m scared that I won’t be able to do those things,’” McCaskill read.

McCaskill noted it was Congress, not Missouri, that voted to allow people on terror watch lists to purchase guns.

She continued reading, “that we were not going to take the common sense step of saying that if the most trusted law enforcement professionals in the world – the most professional and highly trained – have put an individual on the terrorist watch list, that we should not let them buy guns in this country.’ Pretty common sense, and a 14-year-old knows it, and she’s scared,” said McCaskill.
Republicans say there are conflicts with the constitutional right to due process in the gun control proposal.

McCaskill also criticized Republicans for opposing background checks for gun purchases made at gun shows.

“Why should we have massive categories of gun purchases in this country without a background check? Why do we require a background check for a small business who’s selling guns but we don’t for somebody who wants to operate online,” asked McCaskill. “And we know for a fact that there has been terrorist messaging sent to people in this country, ‘You can weaponize yourself at gun shows.’”

Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) has said tougher gun laws don’t address the problem of people like the shooter in Orlando being radicalized.

The Governor has signed legislation that an advocate says will help fight the abuse and neglect of young children in Missouri.

House Bill 1877 requires that people be listed on the Child Abuse and Neglect registry for more crimes: rape; sodomy; promoting prostitution of a victim younger than 18; sexual exploitation of a minor; using a child in a sexual performance or promoting a sexual performance by a child; and possessing child pornography or giving it to a minor.

Deputy Director Emily van Schenkhof with Missouri Kids First said it also toughens the requirement that the Children’s Division be notified when someone should be added to the registry. She said there were some such crimes for which listing on the registry was not automatic. There were also cases in which individuals were found responsible for child abuse or neglect and the notification did not reach the Children’s Division.

“These changes were somewhat technical in nature, but very important for the integrity of our registry. We want the registry to contain a list of names of folks that we believe are not safe to work with vulnerable persons,” said van Schenkhof.

Another provision creates a task force on prevention of infant abuse and neglect. Van Schenkhof says she is hopeful it will result in some meaningful changes.

“There are, unfortunately, lots of things that we need to do to prevent abuse and neglect of children, and particularly of infants,” she told Missourinet.

The bill also requires a medical provider with child abuse expertise see all children younger than 3 and involved in abuse investigations, to look for signs of abuse and make recommendations for that child’s safety.

“I have, unfortunately, seen way too many cases of babies that come to the attention of our division and unfortunately those children are put back into situations where they’re horribly hurt, where they die,” said van Schenkhof.

The law will also require four hours of training in medical forensics for Children’s Division employees, to help them recognize injuries that indicate abuse.

“While a bruise on a toddler is very normal it is not the least bit normal for a four-month old,” said van Schenkhof. “I think we have a lot of cases where people are seeing what would be considered relatively small injuries on babies and not recognizing the severity of it.”

The changes in law become effective August 28.