By BLAISE MESA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2022-01-03/transgender-inmates-say-the-way-theyre-treated-in-kansas-prisons-puts-them-in-danger">Kansas News Service</a>

Rayne Bennett hadn’t begun her gender transition the first time she 
was sent to a state prison. She was held in a men’s prison and that felt
 like the right choice.

Upon reflection and meditation, she decided while in that men’s facility to begin her transition to female.

“Obviously,” Bennett said, “this is who I am.”

After
 her release from prison, she began taking hormone therapy, got a gender
 doctor and a gender therapist. She began dressing as a woman. 
Eventually, she became more comfortable with herself.

“Not only 
are the looks different, the personality is dramatically different. Not 
just confidence, not just self-esteem, not just an actual smile. But, in
 reality, it’s that sense of peace,” Bennett said. “I feel better than I
 felt in my entire life.”

Prisons and jails can be difficult 
places for transgender people. Staff and other inmates treat them 
poorly, they struggle for basic necessities and even fear for their 
safety. Trans inmates say Kansas prisons fail to recognize their gender 
identity or protect them from violence and staff harassment.

Bennett
 would end up back in Kansas prisons. She said her first sentence in 
state prison “was a breeze.” In her second stint, that gender transition
 was well underway, she struggled immensely. The only difference was how
 she looked.

The second time Bennett was arrested, she was placed 
in a men's prison despite identifying as female. That’s common practice.
 Prison officials have the authority to decide where to place 
transgender inmates.

She met with a behavioral health professional
 at the prison expecting a diagnosis for gender dysphoria. Gender 
dysphoria isn’t the same as being transgender, but it is when someone is
 distressed because they don’t identify with the gender they were 
assigned at birth. The diagnosis also helps transgender inmates get the 
services they need to live in their gender identity while they’re in 
prison.

But prison medical staff rejected the idea that Bennett 
was transgender at all. She wanted to seek a second opinion but wasn’t 
able to get one.

Bennett struggled to get diagnosed because 
Corizon Health, which used to hold the state’s prison medical care 
contract, told its staff not to diagnose inmates with gender dysphoria, 
former staff members say. Those former Corizon workers told the Kansas 
News Service that another medical professional was called in to make the
 diagnosis even if the first specialist was qualified.

Corizon 
denied the allegations and said it knows of 145 inmates with gender 
dysphoria in Michigan. Charles Seigel, spokesperson for Corizon, said 
the company has a process for people to seek another opinion if they 
believe they were misdiagnosed.

“If we found out someone was doing
 the opposite of our policy,” he said, “we would certainly take some 
kinds of actions depending on what that was.”

Corizon is no longer the medical services contractor for Kansas 
prisons. Centurion of Kansas currently works with KDOC and it deferred 
any questions to the department. Bennett said both providers treated her
 poorly, but Centurion eventually recognized her transition. 

Multiple
 transgender inmates in state prisons also said they were told they 
weren’t transgender or had to prove they were trans by going through 
what they called a “disturbing” interview process.

Emily Feingold,
 who used to work as a behavioral health professional for Corizon, said 
there were at least five times she would have diagnosed someone with 
gender dysphoria but couldn't. 

“I'm literally not allowed to 
click on that diagnosis and have that appear in your chart,” she said. 
“I have the degree, I have the license. I have the power (to make that 
diagnosis). That power was taken away from me.”

Problems for 
transgender inmates didn’t stop there. Five current and former 
transgender inmates said Kansas prisons discriminated against them 
because they were trans. They said their hormone therapy was not at the 
proper dosage or difficult to get, they feared for their safety and were
 constantly misgendered or called the wrong name.

Transgender inmates said it it is harder to be transgender in a Kansas prison than on the outside.

“Every
 day is the day where I have to worry about: Is this person going to 
hurt me? Are they gonna kill me?” Bennett said. “(Prison) broke me. It 
destroyed a part of me. A good part of me.”

Multiple transgender 
inmates contacted by the Kansas News Service said the treatment inside 
Kansas prisons made them consider or attempt suicide.

“It’s not easy living in a body that doesn’t belong to you,” Bennett said.

The Kansas Department of Corrections said it has no documented complaints from Bennett and declined any interview requests.

Bennett
 provided the Kansas News Service with unofficial complaints she filed 
and said if the department was tracking and investigating the complaints
 as they happened, it would have enough information on the allegations.

'They punish us worse. They treat us worse'

KDOC
 spokesperson Carol Pitts said in an email the department will use the 
complaints to inform policy decisions and training in the future.

Transgender inmates’ complaints range from struggling to get underwear that fit their gender identity to harrassment by staff.

Tredessa
 Donnell, an inmate at Topeka’s Women's Facility, said staff will call 
him “ma’am” or “miss” because he is a women's facility, but those aren’t
 his pronouns.

“I can’t say nothing because I'm going to get 
(disciplined),” he said. “I’m going to get consequences if I say 
something or try to stand up for myself.”

Donnell, and multiple 
other current and former inmates, told the Kansas News Service they have
 filed complaints against staff for a variety of alleged transgender 
discrimination. But as they write more reports, the inmates said, they 
become more of a target.

“They punish us worse. They treat us 
worse,” he said. “They use terms to classify us as aggressive, 
victimizers, manipulators and that’s how they treat us. So you don’t 
even have a fair shake.”

Donnell, who is Black, said treatment can be worse for Black transgender people.

Rodrigo
 Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of the National Center for 
Transgender Equality/NCTE Action Fund, said transgender discrimination 
is common in correctional facilities. Transgender inmates in Georgia, 
New Jersey and Virgina sued correctional facilities for being denied 
access to gender-affirming surgery, alleged assualts or for alleged 
sexual assault.

“No one should be discriminated against just 
because of who they are,” Heng-Lehtinen said. “When someone is behind 
bars, they shouldn't be singled out for harassment, or denied their 
humanity just because they happen to be transgender.”

Heng-Lehitnen
 said creating an inclusive environment for all inmates shouldn’t be 
hard. He said allegations of mistreatment would be clearly seen as 
discriminatory if they weren’t about transgender people.

Simple policies, like using the right name or allowing people to get a wig, can make a difference, Heng-Lehtinen said.

“These
 things that might sound small … (but) are actually really about 
authenticity and being seen as who you are,” he said. “In the most 
extreme cases, they can make a difference on your safety.”

Bennett
 said she was raped multiple times in Kansas prisons due in part to what
 she said is KDOC’s lack of interest in keeping her safe. She said she 
was raped by other inmates because she was transgender, and she raised 
her safety concerns to KDOC but not enough was done.

“As a male, I
 would have been left alone because it’s well known that 
feminine-looking inmates are pretty prized,” Bennett said. “Why in the 
hell would you put a trans inmate that is identifying as female, dresses
 as female in the prison with a bunch of sex-starved males?”

Bennett
 said her rape claims also weren’t investigated properly. She said that 
in one instance, she had both DNA inside of her and on her clothing but 
no rape kit was done and KDOC didn’t ask for her clothes for a week.

Nathaniel
 Callaway spent decades in Kansas prisons and served time before Bennett
 or Donnell were incarcerated. He had similar issues to inmates today, 
like misgendering.

“For the first 12 or so years of my 
incarceration, I walked around, I say bare a** because I refuse to wear 
women's underwear,” Callaway said. “Everything was a fight for me when 
it wasn't a fight for everyone else. Anything that I got had to be a 
fight.”

He said one deputy warden admitted the department made mistakes and tried to make things better.

One
 inmate who spoke with the Kansas News Service said they didn’t mind 
their treatment at KDOC. They were allowed to shower at different times 
and given access to products that matched their gender. Staff who used 
to work at the department decades ago said they implemented some 
changes, like housing trans inmates in cells by themselves, and they 
made life easier for transgender people.

Callaway did get the 
Department of Corrections to pay for his top surgery, but he suspects 
that was to avoid repercussions from a complaint. He thought the 
department had made meaningful change since he was incarcerated, but he 
was disappointed to hear allegations of discrimination are still 
ongoing.

“They (implied) to me that it was gonna make it easier 
for the next people,” Callaway said. “It just lets me know that they 
didn't change their mindset, it didn't change anything.”

Blaise
 Mesa reports on criminal justice and social services for the Kansas 
News Service in Topeka. You can follow him on Twitter @Blaise_Mesa or 
email him at blaise@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641306078578.png" alt="Bennett kept journal entries, complaint forms and medical services request during her time in state prisons. Blaise Mesa / Kansas News Service " />
 <figcaption>Bennett kept journal entries, complaint forms and medical services request during her time in state prisons. Blaise Mesa / Kansas News Service </figcaption>
 </figure>By BLAISE MESA <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2022-01-03/transgender-inmates-say-the-way-theyre-treated-in-kansas-prisons-puts-them-in-danger">Kansas News Service</a>Rayne Bennett hadn’t begun her gender transition the first time she 
was sent to a state prison. She was held in a men’s prison and that felt
 like the right choice.Upon reflection and meditation, she decided while in that men’s facility to begin her transition to female.“Obviously,” Bennett said, “this is who I am.”After
 her release from prison, she began taking hormone therapy, got a gender
 doctor and a gender therapist. She began dressing as a woman. 
Eventually, she became more comfortable with herself.“Not only 
are the looks different, the personality is dramatically different. Not 
just confidence, not just self-esteem, not just an actual smile. But, in
 reality, it’s that sense of peace,” Bennett said. “I feel better than I
 felt in my entire life.”Prisons and jails can be difficult 
places for transgender people. Staff and other inmates treat them 
poorly, they struggle for basic necessities and even fear for their 
safety. Trans inmates say Kansas prisons fail to recognize their gender 
identity or protect them from violence and staff harassment.Bennett
 would end up back in Kansas prisons. She said her first sentence in 
state prison “was a breeze.” In her second stint, that gender transition
 was well underway, she struggled immensely. The only difference was how
 she looked.The second time Bennett was arrested, she was placed 
in a men's prison despite identifying as female. That’s common practice.
 Prison officials have the authority to decide where to place 
transgender inmates.She met with a behavioral health professional
 at the prison expecting a diagnosis for gender dysphoria. Gender 
dysphoria isn’t the same as being transgender, but it is when someone is
 distressed because they don’t identify with the gender they were 
assigned at birth. The diagnosis also helps transgender inmates get the 
services they need to live in their gender identity while they’re in 
prison.But prison medical staff rejected the idea that Bennett 
was transgender at all. She wanted to seek a second opinion but wasn’t 
able to get one.Bennett struggled to get diagnosed because 
Corizon Health, which used to hold the state’s prison medical care 
contract, told its staff not to diagnose inmates with gender dysphoria, 
former staff members say. Those former Corizon workers told the Kansas 
News Service that another medical professional was called in to make the
 diagnosis even if the first specialist was qualified.Corizon 
denied the allegations and said it knows of 145 inmates with gender 
dysphoria in Michigan. Charles Seigel, spokesperson for Corizon, said 
the company has a process for people to seek another opinion if they 
believe they were misdiagnosed.“If we found out someone was doing
 the opposite of our policy,” he said, “we would certainly take some 
kinds of actions depending on what that was.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641306156082.png" alt="Bennett filed an informal inmate complaint alleging her consitutional rights were violated, but she said her treatment in state prisons didn't improve. Blaise Mesa / Kansas News Service " />
 <figcaption>Bennett filed an informal inmate complaint alleging her consitutional rights were violated, but she said her treatment in state prisons didn't improve. Blaise Mesa / Kansas News Service </figcaption>
 </figure>Corizon is no longer the medical services contractor for Kansas 
prisons. Centurion of Kansas currently works with KDOC and it deferred 
any questions to the department. Bennett said both providers treated her
 poorly, but Centurion eventually recognized her transition. Multiple
 transgender inmates in state prisons also said they were told they 
weren’t transgender or had to prove they were trans by going through 
what they called a “disturbing” interview process.Emily Feingold,
 who used to work as a behavioral health professional for Corizon, said 
there were at least five times she would have diagnosed someone with 
gender dysphoria but couldn't. “I'm literally not allowed to 
click on that diagnosis and have that appear in your chart,” she said. 
“I have the degree, I have the license. I have the power (to make that 
diagnosis). That power was taken away from me.”Problems for 
transgender inmates didn’t stop there. Five current and former 
transgender inmates said Kansas prisons discriminated against them 
because they were trans. They said their hormone therapy was not at the 
proper dosage or difficult to get, they feared for their safety and were
 constantly misgendered or called the wrong name.Transgender inmates said it it is harder to be transgender in a Kansas prison than on the outside.“Every
 day is the day where I have to worry about: Is this person going to 
hurt me? Are they gonna kill me?” Bennett said. “(Prison) broke me. It 
destroyed a part of me. A good part of me.”Multiple transgender 
inmates contacted by the Kansas News Service said the treatment inside 
Kansas prisons made them consider or attempt suicide.“It’s not easy living in a body that doesn’t belong to you,” Bennett said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641306195647.png" alt="Rayne Bennett corrected staff on her pronouns, but it didn't stop them from misgendering her. Blaise Mesa / Kansas News Service " />
 <figcaption>Rayne Bennett corrected staff on her pronouns, but it didn't stop them from misgendering her. Blaise Mesa / Kansas News Service </figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Department of Corrections said it has no documented complaints from Bennett and declined any interview requests.Bennett
 provided the Kansas News Service with unofficial complaints she filed 
and said if the department was tracking and investigating the complaints
 as they happened, it would have enough information on the allegations.<h2>'They punish us worse. They treat us worse'</h2> KDOC
 spokesperson Carol Pitts said in an email the department will use the 
complaints to inform policy decisions and training in the future.Transgender inmates’ complaints range from struggling to get underwear that fit their gender identity to harrassment by staff.Tredessa
 Donnell, an inmate at Topeka’s Women's Facility, said staff will call 
him “ma’am” or “miss” because he is a women's facility, but those aren’t
 his pronouns.“I can’t say nothing because I'm going to get 
(disciplined),” he said. “I’m going to get consequences if I say 
something or try to stand up for myself.”Donnell, and multiple 
other current and former inmates, told the Kansas News Service they have
 filed complaints against staff for a variety of alleged transgender 
discrimination. But as they write more reports, the inmates said, they 
become more of a target.“They punish us worse. They treat us 
worse,” he said. “They use terms to classify us as aggressive, 
victimizers, manipulators and that’s how they treat us. So you don’t 
even have a fair shake.”Donnell, who is Black, said treatment can be worse for Black transgender people.Rodrigo
 Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of the National Center for 
Transgender Equality/NCTE Action Fund, said transgender discrimination 
is common in correctional facilities. Transgender inmates in Georgia, 
New Jersey and Virgina sued correctional facilities for being denied 
access to gender-affirming surgery, alleged assualts or for alleged 
sexual assault.“No one should be discriminated against just 
because of who they are,” Heng-Lehtinen said. “When someone is behind 
bars, they shouldn't be singled out for harassment, or denied their 
humanity just because they happen to be transgender.”Heng-Lehitnen
 said creating an inclusive environment for all inmates shouldn’t be 
hard. He said allegations of mistreatment would be clearly seen as 
discriminatory if they weren’t about transgender people.Simple policies, like using the right name or allowing people to get a wig, can make a difference, Heng-Lehtinen said.“These
 things that might sound small … (but) are actually really about 
authenticity and being seen as who you are,” he said. “In the most 
extreme cases, they can make a difference on your safety.”Bennett
 said she was raped multiple times in Kansas prisons due in part to what
 she said is KDOC’s lack of interest in keeping her safe. She said she 
was raped by other inmates because she was transgender, and she raised 
her safety concerns to KDOC but not enough was done.“As a male, I
 would have been left alone because it’s well known that 
feminine-looking inmates are pretty prized,” Bennett said. “Why in the 
hell would you put a trans inmate that is identifying as female, dresses
 as female in the prison with a bunch of sex-starved males?”Bennett
 said her rape claims also weren’t investigated properly. She said that 
in one instance, she had both DNA inside of her and on her clothing but 
no rape kit was done and KDOC didn’t ask for her clothes for a week.<h2>KDOC promised to be better</h2> Nathaniel
 Callaway spent decades in Kansas prisons and served time before Bennett
 or Donnell were incarcerated. He had similar issues to inmates today, 
like misgendering.“For the first 12 or so years of my 
incarceration, I walked around, I say bare a** because I refuse to wear 
women's underwear,” Callaway said. “Everything was a fight for me when 
it wasn't a fight for everyone else. Anything that I got had to be a 
fight.”He said one deputy warden admitted the department made mistakes and tried to make things better.One
 inmate who spoke with the Kansas News Service said they didn’t mind 
their treatment at KDOC. They were allowed to shower at different times 
and given access to products that matched their gender. Staff who used 
to work at the department decades ago said they implemented some 
changes, like housing trans inmates in cells by themselves, and they 
made life easier for transgender people.Callaway did get the 
Department of Corrections to pay for his top surgery, but he suspects 
that was to avoid repercussions from a complaint. He thought the 
department had made meaningful change since he was incarcerated, but he 
was disappointed to hear allegations of discrimination are still 
ongoing.“They (implied) to me that it was gonna make it easier 
for the next people,” Callaway said. “It just lets me know that they 
didn't change their mindset, it didn't change anything.”Blaise
 Mesa reports on criminal justice and social services for the Kansas 
News Service in Topeka. You can follow him on Twitter @Blaise_Mesa or 
email him at blaise@kcur.org.

Transgender inmates treatment in Kansas prisons puts them in danger

DONIPHAN COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities arrested a Kansas man&nbsp; Thursday night after a child abuse investigation, according to a media release from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Just after 11:15 p.m., KBI agents, along with the Highland Police Department and the Doniphan County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Seth T. Ramsey, 19, on requested charges of abuse of a child, aggravated battery, and aggravated endangering a child. The crimes allege Ramsey physically abused his 2-month-old daughter.

Following the arrest, Ramsey was booked into the Doniphan County Jail.

The case began on Jan. 2, when a family member noticed the infant was having trouble breathing and sought help for her at Hiawatha Community Hospital. 

Due to the severity of the infant’s injuries, medical staff contacted police and transferred her to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

On Jan. 4 at around 9 a.m., the Highland Police Department requested KBI assistance with the investigation. At that time, search warrants were executed at the infant’s residence at 307 N. Carolina, Apt. 7, in Highland, and for her parents’ cellular phones.

The infant was treated and released from Children’s Mercy Hospital and is currently recovering from her injuries.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641590933782.png" alt="Ramsey-photo Doniphan Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Ramsey-photo Doniphan Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>DONIPHAN COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities arrested a Kansas man&nbsp; Thursday night after a child abuse investigation, according to a media release from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.Just after 11:15 p.m., KBI agents, along with the Highland Police Department and the Doniphan County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Seth T. Ramsey, 19, on requested charges of abuse of a child, aggravated battery, and aggravated endangering a child. The crimes allege Ramsey physically abused his 2-month-old daughter.Following the arrest, Ramsey was booked into the Doniphan County Jail.The case began on Jan. 2, when a family member noticed the infant was having trouble breathing and sought help for her at Hiawatha Community Hospital. Due to the severity of the infant’s injuries, medical staff contacted police and transferred her to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.On Jan. 4 at around 9 a.m., the Highland Police Department requested KBI assistance with the investigation. At that time, search warrants were executed at the infant’s residence at 307 N. Carolina, Apt. 7, in Highland, and for her parents’ cellular phones.The infant was treated and released from Children’s Mercy Hospital and is currently recovering from her injuries.

Kansas man accused of abuse of his 2-month old daughter

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man and a woman have been charged in the Christmas Eve death of a toddler.

Christopher Robert Wilson, 46, and Avery Nicole Young, 22, of Chillicothe were arrested Tuesday on warrants charging them with second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child, according to online court documents.

Police have said that medics called around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 to a home in Chillicothe found a 2-year-old child unresponsive. The toddler was rushed to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Authorities have not released the name of the child or given the child’s cause of death.

Police have not said how Wilson and Young are related to the child.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641500156494.png" alt="Wilson- Daviess-Dekalb Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Wilson- Daviess-Dekalb Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A man and a woman have been charged in the Christmas Eve death of a toddler.Christopher Robert Wilson, 46, and Avery Nicole Young, 22, of Chillicothe were arrested Tuesday on warrants charging them with second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child, according to online court documents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641500131529.png" alt="Young-Daviess-Dekalb Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Young-Daviess-Dekalb Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>Police have said that medics called around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 to a home in Chillicothe found a 2-year-old child unresponsive. The toddler was rushed to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Authorities have not released the name of the child or given the child’s cause of death.Police have not said how Wilson and Young are related to the child.

Couple near KC charged in toddler's death on Christmas Eve

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating suspects involved in a traffic stop that injured a sheriff's deputy and are looking for the driver of the vehicle who fled the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;Just before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 5300 block of SW Topeka Boulevard on a blue Mercedes C300 passenger car, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

 During the investigation, the driver and front passenger attempted to exit the vehicle multiple times. The front male passenger, later identified as Tony M. Gant Jr, 39, of Topeka, exited the vehicle, refused to follow any commands and initiated a physical altercation with the deputy. 

During the physical altercation that led to Gant being taken into custody, the male driver exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.

Gant was arrested, booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of felony battery against a law enforcement officer and interference with law enforcement.

The deputy was taken to a local hospital for treatment and released following this incident.

Authorities identified the driver as 39-year-old Patrick C. Morere of Topeka. Anyone with information on Morere’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office. A 32-year-old female passenger was interviewed and released from the scene.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641505836289.png" alt="Law enforcement continues to search for Patrick Morere -photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff." />
 <figcaption>Law enforcement continues to search for Patrick Morere -photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating suspects involved in a traffic stop that injured a sheriff's deputy and are looking for the driver of the vehicle who fled the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, a deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 5300 block of SW Topeka Boulevard on a blue Mercedes C300 passenger car, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. During the investigation, the driver and front passenger attempted to exit the vehicle multiple times. The front male passenger, later identified as Tony M. Gant Jr, 39, of Topeka, exited the vehicle, refused to follow any commands and initiated a physical altercation with the deputy. During the physical altercation that led to Gant being taken into custody, the male driver exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.Gant was arrested, booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of felony battery against a law enforcement officer and interference with law enforcement.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641505804589.png" alt="Gant-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Gant-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The deputy was taken to a local hospital for treatment and released following this incident.Authorities identified the driver as 39-year-old Patrick C. Morere of Topeka. Anyone with information on Morere’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office. A 32-year-old female passenger was interviewed and released from the scene.

Search continues for suspect after Kan. deputy injured during traffic stop

PAWNEE COUNTY– Liliana Guadalupe Houser, 45, of Garden City, appeared in the Pawnee County District Court Thursday afternoon before District Judge Bruce Gatterman for a Felony Arraignment, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.

Houser plead No Contest to three felonies including Unlawful Sexual Relations with a patient while employed by Kansas Dept. of Aging and Disability Services(KDADS), Traffic in Contraband in a Care &amp; Treatment Facility while employed by KDADS and Obstructing in the Apprehension or Prosecution of a Registered Sex Offender.

In exchange for the plea, the State agreed to dismiss an additional count of Unlawful Sexual Relations with a patient while employed by KDADS and nine additional counts of Traffic in Contraband in a Care &amp; Treatment Facility while employed by KDADS.

The charges stem from an ongoing investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department following the June 30, 2021, escape of John Freeman Colt from the Sexual Predator Treatment Program located on the campus of Larned State Hospital. Colt was captured in Wayne Country Utah on September 27.

In support of the plea, Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett advised the Court that had the matter proceeded to trial the State would have presented testimony that Houser, while employed at Larned State Hospital, engaged in a sexual relationship with Colt between January 17 and June 24, 2021, and that she sent sexually explicit videos to Colt utilizing the Facebook Messenger platform.

 When law enforcement interviewed her on July 1, Houser failed to disclose her relationship with Colt or the existence of Colt’s Facebook account. It is the State’s position this nondisclosure was intended to assist Colt avoid apprehension as information contained in the account later played a crucial role in the investigation. The defendant did not make any statement regarding the State’s proffer of evidence.

Prior to accepting the plea, Judge Gatterman advised Houser she would be subject to register as a Sex Offender for a period of twenty-five years. Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines she faces a presumptive prison sentence between 31 months and 136 months depending on her criminal history.

Sentencing has been scheduled for February 17. Houser has been in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff since her arrest on October 8, on a Bond of $45,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634076547899.png" alt="Houser-photo Pawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Houser-photo Pawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY– Liliana Guadalupe Houser, 45, of Garden City, appeared in the Pawnee County District Court Thursday afternoon before District Judge Bruce Gatterman for a Felony Arraignment, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.Houser plead No Contest to three felonies including Unlawful Sexual Relations with a patient while employed by Kansas Dept. of Aging and Disability Services(KDADS), Traffic in Contraband in a Care &amp; Treatment Facility while employed by KDADS and Obstructing in the Apprehension or Prosecution of a Registered Sex Offender.In exchange for the plea, the State agreed to dismiss an additional count of Unlawful Sexual Relations with a patient while employed by KDADS and nine additional counts of Traffic in Contraband in a Care &amp; Treatment Facility while employed by KDADS.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632850718422.png" alt="With assistance from three state hospital employees, John Freeman Colt escaped from the treatment program at the Larned State Hospital in June. He was captured in Utah on Sept. 27." />
 <figcaption>With assistance from three state hospital employees, John Freeman Colt escaped from the treatment program at the Larned State Hospital in June. He was captured in Utah on Sept. 27.</figcaption>
 </figure>The charges stem from an ongoing investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department following the June 30, 2021, escape of John Freeman Colt from the Sexual Predator Treatment Program located on the campus of Larned State Hospital. Colt was captured in Wayne Country Utah on September 27.In support of the plea, Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett advised the Court that had the matter proceeded to trial the State would have presented testimony that Houser, while employed at Larned State Hospital, engaged in a sexual relationship with Colt between January 17 and June 24, 2021, and that she sent sexually explicit videos to Colt utilizing the Facebook Messenger platform. When law enforcement interviewed her on July 1, Houser failed to disclose her relationship with Colt or the existence of Colt’s Facebook account. It is the State’s position this nondisclosure was intended to assist Colt avoid apprehension as information contained in the account later played a crucial role in the investigation. The defendant did not make any statement regarding the State’s proffer of evidence.Prior to accepting the plea, Judge Gatterman advised Houser she would be subject to register as a Sex Offender for a period of twenty-five years. Under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines she faces a presumptive prison sentence between 31 months and 136 months depending on her criminal history.Sentencing has been scheduled for February 17. Houser has been in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff since her arrest on October 8, on a Bond of $45,000.

State hospital employee had sex with offender before his escape

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

SALINE COUNTY —A Wichita man was arrested after the wrecker he was in was found against a box truck in a Salina church parking lot.

Just after 6 a.m. Wednesday, a Salina police officer noticed a&nbsp;a 2019 Freightliner wrecker owned by Kidd's Towing Service resting against a box truck in the parking lot of Trinity Lutheran Church at S. Ninth Street and W. Crawford Street, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

The officer pulled into the parking lot to investigate and allegedly found the driver of the wrecker, Alberto Garcia, 25, of Wichita, passed out in the driver's seat. It appeared that the wrecker had been westbound, crossed S. Ninth Street, entered the church parking lot and struck the box truck.

The wrecker sustained minor front-end damage and the box truck, a 2015 Ford Econoline E350, sustained minor rear-end damage. Officers arrested Garcia on the requested charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and careless driving.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641490472116.jpeg" alt="Garcia photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Garcia photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostSALINE COUNTY —A Wichita man was arrested after the wrecker he was in was found against a box truck in a Salina church parking lot.Just after 6 a.m. Wednesday, a Salina police officer noticed a&nbsp;a 2019 Freightliner wrecker owned by Kidd's Towing Service resting against a box truck in the parking lot of Trinity Lutheran Church at S. Ninth Street and W. Crawford Street, according to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.The officer pulled into the parking lot to investigate and allegedly found the driver of the wrecker, Alberto Garcia, 25, of Wichita, passed out in the driver's seat. It appeared that the wrecker had been westbound, crossed S. Ninth Street, entered the church parking lot and struck the box truck.The wrecker sustained minor front-end damage and the box truck, a 2015 Ford Econoline E350, sustained minor rear-end damage. Officers arrested Garcia on the requested charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and careless driving.

Kan. tow truck driver jailed for alleged DUI after parking lot crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday vowed to hold accountable anyone who was responsible for last year’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, whether they were physically there or not.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-delivers-remarks-first-anniversary-attack-capitol">In a speech to Justice </a>Department employees, Garland said prosecutors remained “committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law.”

His remarks come just shy of the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol and as the Justice Department has faced increased pressure from some Democrats to focus more on actions that may have inspired the thousands of pro-Trump rioters to storm the building.

“We will follow the facts wherever they lead,” Garland said in his speech. “The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last.”

The investigation into the attack on the Capitol is the largest in the Justice Department’s history. So far, more than 700 people have been arrested and 350 others are still being sought by the FBI, including 250 of whom are accused of assaulting police officers.

Garland also detailed the serious assaults on law enforcement officers, describing in detail how officers were beaten and shocked with stun guns. During January’s riot, one officer was beaten and shocked with a stun gun repeatedly until he had a heart attack; another was foaming at the mouth and screaming for help as rioters crushed him between two doors and bashed him in the head with his own weapon.

“Those involved must be held accountable, and there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice,” Garland said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday vowed to hold accountable anyone who was responsible for last year’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, whether they were physically there or not.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDOJ%2Fvideos%2F306414498092634%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=63" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-delivers-remarks-first-anniversary-attack-capitol">In a speech to Justice </a>Department employees, Garland said prosecutors remained “committed to holding all January 6th perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law.”His remarks come just shy of the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol and as the Justice Department has faced increased pressure from some Democrats to focus more on actions that may have inspired the thousands of pro-Trump rioters to storm the building.“We will follow the facts wherever they lead,” Garland said in his speech. “The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last.”The investigation into the attack on the Capitol is the largest in the Justice Department’s history. So far, more than 700 people have been arrested and 350 others are still being sought by the FBI, including 250 of whom are accused of assaulting police officers.Garland also detailed the serious assaults on law enforcement officers, describing in detail how officers were beaten and shocked with stun guns. During January’s riot, one officer was beaten and shocked with a stun gun repeatedly until he had a heart attack; another was foaming at the mouth and screaming for help as rioters crushed him between two doors and bashed him in the head with his own weapon.“Those involved must be held accountable, and there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice,” Garland said.

🎥 AG: All Jan. 6 perpetrators at any level will be held accountable 

PAWNEE COUNTY — Formal charges were filed Wednesday afternoon against Emilia Melinda Brown, 38 of Ulysses, in connection with the Monday night escape of Isaac Nathaniel Watts, 43 of Ulysses, from the Crisis Stabilization Unit on the Campus of Larned State Hospital, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.

Just after 11a.m. Tuesday, the Garden City Police Department arrested Watts and Brown at the Hampton Inn,&nbsp;2505 Crestway Drive in Garden City.

Brown is charged with Aiding Escape, a severity level 7 nonperson felony. Bond has been set at $15,000 cash or surety. She remains in the custody of Finney County Detention Center. Arrangements are being made to by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office to transport her to the Pawnee County Jail.

The Complaint alleges she provided transportation for Watts from the Larned State Hospital campus. At the time of the escape, Watts was subject to a hold by the Grant County Sheriff for felony charges that included Attempted Second Degree Murder and Aggravated Kidnapping.

Watts will be formally charged with Aggravated Escape from Custody once the law enforcement investigation is completed. The investigation is being handled by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office, according to McNett.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641423652635.png" alt="Watts-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Watts-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY — Formal charges were filed Wednesday afternoon against Emilia Melinda Brown, 38 of Ulysses, in connection with the Monday night escape of Isaac Nathaniel Watts, 43 of Ulysses, from the Crisis Stabilization Unit on the Campus of Larned State Hospital, according to Pawnee County Attorney Doug McNett.Just after 11a.m. Tuesday, the Garden City Police Department arrested Watts and Brown at the Hampton Inn,&nbsp;2505 Crestway Drive in Garden City.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641423485802.png" alt="Brown-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Brown-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Brown is charged with Aiding Escape, a severity level 7 nonperson felony. Bond has been set at $15,000 cash or surety. She remains in the custody of Finney County Detention Center. Arrangements are being made to by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office to transport her to the Pawnee County Jail.The Complaint alleges she provided transportation for Watts from the Larned State Hospital campus. At the time of the escape, Watts was subject to a hold by the Grant County Sheriff for felony charges that included Attempted Second Degree Murder and Aggravated Kidnapping.Watts will be formally charged with Aggravated Escape from Custody once the law enforcement investigation is completed. The investigation is being handled by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office, according to McNett.

Female accomplice charged in escape from Larned State Hospital 

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press

MISSION, Kan. — What students are learning about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6</a>&nbsp;may depend on where they live.

In a Boston suburb in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, history teacher Justin Voldman said his students will spend the day journaling about what happened and talking about the fragility of democracy.

“I feel really strongly that this needs to be talked about,” said Voldman, who teaches history at Natick High School, 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Boston. As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, he said “it is fair to draw parallels between what happened on Jan. 6 and the rise of fascism.”

Voldman said he feels fortunate: “There are other parts of the country where ... I would be scared to be a teacher.”

Liz Wagner, an eighth and ninth grade social studies teacher in a Des Moines suburb of increasingly Republican Iowa, got an email from an administrator last year, warning teachers to be careful in how they framed the discussion.

“I guess I was so, I don’t know if naïve is the appropriate word, perhaps exhausted from the pandemic teaching year last year, to understand how controversial this was going to be,” she said.

Some students questioned Wagner last year when she referred to what happened as an "insurrection." She responded by having them read the dictionary definition for the word. This year, she will probably show students videos of the protest and ask them to write about what the footage shows.

“This is kind of what I have to do to ensure that I’m not upsetting anybody,” Wagner said. “Last year I was on the front line of the COVID war, trying to dodge COVID, and now I’m on the front line of the culture war, and I don’t want to be there.”

With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-school-boards-35db5c9eec87b85ca8eb95a64c2f6dd7">crowds shouting at school board meetings</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-education-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-school-boards-bed36a1460957cb6be4df9d18583a765">political action committees investing millions of dollars in races</a>&nbsp;to elect conservative candidates across the country, talking to students about what happened on Jan. 6 is increasingly fraught.

Teachers now are left to decide how — or whether — to instruct their students about the events that sit at the heart of the country’s division. And the lessons sometimes vary based on whether they are in a red state or a blue state.

Facing History and Ourselves, a nonprofit that helps teachers with difficult lessons on subjects like the Holocaust, offered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/educator-resources/current-events/responding-insurrection-us-capitol" target="_blank">tips on how to broach the topic</a>&nbsp;with students in the hours after the riot.

Within 18 hours of publication, it had 100,000 page views — a level of interest that Abby Weiss, who oversees the development of the nonprofit’s teaching tools, said was unlike anything the group has seen before.

In the year that has followed, Weiss said, Republican lawmakers and governors in many states have championed legislation to limit the teaching of material that explores how race and racism influence American politics, culture and law.

“Teachers are anxious,” she said. “On the face of it, if you read the laws, they’re quite vague and, you know, hard to know actually what’s permissible and what isn’t.”

Racial discussions are hard to avoid when discussing the riot because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-supremacy-threats-capitol-riots-2d4ba4d1a3d55197489d773b3e0b0f32">white supremacists&nbsp;</a>were among those descending on the halls of power, said Jinnie Spiegler, director of curriculum and training for the Anti-Defamation League. She said the group is concerned that the insurrection could be used as a recruitment tool and wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/extreme-measures-how-to-help-young-people-counter" target="_blank">a newly released guide</a>&nbsp;to help teachers and parents combat those radicalization efforts.

“To talk about white supremacy, to talk about white supremacist extremists, to talk about their racist Confederate flag, it’s fraught for so many reasons,” Spiegler said.

Anton Schulzki, the president of the National Council for the Social Studies, said students are often the ones bringing up the racial issues. Last year, he was just moments into discussing what happened when one of his honors students at William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs said, “’You know, if those rioters were all Black, they’d all be arrested by now.”

Since then, three conservative school board candidates won seats on the school board where Schulzki teaches, and the district dissolved its equity leadership team. He is covered by a contract that offers academic freedom protections, and has discussed the riot periodically over the past year.

“I do feel,” he said, “that there may be some teachers who are going to feel the best thing for me to do is to ignore this because I don’t want to put myself in jeopardy because I have my own bills to pay, my own house, to take care of, my own kids to take back and forth to school.”

Concerned teachers have been reaching out to the American Federation of Teachers, which last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-lawsuits-discrimination-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-3ad179f58e856873305541e1c95cdc14">sued over New Hampshire’s new limits</a>&nbsp;on the discussion of systemic racism and other topics.

“What I’m hearing now over and over and over again is that these laws that have been passed in different places are really intended to chill the discussion of current events,” said Randi Weingarten, the union’s president and a former social studies teacher. “I am very concerned about what it means in terms of the teaching as we get closer and closer to January 6th.”

The biggest fear for Paula Davis, a middle school special education teacher in a rural central Indiana district, is that the discussion about what happened could be used by teachers with a political agenda to indoctrinate students. She won’t discuss Jan. 6 in her classroom; her focus is math and English.

“I think it’s extremely important that any teacher that is addressing that topic does so from an unbiased perspective,” said Davis, a regional chapter chair for Moms for Liberty, a group whose members have protested mask and vaccine mandates and critical race theory. “If it cannot be done without bias, then it should not be done.”

But there is no way Dylan Huisken will avoid the topic in his middle school classroom in the Missoula, Montana, area town of Bonner. He plans to use the anniversary to teach his students to use their voice constructively by doing things like writing to lawmakers.

“Not addressing the attack,” Huisken said, “is to suggest that the civic ideals we teach exist in a vacuum and don’t have any real-world application, that civic knowledge is mere trivia.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614042711157.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated PressMISSION, Kan. — What students are learning about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6</a>&nbsp;may depend on where they live.In a Boston suburb in heavily Democratic Massachusetts, history teacher Justin Voldman said his students will spend the day journaling about what happened and talking about the fragility of democracy.“I feel really strongly that this needs to be talked about,” said Voldman, who teaches history at Natick High School, 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Boston. As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, he said “it is fair to draw parallels between what happened on Jan. 6 and the rise of fascism.”Voldman said he feels fortunate: “There are other parts of the country where ... I would be scared to be a teacher.”Liz Wagner, an eighth and ninth grade social studies teacher in a Des Moines suburb of increasingly Republican Iowa, got an email from an administrator last year, warning teachers to be careful in how they framed the discussion.“I guess I was so, I don’t know if naïve is the appropriate word, perhaps exhausted from the pandemic teaching year last year, to understand how controversial this was going to be,” she said.Some students questioned Wagner last year when she referred to what happened as an "insurrection." She responded by having them read the dictionary definition for the word. This year, she will probably show students videos of the protest and ask them to write about what the footage shows.“This is kind of what I have to do to ensure that I’m not upsetting anybody,” Wagner said. “Last year I was on the front line of the COVID war, trying to dodge COVID, and now I’m on the front line of the culture war, and I don’t want to be there.”With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-school-boards-35db5c9eec87b85ca8eb95a64c2f6dd7">crowds shouting at school board meetings</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-education-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-school-boards-bed36a1460957cb6be4df9d18583a765">political action committees investing millions of dollars in races</a>&nbsp;to elect conservative candidates across the country, talking to students about what happened on Jan. 6 is increasingly fraught.Teachers now are left to decide how — or whether — to instruct their students about the events that sit at the heart of the country’s division. And the lessons sometimes vary based on whether they are in a red state or a blue state.Facing History and Ourselves, a nonprofit that helps teachers with difficult lessons on subjects like the Holocaust, offered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/educator-resources/current-events/responding-insurrection-us-capitol" target="_blank">tips on how to broach the topic</a>&nbsp;with students in the hours after the riot.Within 18 hours of publication, it had 100,000 page views — a level of interest that Abby Weiss, who oversees the development of the nonprofit’s teaching tools, said was unlike anything the group has seen before.In the year that has followed, Weiss said, Republican lawmakers and governors in many states have championed legislation to limit the teaching of material that explores how race and racism influence American politics, culture and law.“Teachers are anxious,” she said. “On the face of it, if you read the laws, they’re quite vague and, you know, hard to know actually what’s permissible and what isn’t.”Racial discussions are hard to avoid when discussing the riot because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-supremacy-threats-capitol-riots-2d4ba4d1a3d55197489d773b3e0b0f32">white supremacists&nbsp;</a>were among those descending on the halls of power, said Jinnie Spiegler, director of curriculum and training for the Anti-Defamation League. She said the group is concerned that the insurrection could be used as a recruitment tool and wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/extreme-measures-how-to-help-young-people-counter" target="_blank">a newly released guide</a>&nbsp;to help teachers and parents combat those radicalization efforts.“To talk about white supremacy, to talk about white supremacist extremists, to talk about their racist Confederate flag, it’s fraught for so many reasons,” Spiegler said.Anton Schulzki, the president of the National Council for the Social Studies, said students are often the ones bringing up the racial issues. Last year, he was just moments into discussing what happened when one of his honors students at William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs said, “’You know, if those rioters were all Black, they’d all be arrested by now.”Since then, three conservative school board candidates won seats on the school board where Schulzki teaches, and the district dissolved its equity leadership team. He is covered by a contract that offers academic freedom protections, and has discussed the riot periodically over the past year.“I do feel,” he said, “that there may be some teachers who are going to feel the best thing for me to do is to ignore this because I don’t want to put myself in jeopardy because I have my own bills to pay, my own house, to take care of, my own kids to take back and forth to school.”Concerned teachers have been reaching out to the American Federation of Teachers, which last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-lawsuits-discrimination-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-3ad179f58e856873305541e1c95cdc14">sued over New Hampshire’s new limits</a>&nbsp;on the discussion of systemic racism and other topics.“What I’m hearing now over and over and over again is that these laws that have been passed in different places are really intended to chill the discussion of current events,” said Randi Weingarten, the union’s president and a former social studies teacher. “I am very concerned about what it means in terms of the teaching as we get closer and closer to January 6th.”The biggest fear for Paula Davis, a middle school special education teacher in a rural central Indiana district, is that the discussion about what happened could be used by teachers with a political agenda to indoctrinate students. She won’t discuss Jan. 6 in her classroom; her focus is math and English.“I think it’s extremely important that any teacher that is addressing that topic does so from an unbiased perspective,” said Davis, a regional chapter chair for Moms for Liberty, a group whose members have protested mask and vaccine mandates and critical race theory. “If it cannot be done without bias, then it should not be done.”But there is no way Dylan Huisken will avoid the topic in his middle school classroom in the Missoula, Montana, area town of Bonner. He plans to use the anniversary to teach his students to use their voice constructively by doing things like writing to lawmakers.“Not addressing the attack,” Huisken said, “is to suggest that the civic ideals we teach exist in a vacuum and don’t have any real-world application, that civic knowledge is mere trivia.”

Teachers at culture war frontlines with Jan. 6 education

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20035776">Kansas felon jailed </a>for the alleged fatal stabbing of a Kansas woman in her home is scheduled for a return to court Wednesday afternoon, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. The&nbsp; hearing could determine when his case goes to trial.

Goldy Metcalf, 36, is<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20035776"> charged with 1st&nbsp;degree</a> murder, attempted 1st&nbsp;degree murder, aggravated burglary, burglary, theft, two counts of criminal damage to property, criminal damage to property and criminal trespass, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office.

Just after 8 a.m. Dec. 4, police responded to a disturbance with a weapon at a home in the 600 block of South Green in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

 Upon arrival, officers located a 64-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man with multiple stab wounds. 

EMS transported both victims to an area hospital where the 64-year-old woman died, according to Davidson. The 73-year-old man had serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The investigation revealed at approximately 5 a.m. on Dec. 4, officers responded to a call in the 1800 block of North Kansas regarding a citizen who had 36-year-old Goldy L. Metcalf of Wichita at gunpoint for unlawfully entering his vehicle.&nbsp; 

Metcalf was cooperative with officers, cited for misdemeanor tampering with an automobile, and given a courtesy transport to St. Francis Hospital for medical treatment due to a previous injury to his mouth, according to Davidson.

Metcalf left St. Francis Hospital against medical advice and at approximately 8 a.m. stole a blue Ford pick-up in the 600 block of North Waco that was left running.

Metcalf fled in the truck and crashed it into a building in the 600 block of South Green. He then fled the scene and forced his way into the residence on South Green, where he stabbed the two victims. Metcalf fled from that residence and entered an unoccupied residence in 600 block of South Erie, and attempted to gain access to a church in the same block. Thanks to information provided by citizens, police responded quickly, located&nbsp; Metcalf and arrested him.

Metcalf was paroled from prison in July and has prior convictions for aggravated battery, criminal possession of a firearm, burglary, flee law enforcement, and aggravated robbery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.&nbsp; He<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20035776"> is jailed on </a>a bond $507,500.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638721469657.png" alt="Metcalf-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Metcalf-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20035776">Kansas felon jailed </a>for the alleged fatal stabbing of a Kansas woman in her home is scheduled for a return to court Wednesday afternoon, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. The&nbsp; hearing could determine when his case goes to trial.Goldy Metcalf, 36, is<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20035776"> charged with 1st&nbsp;degree</a> murder, attempted 1st&nbsp;degree murder, aggravated burglary, burglary, theft, two counts of criminal damage to property, criminal damage to property and criminal trespass, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office.Just after 8 a.m. Dec. 4, police responded to a disturbance with a weapon at a home in the 600 block of South Green in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers located a 64-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man with multiple stab wounds. EMS transported both victims to an area hospital where the 64-year-old woman died, according to Davidson. The 73-year-old man had serious but non-life-threatening injuries.The investigation revealed at approximately 5 a.m. on Dec. 4, officers responded to a call in the 1800 block of North Kansas regarding a citizen who had 36-year-old Goldy L. Metcalf of Wichita at gunpoint for unlawfully entering his vehicle.&nbsp; Metcalf was cooperative with officers, cited for misdemeanor tampering with an automobile, and given a courtesy transport to St. Francis Hospital for medical treatment due to a previous injury to his mouth, according to Davidson.Metcalf left St. Francis Hospital against medical advice and at approximately 8 a.m. stole a blue Ford pick-up in the 600 block of North Waco that was left running.Metcalf fled in the truck and crashed it into a building in the 600 block of South Green. He then fled the scene and forced his way into the residence on South Green, where he stabbed the two victims. Metcalf fled from that residence and entered an unoccupied residence in 600 block of South Erie, and attempted to gain access to a church in the same block. Thanks to information provided by citizens, police responded quickly, located&nbsp; Metcalf and arrested him.Metcalf was paroled from prison in July and has prior convictions for aggravated battery, criminal possession of a firearm, burglary, flee law enforcement, and aggravated robbery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.&nbsp; He<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20035776"> is jailed on </a>a bond $507,500.&nbsp;

Felon who left hospital, killed Kan. woman in her home due in court

WASHINGTON (AP) — The suspect was covered from head to toe, skulking through the dark streets of the nation’s capital before methodically placing two explosives outside the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees.

Only 17 hours later — and just before the U.S. Capitol was stormed by a sea of pro-Trump rioters — were the pipe bombs discovered. It quickly became one of the highest-priority investigations for the FBI and the Justice Department.

But the trail grew cold almost immediately. A year later, federal investigators are no closer to learning the person’s identity. And a key question remains: Was there a connection between the pipe bombs and the riot at the Capitol?

The suspect is among hundreds of people still being sought by the FBI following last January’s deadly insurrection. So far, 250 people seen on video assaulting police at the Capitol still haven’t been fully identified and apprehended by the FBI, and another 100 are being sought for other crimes tied to the riot.

The investigation has been a massive undertaking for federal law enforcement officials. More than 700 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the Jan. 6 attack, and arrests are still being made regularly.

But for the FBI agents working on the cases, the job is far from over. Agents and investigative analysts have been poring over thousands of hours of surveillance video, going second by second in each video to try to capture clear images of people who attacked officers inside the Capitol.

“This investigation takes time because it is a lot of lot of work, a lot of painstaking work that they look at the video kind of frame by frame,” said Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s field office in Washington.

In one case, police body camera footage captures a man using a cane with electric prods on the end jabbing at officers and shocking them as they fight to hold back the riotous crowd trying to break through a barricaded line of officers at one of the doors of the Capitol. The crackling sound of the electricity can be heard as he prods his cane into one of the officers. The man, known only as “AFO114” — using shorthand for “assaulting a federal officer” — is still being sought.

“The assaults against the police officers are extremely serious,” D’Antuono said. More than 100 police officers were attacked by rioters on Jan. 6, some attacked by multiple people and some attacked multiple times, he said.

In another video, a man is seen repeatedly bashing a police officer over the head with a 6-foot (1.8-meter) metal pole as he tries to push his way into the Capitol. And a third shows a man spraying some kind of chemical from a can into the faces of other officers.

“There is still a lot of work to be done on this,” D’Antuono said. “There were a lot of people up there at the Capitol, a lot of people that either committed violence up there did other unlawful actions up there.”

In the search for the person who left the pipe bombs at the RNC and DNC offices, investigators have interviewed more than 900 people, collected 39,000 video files and examined more than 400 leads. They have dived into the components of the explosives and have been working to try to discern anything they can about the suspect, from analyzing the person's gait to trying to collect information about purchases of the distinctive Nike sneakers the person wore.

But they are still no closer to finding the suspect’s identity and are hoping renewed attention on the video of the person may spark a tip to crack the case.

The explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, but weren’t located by law enforcement until the next day. U.S. Capitol Police and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the Republican National Committee’s office around 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 6. About 30 minutes later, as the agents and bomb technicians were still investigating at the RNC, another call came in for a similar explosive device found at the Democratic National Committee headquarters nearby. The bombs were rendered safe, and no one was hurt.

Video released by the FBI shows a person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, a face mask and gloves appearing to place one of the explosives under a bench outside the DNC and separately shows the person walking in an alley near the RNC before the bomb was placed there. The person wore black and light gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.

“We’ve used and continue to use every investigative tool that we lawfully have to find this individual,” D’Antuono said. But, a year later, investigators still don’t know whether the suspect is a man or a woman. The person carried the bombs — made of threaded galvanized pipes, kitchen timers and homemade black powder — in a backpack.

“We’re still nose to the grindstone here and trying to find this individual, trying to bring the person to justice,” D'Antuono said. “But there is hopefully maybe somebody still out there that knows the person or sees the video again.”

It is unclear whether the bombs were related to planning for the insurrection or whether they were unrelated to the deadly riot. Both buildings are within a few blocks of the Capitol.

And the fact the suspect was covered from head to toe has made identifying the person extremely difficult for the FBI.

“In normal times, like if this wasn’t COVID,” D’Antuono said, “a person walking down the street in D.C. covered from head to toe with a mask on, glasses and gloves would have been a red flag.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The suspect was covered from head to toe, skulking through the dark streets of the nation’s capital before methodically placing two explosives outside the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GNmjMIyoxHo?start=11" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Only 17 hours later — and just before the U.S. Capitol was stormed by a sea of pro-Trump rioters — were the pipe bombs discovered. It quickly became one of the highest-priority investigations for the FBI and the Justice Department.But the trail grew cold almost immediately. A year later, federal investigators are no closer to learning the person’s identity. And a key question remains: Was there a connection between the pipe bombs and the riot at the Capitol?The suspect is among hundreds of people still being sought by the FBI following last January’s deadly insurrection. So far, 250 people seen on video assaulting police at the Capitol still haven’t been fully identified and apprehended by the FBI, and another 100 are being sought for other crimes tied to the riot.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641396762471.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The investigation has been a massive undertaking for federal law enforcement officials. More than 700 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the Jan. 6 attack, and arrests are still being made regularly.But for the FBI agents working on the cases, the job is far from over. Agents and investigative analysts have been poring over thousands of hours of surveillance video, going second by second in each video to try to capture clear images of people who attacked officers inside the Capitol.“This investigation takes time because it is a lot of lot of work, a lot of painstaking work that they look at the video kind of frame by frame,” said Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s field office in Washington.In one case, police body camera footage captures a man using a cane with electric prods on the end jabbing at officers and shocking them as they fight to hold back the riotous crowd trying to break through a barricaded line of officers at one of the doors of the Capitol. The crackling sound of the electricity can be heard as he prods his cane into one of the officers. The man, known only as “AFO114” — using shorthand for “assaulting a federal officer” — is still being sought.“The assaults against the police officers are extremely serious,” D’Antuono said. More than 100 police officers were attacked by rioters on Jan. 6, some attacked by multiple people and some attacked multiple times, he said.In another video, a man is seen repeatedly bashing a police officer over the head with a 6-foot (1.8-meter) metal pole as he tries to push his way into the Capitol. And a third shows a man spraying some kind of chemical from a can into the faces of other officers.“There is still a lot of work to be done on this,” D’Antuono said. “There were a lot of people up there at the Capitol, a lot of people that either committed violence up there did other unlawful actions up there.”In the search for the person who left the pipe bombs at the RNC and DNC offices, investigators have interviewed more than 900 people, collected 39,000 video files and examined more than 400 leads. They have dived into the components of the explosives and have been working to try to discern anything they can about the suspect, from analyzing the person's gait to trying to collect information about purchases of the distinctive Nike sneakers the person wore.But they are still no closer to finding the suspect’s identity and are hoping renewed attention on the video of the person may spark a tip to crack the case.The explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, but weren’t located by law enforcement until the next day. U.S. Capitol Police and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called to the Republican National Committee’s office around 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 6. About 30 minutes later, as the agents and bomb technicians were still investigating at the RNC, another call came in for a similar explosive device found at the Democratic National Committee headquarters nearby. The bombs were rendered safe, and no one was hurt.Video released by the FBI shows a person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, a face mask and gloves appearing to place one of the explosives under a bench outside the DNC and separately shows the person walking in an alley near the RNC before the bomb was placed there. The person wore black and light gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.“We’ve used and continue to use every investigative tool that we lawfully have to find this individual,” D’Antuono said. But, a year later, investigators still don’t know whether the suspect is a man or a woman. The person carried the bombs — made of threaded galvanized pipes, kitchen timers and homemade black powder — in a backpack.“We’re still nose to the grindstone here and trying to find this individual, trying to bring the person to justice,” D'Antuono said. “But there is hopefully maybe somebody still out there that knows the person or sees the video again.”It is unclear whether the bombs were related to planning for the insurrection or whether they were unrelated to the deadly riot. Both buildings are within a few blocks of the Capitol.And the fact the suspect was covered from head to toe has made identifying the person extremely difficult for the FBI.“In normal times, like if this wasn’t COVID,” D’Antuono said, “a person walking down the street in D.C. covered from head to toe with a mask on, glasses and gloves would have been a red flag.”

🎥 FBI still hunting Jan. 6 suspects, pipe bomber a year later

In the last year, a new product popped up in stores across Ellis County.

Found on shelves in local convenience and liquor stores, Delta-8 products were being sold in a variety of forms, from edible to vape-based.

Often found near CBD or nicotine-based products, Delta-8 has been readily available for months across the state.

But while the product was being openly purchased and consumed, recent guidance from the Ellis County Attorney and Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt clarified Delta-8 is illegal to sell and possess in Kansas.

After informing area businesses of the new clarification, most shops in the county have removed the product from their shelves, but now Ellis County Attorney Robert Anderson, warned those that continue to sell or possess the product are now in clear violation of the law.

“Over the last 18 to 24 months across the state of Kansas, businesses have been begun selling hemp-derived Delta-8 THC products — vape pens, gummies, candy, etc.” Anderson said. “These products are typically anywhere between 60-99 percent concentrated Delta-8 THC. Arguably, these products were legal prior to the April 29 amendment. After the law was amended, there was a lot of confusion concerning whether or not these products in particular were now legal or illegal.”

He said his department has interpreted the change in law to mean that these products are now illegal, but had not taken action against those in violation.

“On Dec. 2, the Kansas Attorney General issued an opinion on this very topic and concluded that these products are illegal,” Anderson said. “A recent criminal case in Ellis County took up this issue as well. A district court judge in the 23rd Judicial District found, among other things, that for a hemp product to be lawful, it must contain a total THC concentration of less than 0.3 percent. Bottom line: Hemp-derived Delta-8 THC products are illegal.”

Delta-8 came to prominence as a THC product, often thought of as a lighter version of traditional marijuana, processed from hemp, that carried inherent benefits of use, without the psychotropic effects.

While Delta-8 is found in small amounts marijuana, along with other cannabinoids, the chemical in marijuana that is most closely associated with getting “high” is another cannabinoid, Delta-9.

While Delta-8 does not inherently carry the same potency as Delta-9, it was the manufacturing process that created the original confusion around the legality of the product.

When Kansas approved the production of hemp products, the process of extracting Delta-8 from hemp was also thought to be legal.

But now the recent guidance clarifies, possessing, or selling products with THC above the 0.3 percent legal limit, in any form, is not legal in Kansas, no matter how it was manufactured.

“This is no longer just my interpretation of the law,” Anderson said in a letter to local business last week. “On Dec. 2, the Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, issued an opinion on this very topic. His opinion was nearly identical to mine and clearly stated that these products are illegal. … That judge found that any hemp product containing THC levels exceeding 0.3 percent are illegal. Additionally, that defendant was convicted of unlawful possession of tetrahydrocannabinols, a severity level 5 drug felony.”

Within days of the letter being issued, most sellers had removed the product from their shelves in Hays, but for those that did not, Anderson warned the leniency due to the questionable legality surrounding the product has ended.

“For nearly a year now, law enforcement has been ready to take legal action against those possessing, selling, and/or distributing Delta-8 THC products — because they have a duty to enforce the law,” Anderson said. “Until now, this office has given local businesses every opportunity to comply with the law and has operated under the premise that I could very well be interpreting the law incorrectly. Now that authorities higher than myself have weighed in, this office cannot continue to request that law enforcement in Ellis County not act.

“Ellis County law enforcement officers now have clear direction from higher authorities than this office who have determined that these products are illegal. As such, law enforcement officers in Ellis County have a legal obligation to seize these products as illegal contraband and have authority to arrest those in possession, or those who are distributing and/or selling these products.”

Anderson said, while the recent guidance completely clarifies the issue, he has warned businesses in the area for months that it was his opinion that selling Delta-8 products was a violation of the law.

“It's (their) duty to ensure that your products comply with the law,” Anderson said. “And I kind of spelled it out for (them). I go, 'Look, we're not going to do anything right now, but probably should be hesitant.' And to my knowledge, only one place got rid of the stuff.”

Now it is the duty of law enforcement to act to stop the sale of Delta-8 or any THC product that is over the 0.3 percent limit, he said.

“Law enforcement has a duty and obligation to seize illegal contraband, and they can't just see it and look the other way and ignore it and decide not to do anything about it,” Anderson said. “So now that that now that law enforcement has clear direction, from the attorney general, from the old county attorney, and from a judge in the 23rd Judicial District, I feel like they have an obligation to seize that stuff that they are aware that of its present.”

He said that could include search warrants and seizure of illegal contraband in those businesses that continue to violate the law.

“Any time you are in possession of illegal contraband with the intent to distribute it, it elevates the stakes,” Anderson said. “Now, those, those felonies on the drug grid, that involve distribution are dependent upon quantity. But that's simply having possession of it with intent to distribute, even if you have just a little bit elevates the stakes from just simple possession.”

Anderson said even those that are currently in possession of any Delta-8 products should get rid of them, as even what was thought to have been a legal purchase can lead to a drug possession charge.

“From my view, we've given everyone as much cushion on this as we possibly can,” he said. And it's just at the point where ... now we can be pretty certain that I've been correct all along. And now we have a duty to act. We have a duty to enforce the laws.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641305014931.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostIn the last year, a new product popped up in stores across Ellis County.Found on shelves in local convenience and liquor stores, Delta-8 products were being sold in a variety of forms, from edible to vape-based.Often found near CBD or nicotine-based products, Delta-8 has been readily available for months across the state.But while the product was being openly purchased and consumed, recent guidance from the Ellis County Attorney and Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt clarified Delta-8 is illegal to sell and possess in Kansas.After informing area businesses of the new clarification, most shops in the county have removed the product from their shelves, but now Ellis County Attorney Robert Anderson, warned those that continue to sell or possess the product are now in clear violation of the law.“Over the last 18 to 24 months across the state of Kansas, businesses have been begun selling hemp-derived Delta-8 THC products — vape pens, gummies, candy, etc.” Anderson said. “These products are typically anywhere between 60-99 percent concentrated Delta-8 THC. Arguably, these products were legal prior to the April 29 amendment. After the law was amended, there was a lot of confusion concerning whether or not these products in particular were now legal or illegal.”He said his department has interpreted the change in law to mean that these products are now illegal, but had not taken action against those in violation.But that grace ends now.“On Dec. 2, the Kansas Attorney General issued an opinion on this very topic and concluded that these products are illegal,” Anderson said. “A recent criminal case in Ellis County took up this issue as well. A district court judge in the 23rd Judicial District found, among other things, that for a hemp product to be lawful, it must contain a total THC concentration of less than 0.3 percent. Bottom line: Hemp-derived Delta-8 THC products are illegal.”Delta-8 came to prominence as a THC product, often thought of as a lighter version of traditional marijuana, processed from hemp, that carried inherent benefits of use, without the psychotropic effects.While Delta-8 is found in small amounts marijuana, along with other cannabinoids, the chemical in marijuana that is most closely associated with getting “high” is another cannabinoid, Delta-9.While Delta-8 does not inherently carry the same potency as Delta-9, it was the manufacturing process that created the original confusion around the legality of the product.When Kansas approved the production of hemp products, the process of extracting Delta-8 from hemp was also thought to be legal.But now the recent guidance clarifies, possessing, or selling products with THC above the 0.3 percent legal limit, in any form, is not legal in Kansas, no matter how it was manufactured.“This is no longer just my interpretation of the law,” Anderson said in a letter to local business last week. “On Dec. 2, the Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, issued an opinion on this very topic. His opinion was nearly identical to mine and clearly stated that these products are illegal. … That judge found that any hemp product containing THC levels exceeding 0.3 percent are illegal. Additionally, that defendant was convicted of unlawful possession of tetrahydrocannabinols, a severity level 5 drug felony.”Within days of the letter being issued, most sellers had removed the product from their shelves in Hays, but for those that did not, Anderson warned the leniency due to the questionable legality surrounding the product has ended.“For nearly a year now, law enforcement has been ready to take legal action against those possessing, selling, and/or distributing Delta-8 THC products — because they have a duty to enforce the law,” Anderson said. “Until now, this office has given local businesses every opportunity to comply with the law and has operated under the premise that I could very well be interpreting the law incorrectly. Now that authorities higher than myself have weighed in, this office cannot continue to request that law enforcement in Ellis County not act.“Ellis County law enforcement officers now have clear direction from higher authorities than this office who have determined that these products are illegal. As such, law enforcement officers in Ellis County have a legal obligation to seize these products as illegal contraband and have authority to arrest those in possession, or those who are distributing and/or selling these products.”Anderson said, while the recent guidance completely clarifies the issue, he has warned businesses in the area for months that it was his opinion that selling Delta-8 products was a violation of the law.“It's (their) duty to ensure that your products comply with the law,” Anderson said. “And I kind of spelled it out for (them). I go, 'Look, we're not going to do anything right now, but probably should be hesitant.' And to my knowledge, only one place got rid of the stuff.”Now it is the duty of law enforcement to act to stop the sale of Delta-8 or any THC product that is over the 0.3 percent limit, he said.“Law enforcement has a duty and obligation to seize illegal contraband, and they can't just see it and look the other way and ignore it and decide not to do anything about it,” Anderson said. “So now that that now that law enforcement has clear direction, from the attorney general, from the old county attorney, and from a judge in the 23rd Judicial District, I feel like they have an obligation to seize that stuff that they are aware that of its present.”He said that could include search warrants and seizure of illegal contraband in those businesses that continue to violate the law.“Any time you are in possession of illegal contraband with the intent to distribute it, it elevates the stakes,” Anderson said. “Now, those, those felonies on the drug grid, that involve distribution are dependent upon quantity. But that's simply having possession of it with intent to distribute, even if you have just a little bit elevates the stakes from just simple possession.”Anderson said even those that are currently in possession of any Delta-8 products should get rid of them, as even what was thought to have been a legal purchase can lead to a drug possession charge.“From my view, we've given everyone as much cushion on this as we possibly can,” he said. And it's just at the point where ... now we can be pretty certain that I've been correct all along. And now we have a duty to act. We have a duty to enforce the laws.”Cover image courtesy Pixabay

County Attorney warns Delta-8 illegal; pulled from stores

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged drug distribution.

On Sunday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant at a home in the 3700 Block of SE 30th Terrace in Topeka in related to an ongoing investigation, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith.

 While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana, controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm.

Officers arrested Dustin Lewis, 22 years of age, of Topeka, on requested charges that include Possession of marijuana with the intent of distribution, Possession of a controlled substance, Possession of depressants with the intent of distribution and Possession of drug paraphernalia with the intent of distribution.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641246798036.png" alt="Lewis photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Lewis photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged drug distribution.On Sunday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant at a home in the 3700 Block of SE 30th Terrace in Topeka in related to an ongoing investigation, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith. While conducting the search warrant, officers located marijuana, controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, and a firearm.Officers arrested Dustin Lewis, 22 years of age, of Topeka, on requested charges that include Possession of marijuana with the intent of distribution, Possession of a controlled substance, Possession of depressants with the intent of distribution and Possession of drug paraphernalia with the intent of distribution.