CANTON, Kan. – Law enforcement officials in McPherson County continue to investigate the March 31, officer involved shooting south of Canton. The man who was shot remains in a Wichita hospital.

Detective Doug Anderson said that no charges have been filed. Authorities are collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. Anderson said he anticipated the investigation could be completed late this week. The KBI is in charge of the investigation.

According to a media release, two deputies from the McPherson County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a residence at 2663 Dakota Road south of Canton just before 10:30 p.m. on March 31.

The officers were following up on an investigation concerning an incident reported earlier.

As the officers approached the residence on foot a man was observed standing near a garage pointing a shotgun at them.

The man was told several times to drop the shotgun but refused to do so while still pointing it at one of the deputies. Shots were fired at the subject and he was struck once.
Canton EMS responded to the scene and the subject was transported to a local hospital.

Neither of the deputies was injured in this incident.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Country and a comedic performance are added to the Kansas State Fair grandstand lineup as Little Big Town and Gabriel Iglesias make their way to the Fairgrounds.

Tickets go on sale for these events on Thursday, April 16, at 8 a.m. and can be purchased at the Kansas State Fair ticket office by calling 1-800-362-3247 or at www.kansasstatefair.tix.com.

Little Big Town – Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m. – Tickets $75/$40/$30*

Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Philip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook combine their talents to create albums filled with country hits that attract listeners from many directions. After the wildly successful album Tornado, Little Big Town has continued their accomplishment and creative drive in the country music industry with their sixth album, Pain Killer.

In the short time since Tornado, Little Big Town earned two No. 1 radio hits with “Tornado” and “Pontoon,” a Grammy, two ACM awards, three CMA awards and an Emmy. The group also headlined a sold-out tour, joined Keith Urban across North America and hosted the CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock. Most recently, Little Big Town has been nominated for Vocal Group of the Year and Album of the Year at the 2015 Academy of Country Music Awards.

These hard-earned accolades and new opportunities provided inspiration, leading the group to a fresh and intentional approach to their latest studio album. New voices, including Ryan Tyndell, Blair Daly, Jeremy Spillman and Shane McAnally, joined long-time Little Big Town collaborators, which include Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Lori McKenna, Jedd Hughes and Natalie Hemby.

As a result, Pain Killer covers new territory for Little Big Town. The band, with its writing and production partners, favored multi-layered effects. Drawing from a mix of influences, the album includes vintage 50’s country, 70’s country, funk, groove, a cappella, bluegrass and rock n’ roll. Major hits from the album include “Day Drinking” and “Pain Killer.”

For more information on Little Big Town, visit www.littlebigtown.com.

Gabriel Iglesias –Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m. – Tickets $65/$40/$25*

Today, Gabriel Iglesias is one of America’s most successful stand-up comedians performing in sold-out concerts across the United States and Internationally. Gabriel Iglesias learned to hone his humor at a young age due to the obstacles he faced. Storytelling, parodies, characters and sound effects bring his personal experiences to life. Iglesias has been a popular figure among fans of all ages because of his unique and animated comedy style.

Iglesias’s stand-up comedy film, “The Fluffy Movie,” hit theatres in 2014, and that wasn’t his only major film debut. Iglesias also appeared in 20th Century Fox’s animated film, “The Book of Life” alongside Zoe Saldana and Channing Tatum. Additionally, his series “Stand-Up Revolution,” aired on Comedy Central in the Fall of 2014.

Comedy Central premiered “Gabriel Iglesias: Aloha Fluffy” in an unprecedented two-night comedy special to over 15 million viewers. This was a great follow-up to his previous DVD specials, “Hot & Fluffy” and “I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy,” which has sold a combined total of two million copies.

He has made many appearances on talk shows, appeared in additional films and even headlined the Amman Jordan Comedy Festival in 2009 and 2010, making his appeal expand worldwide with performances in Canada, Australia, Europe and more.

For more information on Gabriel Iglesias, visit www.fluffyguy.com.

Unless otherwise noted, tickets include general gate admission when purchased through August 22.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The city’s annual Spring Cleanup event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26. Dumpsters will be placed in 15 locations throughout the city. The dumpsters will be free to use for anyone wishing to dispose of permitted items. A map containing the locations of dumpsters is available on the City of Hutchinson website at www.hutchgov.com.

The city has teamed with TECH to accept electronic waste. Electronic waste will be accepted at 1300 E Avenue A, on Saturday April 25 only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Most electronic waste items will be accepted by TECH, including computer waste and small appliances. CRT monitors (larger, older computer monitors) will not be accepted. Large appliances may be disposed of in the other dumpsters. Direct questions regarding specific electronic items to Donna Davis or Jody Gulick at TECH at 620-663-1596.

Mattresses will be accepted at two drop off locations, 1st & Lorraine, and at 9th & Whiteside. The Hutchinson Correctional Facility will be recycling all mattresses received.

HCF inmate who represented himself found ‘guilty’ for battery of correctional officer

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 30-year-old inmate at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility serving time for some very serious convictions was found “guilty” on a charge of battery of a law enforcement officer for an incident last year at the prison.

The case centers on Douglas Anthony Kling being upset over the prison officer not responding to his demand to filed a grievance and starting making noise and kicking the door of his isolation cell. The officer, Jason Garcia says he tried to get Kling to calm down, but he didn’t so the officer opened the cell door and that’s when the confrontation started when Kling started to leave the cell. Garcia says he was struck a number of times by Kling, including in the nose.

Kling even at trial chose to represent himself with the assistant of a public defender, however after an hour and 15 minutes, the jury found him guilty.

The charge is a level five person felony with a maximum sentence of over 11 years in prison and that would run consecutive to the sentence he’s currently serving. Kling is serving time for convictions out of Marshall County for attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery, aggravated assault and criminal threat. He also has convictions for burglary out of Nemaha County. As it stands now, he’s not even eligible for parole until November 2040.

With the conviction, Judge Trish Rose set sentencing for May 8.

Suspect in South Hutchinson drug bust read formal charges Wednesday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 26-year-old man who allegedly sold drugs to a confidential informant has been formally charged.

Alex Nathan Reck is charged with the sale of methamphetamine within a thousand feet of a school, possession of drug paraphernalia with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, criminal possession of a firearm by a felon and interference with law enforcement.

It was on April 1, when the informant was supplied with approximately one ounce of meth by Reck at the Trails West Motel in South Hutchinson. Later in the day, Drug Enforcement officers attempted to place Reck under arrest and he allegedly ran, but was quickly captured. They then did a search of his motel room and allegedly found numerous new syringes, new and used baggies and one loaded syringe. They also found a .380 caliber handgun and learned he has felony convictions within the past 10 years.

He remains jailed on a bond of $30,500 and his case now moves to a waiver-status docket.

Hutch man formally charged in two cases with a bond over $130,000

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 36-year-old man is jailed for suspicion of a multiple counts of stalking.

Timothy Drumgould has been charged with four counts of stalking and two misdemeanor counts of theft for allegedly stealing a cell phone and some keys. He’s alleged to have had contact with the victim from an earlier case a number of times, violating the conditions of his bond. Myers says that included face-to-face contact and others by phone. All of theses crimes in this latest case occurring back in March.

Drumgould was arrested in another matter earlier this year and is charged with aggravated burglary and robbery. His bond had been set at $25,000 and as a part of the bond, he was told to have no contact with the victim.

Bond is now set at $130,500 and his effort to get it lowered failed when he appeared in front of Judge Joe McCarville Wednesday morning.

His cases will now move to a future waiver-status docket.

Texas man formally charged in local aggravated assault case

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The 26-year-old Texas man jailed last Friday morning after an incident at a local club appeared before District Judge Joe McCarville Wednesday morning for the reading of formal charges.

Justin Ramos is now charged with aggravated assault, driving while under the influence of alcohol, failing to stop for an accident, no driver’s license and no insurance.

Ramos was arrested by Hutchinson Police after 35-year-old Timothy Crabbs reported to police that a man struck a parked vehicle and tried to hit him with his car in the parking lot of Vic’s Bar at 1514 East 4th.

With the formal charges filed, the case will now move to a waiver-status docket.

KHP photo

MCPHERSON, Kan., – A Hesston man died in an accident just before 4 p.m. on Wednesday in McPherson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 semi driven by John Douglas Schrock, 48, was southbound on Kansas153.

The truck was traveling too fast to negotiate a curve in the roadway. It hit the median and rolled across the northbound lanes into the east ditch and caught fire.

Schrock died at the scene and the truck burned to the shell.
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MCPHERSON, Kan.– One person had died in a tanker truck accident and fire at Kansas 153 southwest of McPherson.  The name of the victim has not been released.

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MCPHERSON, Kan.-First responders are on the scene of a semi tanker accident and fire at the Kansas 153 spur near the airport in McPherson County according to the KHP.

Fire crews were going to let the fire “burn down,” according to McPherson County Sheriff’s office.

Few details are known.  Check the Post for more information as it becomes available.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Local racing fans will have the opportunity to meet Kyle Petty among other NASCAR greats and celebrities as Hutchinson will be included as a stop on the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America.  This will be the 21st Anniversary motorcycle trek, taking place May 2-8, 2015. The former NASCAR driver will lead 200 motorcyclists along the 2,500 mile-route, stretching from Santa Cruz, Calif. to Branson, Mo., to raise funds and awareness for Victory Junction, a camp created to enrich the lives of children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

On May 7, fans will have the opportunity to line up at 4:30 p.m. in front of the Holiday Inn Express in Hutchinson and greet the riders as they pull in to town.  Petty and other celebrities will then sign autographs when they arrive and take pictures with fans before getting ready for their next day of riding.  Celebrities scheduled to take part in the ride and stopping in Hutchinson include: NASCAR Hall of Famer and seven time champion Richard Petty; NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth; NASCAR legends Harry Gant and Donnie Allison; former NFL great Herschel Walker; Harley-Davidson, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Matt Levatich; NBC Sports NASCAR analyst Rick Allen; co-host of History Channel’s Top Gear America and NASCAR personality Rutledge Wood.

Hutchinson will be the second-to-last stop on May 7 and the Hutchinson Police Department will be assisting with a police escort into town and again as the ride departs on May 8.

As a result of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride, 7,815 children have attended Victory Junction at no cost to their families. The camp has served as the Ride’s primary beneficiary since its establishment by Petty in 2004 in honor of his late son, Adam.

Now in its 21st year, more than 7,500 riders have logged 11.1 million cumulative motorcycle miles and raised more than $16 million for Victory Junction and other children’s charities.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — In NCAA March Madness and Highlander, there can be only one.

Tracy Schmidt, left, sits in his new mower thanks to the generosity of Brant Scripsick, right.

The same is true of “Got the Green Fever” from Prairieland Partners John Deere. Of the nearly 100 entries, only one could win the John Deere D110 Lawn Tractor valued at $1,700. Meet the one, no not Neo, but rather Tracy Schmidt of McPherson.

Tracy correctly guessed which teams would be in the Final Four and who would make the National Championship Game. If Wisconsin would have won it all, Tracy would have enjoyed a clean sweep of the “Got the Green Fever” Bracket Challenge from My 93.1 and Country 102.9. He scored six of the possible seven points to defeat all the other entries.

“It’s the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me, I think,” Schmidt said. “I’d of never dreamt it.”

So, how did Tracy manage to guess so many teams correctly? Enter his wife, Andrea.

Some people advance teams to the next portion of the bracket based on mascots or team colors, but not Andrea. She has a special formula when it comes to selecting a winner. Andrea says she finds out where the game will be played and chooses the team “if they have less to travel.” She figures a team playing closer to home will have more fans in attendance to cheer said team on to victory.

The lawn tractor could not have gone to a more-deserving couple. Brant Scripsick, Prairieland Partners Store Manager in Hutchinson, said, “I’m happy it goes to a good owner.”

Before now, Tracy and his wife didn’t even have a mower to call their own. They had to borrow one from Tracy’s father and haul it to their house via trailer. The hours-worth of grass Tracy had to cut usually took closer to an hour and a half to complete with the loading and unloading. His wife couldn’t help because the mower was of the Zero Turn variety. She just kept spinning in circles.

However, Andrea promised Tracy if he ever got a mower with a steering wheel, she’d have no problem doing her fair share of the duty.

“I’m surprised and shocked. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime things,” Tracy said. “I got blessed.”

“It’s the grace of God when something like this happens.”

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – They tore down part of the building this week which once housed two businesses which were damaged by fire in January.

The Midwest Sewing and Vacuum part of the building was completely destroyed and the Nelson Heating and Air Conditioning part was damaged.

Officials with Nelson Heating said Thursday were cleared this week to begin the demolition and saw the front and middle parts of the building were torn down with plans to rebuild. They were able to save the back portion of the building. They says they will construct a metal building where the front part of the building once was.

Nelson’s is operating out of a temporary location at 106 W. 2nd. They will be at that location until the facility on west 5th is rebuilt.

Midwest Sewing is still working on their insurance issues and are operating temporarily out of building at 506 North Main.

Continuance of pretrial Thursday catches the state and jail by surprise

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The pretial hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon for a Nickerson man charged in a child sex case was continued, but that came as a surprise to District Attorney Keith Schroeder as well as the sort officers with the Reno County Jail.

Schroeder showed up for the hearing and learned of the defense request and approval from Judge Trish Rose for the continuance. The jail also wasn’t notified having brought the Shanon Patrick Williams to the third floor courtroom only to be told to take him back.

Williams is charged with aggravated indecent liberties with a child, indecent liberties with a child and three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. He was arrested after the Reno County Sheriff’s Department assisted Homeland Security officers and the Wichita Missing and Exploited Child Unit serve a search warrant on his residence at 103 S. Paine. They seized his computers as well as a camera allegedly used to take some of the pictures.

The case has to do with Williams taking pictures of his autistic step-daughter who was 13 and 14 years old at the time of the alleged crimes. Some of the photos included lewd close-ups of the child, some with clothing, but most without. There were indications that he was trying trade the photos for other pornographic pictures and movies.

The crimes allegedly occurring between September 13, 2011 and July 31, 2013.

The trial is scheduled to begin next Tuesday in front of Judge Rose and they apparently moved the pretrial hearing to Monday morning at 9 a.m.

Hutch man decides against plea agreement in meth distribution case

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 29-year-old Hutchinson man arrested on drug distribution charges back on Oct. 28, 2014 was scheduled for hearing Thursday where he was scheduled to enter a plea. However, Jesse Aich apparently had a change of heart and turned down the plea, so Judge Joe McCarville set a preliminary hearing date of April 30.

Aich is charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to package, possession of three other drugs, hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine as well as a final count of personal use drug paraphernalia.

The case started with a search warrant served on his residence where he apparently lived in a basement bedroom. Inside that room, law enforcement allegedly found a baggie that contained a crystal substance, a baggie containing a powder substance, a digital scale with white residue, new packaging materials, used baggies with residue, two 100 count boxes of syringes, glass pipes with burnt residue they say was used to smoke meth, several types of pills and over a $1,000 in cash.

Aich is no stranger to law enforcement with convictions for criminal damage, burglary, domestic battery, forgery, drugs, obstruction, alcohol-related charges and theft. Some of the crimes occurred here, but others occurred in Kingman and Ford counties.

Hutch man enters pleas in five cases

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 34-year-old man charged in a total of five case entered “no contest” pleas in all five Thursday afternoon in front of Judge Joe McCarville.

The first case against Brian Swift goes back to May 15, 2014 when he was charged with theft by deception and criminal use of a financial card. He entered the plea to both counts which included theft at Wal-Mart, Dillon’s and a Kwik Shop. He used a financial card that had been stolen according to the complaint.

On Sept. 22, 2014, he broke into a home in the 500 block of East 1st. Charges included burglary and theft of a firearm, that being .38 revolver. However, he only entered a plea to the first count while the state dropped the firearm charge.

On Oct. 13, 2014, he was caught with methamphetamine in his possession when police came to arrest him on a warrant out of McPherson County. He also had drug paraphernalia, but as part of the plea agreement, the state dropped that count.

The other two cases are misdemeanors, one for issuing a worthless check at the former Alco store in South Hutchinson and the other for giving a false name to police when they came to arrest him on a warrant. That occurring in Jan. of this year.

Swift in entering the pleas also waived his right to appeal any sentence that might be handed down in the case. Judge McCarville set sentencing for May 22.

He has prior convictions for possession of meth and traffic in contraband in a correctional facility and was given corrections for those convictions. However, they will count against him at sentencing.

NEWTON, Kan. — Newton’s first outdoor celebration of spring, the Apple Blossom Festival, is set for Friday, April 24, at Newton Presbyterian Manor. The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on the Presbyterian Manor lawn at 1200 E. Seventh St. in Newton.

Apple Blossom is participating in the Newton Area Arts Council’s 2nd Annual Spring Into the Arts Festival sponsored by the Newton Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Dinner is a pork barbecue with potato salad, baked beans and apple pie. Kids’ meal packs include pork barbecue, hot dog or hamburger with chips, a drink and a cookie. A drive-thru is also available off of the Broadway Apartments entrance for those unable to stay for the evening. Proceeds of the meal benefit Presbyterian Manor’s Good Samaritan Program.

Live entertainment begins at 4:45 p.m. and includes the Midian Shrine Hillbilly Band, followed by the Manor’s on-campus Apple-A-Day Preschool at 5:50 p.m. High Street Dance Company will perform at 6 with the Newton Community Children’s Choir at 6:15. The Huxman Quartet is on at 6:55 while the Great Plains Jazz Orchestra finishes the evening at 7:15.

Festival meal tickets are $8 in advance for adults and $9 on site. Kids’ meal packs are $4 in advance and $5 the evening of the Festival. Tickets are available at Presbyterian Manor and Midland National Bank.

All proceeds of the Festival will benefit the Good Samaritan Program, which provides financial assistance for Manor residents who have outlived their personal resources.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRCTM) will be holding its second annual trail ride competition April 10-12, 2015 at the Sand Hills State Park northeast of Hutchinson. The event will be held to increase awareness about NATRC and the new equine camping facilities at the park.

A competitive trail ride is a competitive trail event over a measured distance and completed within a window of time. The judging begins at the preliminary examination, usually the day before the ride, continues during the ride, and concludes at the final examination one or two days later. The horses, ponies, and mules are evaluated on condition, soundness and trail manners. Riders are judged on horsemanship as it applies to trail riding and caring for a horse naturally, without drugs or artificial appliances, during and after a day on the trail. The emphasis is on education, safety and sportsmanship in a fun, family-oriented environment.

Camp sites and ride reservations are required and fill up fast. Horses will have their own individual corrals.

For more information, go to www.natrc.org.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Treasurer Jan Hull said Thursday that they have chosen to send out second half notices for property taxes in post card form again this year. She says when they did it last year, they saved approximately $15,000 by not sending full statements and received more compliments than complaints.

She cited cost as the reason they decided to do it this way. The cost included increases in postage, paper, toner and printer maintenance. She says this is a way to keep their office budget down.

She adds that just like last year, they’ll come on highly visible neon green postcards. It will just be a reminder and tax information will not be included. A phone number and email address will be included for those who have questions.

If you have questions now, you can call the county treasurer’s office at 694-2938.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A Hutchinson USD 308 school bus was involved in a two-vehicle accident this morning just east of the National Guard armory on East 11^th.

According to Hutchinson Police, the bus was northbound on Baker turning left onto 11th, and the truck was eastbound on 11th. Police say the driver of the truck had the sun in his eyes and didn’t see the traffic light at the intersection. There were 10 children on the bus at the time of the crash. The bus was on its way to both Hutchinson High School and Graber Elementary School.

Originally, no injuries were reported by EMS who examined the children at the accident scene, but EMS was summoned to Graber Elementary just before 9:30 after a student was apparently having some difficulty that was possibly related to the accident. That student has been taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – This Sunday, April 12, fewer than 90 days after the doors of the Justice Planetarium closed for a major renovation, the Cosmosphere is kicking off the Grand Reopening of the venue that started it all.

In 1962, Hutchinson civic leader Patricia Brooks Carey started a planetarium in a chicken coop on the grounds of the Kansas State Fair with nothing but a used starball and a dream. 53 years later, Patty’s dream continues with a fully renovated, state-of-the-art, energy efficient venue that will inspire and education new generations of dreamers and explorers. The renovation of the Justice Planetarium marks the first of many changes to come for the Cosmosphere in the next few years as part of a major revitalization initiative.

 The Grand Reopening of the Justice Planetarium begins at 6 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a dessert reception and coffee bar. At 7 p.m., attendees will enjoy a presentation by Cosmosphere Astronaut Advisor Dr. Steven Hawley – former NASA shuttle astronaut (STS-61C, STS-41D, STS-93, STS-31, STS-82), Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, and Director of Engineering Physics at the University of Kansas. Following Dr. Hawley’s presentation, Cosmosphere education staff will show off what the new Spitz Sci-Dome XD digital projection system can do with a demonstration and show.

 The renovation of the Justice Planetarium was made possible by contributions from the Walter E. & Velma G. Justice Fund for Reno County and a personal gift from Dave and Dee Dillon.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Sign up for the first league and job applications are now available as The Alley family entertainment center nears its opening late next month.

The bowling center at 23^rd and Severance will start its first 10-week summer league June 9^th with a battle of the sexes league. Each four-person team will be made up entirely of men or women and each league night will pit a man’s team against a woman’s. The Alley also plans to have the usual 35-week leagues along with shorter ones during the winter, depending on interest.

The Alley is also taking applications for all job openings. You can request more information on The Alley website at www.thealleyhutchinson.com.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – On May 13, the Kansas Association of Chief of Police will have their annual awards ceremony. This year there were 121 nominations with 49 of those nominees being awarded. Of those 49 award winners, there are 17 who will receive the gold award. The gold award is a recognition of uncommon valor in the line of duty.

Hutchinson Police Lt. Josh Radloff will be awarded the Gold award for three major incidents from 2014. One being a hostage situation, another for a high level rescue of a severely injured person, and the third was for the shooting incident.

On March 21, 2014, emergency crews were sent to the location of a multi-level building under construction for an injured person. Radloff, not dispatched, but believed he could help, arrived on scene to assist. It was reported that the injured person was a construction worker and had been struck in the head by flying debris, suffering a severe laceration, which the reporting party described as a large hole in his head. The victim, who was bleeding profusely and unable to stop the bleeding, was on the roof of the building and was unable to maneuver himself to the bottom due to his injuries and the fact that the building had no stairwell built at the time. The only way possible to traverse the multiple levels was to climb an extension ladder used by the construction crew. Radloff, without hesitation climbed all three levels using only the primitive ladder system. Once Radloff arrived on the top floor he was faced with having to step across roof rafters, the entire length of the building and then climb through a small opening, which he was barely able to fit, in order to reach the victim. Radloff quickly assessed the victim’s injuries and administered first aid which stopped the bleeding.

Radloff learned that the Fire Department was going to be delayed in their response, due to windy conditions and inadequate equipment available, therefore he assisted the victim to his feet and guided him down the complex route to the bottom floor where he received further treatment by EMS.

Radloff’s quick response aided in prolonging the victims life and allowed the victim to receive prompt medical treatment.

On April 23, 2014, a corrections officer went to a residence with the intent to serve an arrest and detain order for Todd Lloyd. He had fled from the house with a female in tow. When Lloyd was located and confronted, he produced a knife and held it to the female’s head and throat. Radloff arrived and observed what was transpiring. The event turned into a moving hostage situation. Radloff armed himself with his patrol rifle. He began giving loud and clear commands to Lloyd to drop the knife. He at first refused and positioned the female in front of him in an attempt to shield himself. It was apparent through video accounts that Radloff stopped the movement of the situation. He knew that he was justified in taking a shot and ending the threat, however he was able to correctly assess the presenting options and ordered the female to get down. The female complied, which left Lloyd exposed. He quickly threw his knife down but didn’t give up his fight. Radloff transitioned from his rifle to his taser, but his taser was ineffective. He was then forced to try and physically control Lloyd and in doing so, Lloyd tried to grab Radloff’s rifle. Fortunately, the sergeant and another officer were able to gain control of the suspect and place him in custody. The suspect was convicted and sentence to over eighteen years.

On November 10, 2014, officers were dispatched to 300 E. 10th for a suspect armed with a knife. The reporting party stated that Justin Matthews was armed with two knives and that she was in fear that he would slit her throat. Radloff arrived first, and did not wait for back up since he was in fear of the reporting party’s safety. As he approached the house, the reporting party came out of the residence and before he could ascertain where the suspect was, the suspect came out of the residence, yelling and screaming, armed with two knives. Radloff gave multiple commands to drop the knives, but Matthews refused and continued to approach the officer. Radloff shifted positions to clear his field of fire away from the reporting party, who was still on the porch. When Matthews continued to approach, refusing commands, fearing for the safety of the reporting party and himself, Radloff fired two shots, striking Matthews once and stopping the threat. Matthews was treated and then released to the custody of the Reno County Sheriff’s Department. The in car video of the incident was released and went viral on Hutchpost and other media sites.

In 2013, Radloff was involved in an incident where he earned the life saving award. It happened on Aug.14, when he had just cleared a call at 33rd and Lorraine and observed a Reno County Sheriff Officer’s patrol car with its emergency lights on at 43rd and Lorraine. He went to that location to see if he could assist. When he arrived, he found the deputy had just arrived at a major injury accident. The deputy went to assist the injured in one of the vehicles. Radloff then went to the other which was a passenger vehicle with a caved in driver’s side and found the driver unconscious in the passenger side of the vehicle. As he was assessing on how to get into the vehicle, Radloff realized that there was an infant in a car seat with its head slouched in a manner that was causing it not to breath. Sgt Radloff immediately jumped on top of the vehicle and reached in through the sun roof and moved the infant’s head to line up with its body properly. After repositioning the infant’s head, the infant started to breath and eventually started crying. Radloff and the deputy were eventually able to move the infant in its child seat to EMS. Afterward, Radloff stabilized the neck and head of the adult driver as she was becoming conscious and was thrashing around.

Due to his action, he not only stopped the driver from further injuring herself, he also saved the life of the infant.

*We had the caption indicating that Radloff was a sergeant when in fact he has been promoted to Lieutenant. We have corrected our mistake and apologize for the error.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The second suspect in an alleged mushroom growing operation inside a north side business made his initial court appearance Friday.

Jason Wineinger has been formally charged with cultivation of hallucinogenic mushrooms, conspiracy to cultivate mushrooms, possession of mushrooms with intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute mushrooms, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute and a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals.

Wineinger is accused of operation the growing operation with 19-year-old Carlyeon Moore who faces basically the same charges.

The case started back on March 18, when Hutchinson police served a search warrant at the business at 2534 North Main and found the mushroom growing operation. They also found a dog locked in a bathroom with no food and water and living in its own waste. Animal Control was called in and removed the animal.

Wineinger will be back in court on Wednesday, while the case against Moore is scheduled for a future waiver-status docket.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A 25-year-old man was taken to jail early Saturday on two charges which include aggravated battery and DUI, after an accident that sent a pedestrian to a Wichita hospital.

John Smith of Hutchinson is allegedly to have struck another vehicle driven by an unknown male. That vehicle then struck a pedestrian, 36-year-old Christopher Wells of Hutchinson.

Smith was northbound on Washington and ran the stop sign at 5th, then T-bone the second vehicle which then spun and struck Wells. The owner of the second vehicle was at the scene according to police, but her vehicle was driven by another individual who fled the scene. Police are still trying to locate that individual.

Wells was first transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment, later taken to a Wichita hospital with a possible brain injury, but is expected to survive according to police.

Smith is jailed with a bond of $5,250 and unless he makes that bond, should make a first appearance in court on Monday.

The accident occurring around 1:50 a.m. Saturday morning.

Today – A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tonight – Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Monday – Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Monday Night – Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday – A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high 67. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night – A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Wednesday – A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 70.

Wednesday Night – A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Thursday – A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65.

Thursday Night – A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Friday – A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 70.

Friday Night – A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Saturday – A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 70.