HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A prominent business man and the founder of Peel’s Salon Service has died. Robert Henry “Bob” Peel, died at his home on Tuesday. He was 89. Peel was born Jan. 14, 1927, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Robert Henry and Lillie Mae (Garbett) Peel.

Bob spent most of his life in Hutchinson, graduating from Hutchinson High School in 1944. He attended Hutchinson Community College for one semester before joining the United States Navy in 1945. After his one and a half years of service to the United States Navy, he returned to Hutchinson and married his wife of 65 years, Esther “Lou” Benson, who died in July of 2013.

Bob had a 67-year career with Peel’s Salon Service. By 2010, Peel’s Salon Service had grown to 700 employees, with four distribution centers and 60 stores. In 1985, Lou, Bob Sr., Bob Jr., and Kris were on the hijacked TWA Flight 847. All family members survived the ordeal, but it changed their lives forever. Raising money and supporting multiple charities became a family focus. In 2013, The Bob and Lou Peel Allied Health Center at Hutchinson Community College was created.

Bob will be forever remembered by his family: children, Bob and Kris Peel, Bill and Susan Peel; along with many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents. Funeral service will be 3:00 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12, at Park Place Christian Church, 2600 N. Adams, Hutchinson, with Pastor David Dubovich presiding. Military honors will be conducted by the United States Navy Honor Guard. Private family burial will take place in Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson. Friends may call from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sunday, with the family present from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday at Elliott Mortuary.

A Celebration of Life reception for all of Bob’s friends will be held starting at 4:00 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12, at the Hutchinson Town Club, 200 E. Sherman St.. In lieu of flowers, a memorial to the Hutchinson Community College Endowment Association has been established.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Fire crews responded to the 800 block of West 19th in Hutchinson for a structure fire about 9 p.m. Thursday night to find heavy smoke showing from the entire structure.

First arriving crews initiated fire attack procedures, while other crews conducted a search for possible victims. The fire was extinguished in 15 minutes, however crews remained on scene for a couple hours preforming overhaul and investigation.

Damage to the home is estimated at $30,000, with damage to the contents and structure.

The cause of the fire has been determined to be a gas leak around the furnace.

No injuries were noted.

Just a reminder to everyone to have your furnace serviced and chimneys cleaned before using them.

photo courtesy of: Kent Kerschner

HUTCINSON, Kan. – Starting Jan. 2, 2017, Local Attorney’s Mike Robinson (top right) and Greg Bell, (top left) will be opening a new law firm, Bell and Robinson LLC.

Robinson’s legal assistant, Megan Burdette, and Bell’s legal assistant, Yolanda Pride, will be joining them in their new endeavor.

They will continue their general practice in the areas of civil and business litigation, adoptions, real estate, landlord/tenant, domestic and criminal defense.

They say they look forward to continuing to provide quality representation and sound legal advice to our clients.

The new office will be at 421 West 1st Ave., Suite A. here in Hutchinson.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — One of two Kansas Department of Corrections inmates who was charged with attempted capital murder, or in the alternative, aggravated battery entered a plea Friday to the charge of aggravated battery.

Juan Garza is accused in a case where the victim was beaten in the recreation yard of the central unit. Miguel Garcia was first taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center then transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita for treatment. The incident occurred back in June of 2014.

The other defendant in this case, 22-year-old Jerrod Green, entered a plea to two counts of aggravated battery, one for this case and the other for an incident inside the old Reno County Jail where he battered another inmate, Ross Chaney.

He was sentenced back on Dec. 18 and was given eight years and five months in prison added to his sentence in the case he was serving time for.

Sentencing for Garza will be on Jan. 27, in front of Judge Trish Rose.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A 33-year-old man facing some serious charges was denied a bond reduction when he appeared for the formal reading of charges Friday.

Jeremy Grissom is now charged with felony flee and elude, two counts of endangering a child, possession of marijuana and driving while suspended. During the hearing, he requested a reduction of bond, but the state argued against it noting that if convicted of the first three charges, it would be presumptive prison. Magistrate Judge Cheryl Allen agreed and denied the request leaving the bond at $7,250.

It started as a mere traffic stop, but led to a brief chase on Dec. 1. A Hutchinson Police officer spotted a car in the 100 block of East 4th with passengers not wearing seatbelts. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle and the car failed to stop. It proceeded to the 200 block of East 10th, where Grissom allegedly ran from the officers. He was eventually captured. Inside the vehicle they allegedly found a marijuana pipe and a lock box with around six grams of marijuana. There was apparently two children in the vehicle at the time of all this.

Grissom is no stranger to law enforcement with past convictions for aggravated assault, robbery, indecent solicitation with a child, flee and elude and operation of vehicle that was not registered.

His case now moves to a waiver-status docket.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The annual Adopt A Child program in partnership with Kansas Department for Children and families, Peoples Bank and Trust, and Eagle Radio Station, Country 102.9 is a big success with all of the kids on the list being adopted, but also thanks to the generosity of those in the community will have a very Merry Christmas.

This is our 26th year in partnering with the program and sadly the list does grow each year. 246 kids were adopted by listeners this year and bought numerous presents no doubt costing thousands of dollars.

But, the turn in party Friday night showed the generosity of the community and kept radio station and Peoples Bank Staff busy for a couple of hours Friday night.

Those who brought presents for the Adopt-A-Child program were treated to Pizza Ranch pizza, soda or coffee, cookies and candy.

PRA of Hutchinson as always was a big sponsors of 100 plus children this year. A big thanks to them and their generosity.

Some of those who will benefit from this effort will pick up their gifts here at the Eagle Media Center in Hutchinson, while other will be delivered to the Kansas Department of Children and Families in area counties.

Thanks Hutchinson for helping us help others in such a big way.

BARBER COUNTY– Law enforcement authorities in Barber County are investigating an officer-involved shooting.

Just before 5 p.m. Sunday the Medicine Lodge Police officers were executing a search warrant at 106 E. Robie, Medicine Lodge, Kansas.

Four officers were conducting the search of the residence. One officer entered a bedroom in the Northwest corner of the home and encountered a man holding a handgun.

Both fired shots. The man, identified as 24-year-old Gary Leon Herd, Jr. of Medicine Lodge was pronounced dead at the scene.

KBI agents and a crime scene response team responded to conduct an investigation.
No officers were injured during this incident.

The KBI will complete a thorough and independent investigation into this matter. Once completed, the findings will be turned over to the Barber County Attorney for review.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 45-year-old Hutchinson woman who admitted having sex with an inmate at Hutchinson Correctional Facility could stand trial after a Kansas court ruled her Miranda rights were not violated when investigators questioned her and exaggerated the evidence against her.

Marla Criqui was an employee of Aramark, a food service company which contracts with the Kansas Department of Corrections to provide meals at the prison. In 2012, anonymous letters to KDOC investigators claimed Criqui was having a sexual relationship with convicted murderer Breland Davis.

Reno County District Judge Trish Rose had issued a ruling on a defense motion to suppress statements that Criqui made to authorities stating that the interview in the case against Criqui was not an investigatory interview.

Though the appeals court opinion acknowledged authorities used deception in an attempt to convince Criqui to confess, that detail is irrelevant to the debate over whether the questioning was an interrogation requiring a reading of Miranda rights. Being interviewed by an employer — even a government employer — does not necessarily constitute an interrogation, the court determined.

The matter is still not over as the issue of whether Criqui’s confession was coerced because the agents lied was remanded back to Reno County for a hearing before Rose who could once again suppress the evidence on those grounds.

HUTCHINSON, kan. — A team from the Hutchinson High School debate squad has qualified for the National Speech and Debate Association’s nationals next summer.

According to USD 308 Spokesperson ray Hemman, Senior Annie Blake and junior Austin Childs went 6-2 and took third overall at Saturday’s qualifier in Buhler. The pair defeated Garden City in the final round of the eight-round tournament.

Other HHS teams participating at the tournament were Alexis Glaspie and Matt LaMunyon who had a record of 2-2, and two younger teams of Rhys Tash and Seamus Wamsley, as well as Brevin Armstrong and Mariana Ocon. Additional qualifying tournaments for nationals in individual events and other debate categories will be held in the spring.

The national tournament will be June 18 to 23, 2017, in Birmingham, Alabama.

David Bowers is the debate and forensics head coach at HHS.

KIOWA COUNTY – A Southwest Kansas man died in an accident just before 2:30p.m. on Monday in Kiowa County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Lincoln Town Car driven by Martin Kruse, 58, Dodge City, was eastbound on U.S. 54 five miles west of Bucklin.

The vehicle went left of center and hit a semi head-on.

Kruse was transported to the Kiowa County hospital where he died.

The semi driver Kendall Turner, 55, Larned, was not injured.

Kruse was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

By ANDY MARSO

Photo by Melinda Miner As Medicaid reimbursements drop in Kansas, fewer dentists are accepting patients and some are leaving the program. Melinda Miner, a dentist from Hays, compiled a map showing more than 20 western Kansas counties without a dentist who accepts Medicaid. The map includes the Medicaid population in each county as of 2011 in black and the number of dental providers she was able to contact who still accept Medicaid, which in Kansas is called KanCare, in red. Miner said she did not attempt to contact all the providers in high-population eastern Kansas counties like Johnson, Wyandotte, Shawnee and Sedgwick.

At 59 years old, Bill Miller is starting to have neck and back problems. Thirty-two years of bending over to check patients’ teeth and gums will do that, he said.

Miller is the only dentist in Hill City, a community of about 1,500 people northwest of Hays. He has treated Medicaid patients his entire career, even as reimbursements increasingly have lagged the cost of providing care.

Earlier this year the state cut those reimbursements another 4 percent as part of a host of emergency budget-balancing measures. Miller said that has him seriously considering dropping out of the Medicaid program.

“I realize the state’s in a world of hurt right now as far as their budget, but it’s a big problem,” he said. “I don’t know how it’s going to be solved.”

As the Legislature prepares to reconvene Jan. 9, Gov. Sam Brownback and lawmakers have a few ideas for restoring the 4 percent cut but have yet to agree on any specific plan amid larger budget problems.

Meanwhile, medical providers are weighing whether to continue seeing Medicaid patients — decisions that have the greatest impact in specialties like dentistry, and in rural places like western Kansas where many patients already drive hours to find care.

“It certainly is something that I am seriously considering not participating in in the future,” Miller said. “Just the economics of it — there’s no way to make it work and be profitable at all.”

Different ideas for restoring cuts
It’s not the first time Medicaid reimbursements have been cut in recent years.

Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, slashed them by 10 percent in 2009, when the state was trying to weather the Great Recession. But he and the Legislature restored the cut within months by passing a sales tax increase.

Brownback said in August that the 4 percent cut could be reversed if the Legislature agreed to increase a hospital tax, which would pull down more federal Medicaid money. Last month he reaffirmed that remains his preference.

“We still would like to do something like that,” Brownback said.

Legislators have been cool to that idea so far. Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Wichita who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, said that wasn’t the right way to find the $40 million needed to restore the cuts.

“Basically you’re going to tax the hospitals to give back to the hospitals,” Hawkins said. “Yeah, you’re going to pull down some federal dollars with that, but really we’re taxing them to give back to them. And why would we do that? I’m not sure that makes much sense.”

Instead, Hawkins suggested increasing a fee levied on the three managed care organizations (MCOs) that administer Kansas Medicaid, or KanCare.

That fee increase also draws down federal money — in this case, Hawkins said, enough to both pay back the MCOs and restore the $40 million cut.

“I think that’s a place we could look at that would not really affect anybody,” Hawkins said.

Melinda Miner, a dentist from Hays, says the dental provider networks in western Kansas are close to collapsing in many communities.

MCO tax also has consequences
That particular fee, though, also applies to private-sector insurance companies that run managed care plans, including health maintenance organizations, or HMOs.

The Legislature passed a bill last year that gave those companies the ability to sell HMO-like plans without paying the fee, but Hawkins said a couple of them —Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and Aetna — still sell the traditional HMO plans that would be subject to the fee increase.

Brownback said that should be taken into account, but he didn’t rule out including Hawkins’ idea as part of a plan to restore the 4 percent cuts.

“We’d have to see what kind of mix to do and its impact on the MCOs, but there is a way to do this and that’s what we proposed even at the end of the last legislative session,” Brownback said. “I think we ought to do something like that, and we’ll see if the Legislature is open to it or not.”

“It’s not just the 4 percent cut. It’s been drastic underpayment for a long time.”

– Bill Miller, a dentist in Hill City, on low Medicaid reimbursement rates for dentists
Mary Beth Chambers, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, said her company would be less affected by a fee increase than some other insurers, because it only sells the HMO plans on the individual market and they make up a small part of the total business.

“Our stance is that any time taxes or fees are put on insurance companies, those costs, as administrative costs, get passed on to those buying the insurance,” Chambers said. “So we would caution legislators to keep that in mind.”

Hawkins said another option is to repeal a provision of Brownback’s signature 2012 tax plan that exempted about 330,000 business owners from paying any tax on “pass-through” business income.

That idea was part of a budget-balancing bundle promoted last week by a coalition of advocacy groups at the Statehouse.

Hawkins said repealing the business tax exemption would bring in about $260 million, of which $40 million could be diverted to restore the Medicaid cuts. But the state faces a budget gap of about $350 million in the current fiscal year and about $600 million in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1 — and that could swallow new tax revenue.

Brownback has opposed proposals to roll back the 2012 cuts in the past. His office has said it is working on a budget plan to be released soon.

Dental coverage waning
The 4 percent Medicaid cut hit a variety of providers: hospitals, nursing homes, psychiatrists and others.

But opposition has been particularly strong from dentists, who have not seen an increase in their Medicaid reimbursement rates since 2001. Even before the 4 percent reduction, Medicaid paid about 40 cents on the dollar compared to private dental insurance.

Nick Rogers, an Arkansas City dentist and president-elect of the Kansas Dental Association, told the Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight last month that the cut was likely to be a “final straw” for dentists who were leaning toward getting out of Medicaid.

He said access to dental care was already an issue for people on Medicaid in his part of the state — especially for Kansans with disabilities.

“These patients have the most complex needs, consume a disproportionate amount of our time — clinically and administratively — and have the lowest reimbursement,” Rogers said. “At some point in the near future, regardless of my social responsibility, we will be forced to discontinue our involvement (in Medicaid).”

Rogers said his practice was getting referrals for patients with special needs who live more than two hours away. His testimony echoed comments made months earlier by John Fasbinder, a Prairie Village dentist who also treats disabled Medicaid patients.

Melinda Miner, a dentist from Hays, told the committee that the dental provider networks in western Kansas are close to collapsing in many communities.

After contacting dentists throughout the region, Miner compiled a map showing more than 20 western counties without a single dentist who accepts Medicaid.

In an email to KHI News Service, Miner said she is among two dentists in Hays who have decided to stop taking it. She provided the names of two other dentists, one in Leoti and one in Great Bend, who she said have also dropped out of the program and eight more western Kansas dentists who she said are considering dropping out.

Miller, the dentist from Hill City, is one of them.

“I think everybody is,” he said. “And it’s not just the 4 percent cut. It’s been drastic underpayment for a long time.”

Getting out
Craig Sandlin is the office manager for his wife, Joanne Brown, the Leoti dentist. He confirmed that they stopped taking Medicaid patients as of the end of November.

Joanne Brown, left, works as a dentist in Leoti, and her husband Craig Sandlin, right, is her office manager. Sandlin confirmed that they stopped taking Medicaid patients as of the end of November after a recent cut to reimbursement rates.

Sandlin said the move affected more than 2,500 people and he’s not sure how far they will have to travel to find a dentist who takes new Medicaid patients.

Joanne Brown, left, works as a dentist in Leoti, and her husband Craig Sandlin, right, is her office manager. Sandlin confirmed that they stopped taking Medicaid patients as of the end of November after a recent cut to reimbursement rates.
View larger photo

“The problem is there’s nobody in western Kansas anymore,” Sandlin said. “Everybody has gotten out.”

Michael Jones, a dentist in Russell, said he’s limiting his intake of new Medicaid patients to “very, very few” and is strongly considering not taking any more.

As the only dentist in a county of more than 6,000 people, Jones said he has all the patient load he needs and, at 57, is “no spring chicken.”

He said he treats Medicaid patients at a financial loss, but does it as a service to the community. A young dentist just starting out, with potentially more than $100,000 in student debt, would not have that option, Jones said.

He said it would be tough to find someone to replace him when he retires.

“Selling the small, rural practice is very difficult,” Jones said.

Sandlin said that once dentists get out of Medicaid, it will be hard for the state to bring them back, even if the reimbursement rates do increase.

He and his wife are paring staff now, and it would take more than a restoration of the 4 percent cut to convince them to rehire — in fact, it would take a substantial increase.

“That’s the problem they’re not realizing,” Sandlin said of state policymakers. “Once these doctors are out, you’re going to have to put a big carrot out there to get them back in. Because we’ve staffed to be out.”

Andy Marso is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @andymarso

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – One person was taken to the hospital Monday after an accident on K-14 in Reno County. According to the Reno County Sheriff’s Office, 39-year-old Rocky A Summers of Bushton reports rolling his vehicle at 4th & K-14

Summers reports he was attempting to pass a semi and as he did, the semi drifted into the southbound lane almost striking Summers. Summers said he had nowhere to go, so he exited the road to the west. When this happened, he lost control of his car causing it to roll. The car came to rest in the west ditch of K-14 and caught on fire, however it was extinguished quickly according to the Sheriff’s Department .

35-year-old Jared A Ruckman of Ellsworth was driving the semi that Summers was trying to avoid at the time of the accident.

Summers and 57-year-old Sharon J Habiger also of Bushton were seen and treated by EMS at the scene. Habiger refused transport, but Summers was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries. Ruckman was not injured.

The accident occurring around 4 p.m.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The USD 308 School Board Monday learned the district’s financial records are in good shape.

The district received its annual audit report, which can be viewed on the district’s website. The audit is for the 2015-16 school year, which ended June 30. Independent auditors found no issues with district finances.

Also during Monday’s meeting, the board heard from Superintendent Dr. Shelly Kiblinger about the need to develop additional policy for sponsorship and advertising opportunities in the district. She also discussed the possible refinancing of a portion of the 2006 bond issue because bond market rates have gone up since an earlier presentation. The Board consensus was to stay with refinancing to obtain any savings.

They also approved the purchase of two Ford vans for student transportation from Midway Motors for $58,776. While five companies were contacted to submit bids, Midway was the only one to submit a bid.

And also approved was a calendar update for the 2016-17 school year. Hutch High has been asked to host regional wrestling on Feb. 17, and administrators requested that afternoon to be an early release day for student. Because that day already was a non-instruction day for K-6 students with their teachers working on records and professional development, the board made that afternoon a professional development afternoon for both Hutch High and Hutchinson Middle School.

WICHITA, Kan. – The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office has been notified of a scam involving someone identifying himself as an employee of that office. Victims received phone calls demanding immediate payment for unpaid fines or unsatisfied warrants.

officials say scammers prey on people with these official sounding phone calls and make threats of incarceration to make good people feel desperate and concerned. They remind people not give personal information out to someone who calls you on the phone. Do not pay someone over the phone with a gift card or prepaid debit card unless you initiated the purchase.

Sheriff’s officials say they do not collect fines by phone.

If you have been a victim of this scam call the local law enforcement agency in your jurisdiction.

Dan Deming                Sheriff Randy Henderson

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – As we have been telling you, Reno County Commission Chair Dan Deming is questioning what he sees as excessive overtime for personnel at the Reno County Correctional Facility. During the County Commission meeting, he read a summary of a report he says he has been working on for some time and talked about the excess overtime.

Deming noted that over the past two years, the county added eight new jail positions which they needed because of the increased space in the new jail. The cost of the new positions according to Deming is $334,000 which is reflected in the 2016 budget.

But, he says there has been overtime paid which has been over budget since 2013 of more then $724,680 which he says is more then double over what was budgeted. That includes the first three quarters of this year.

The total since 2013 totals $1,406,540 according to Deming. He says the jail was budgeted for about $695,000 in overtime during this time period.

But, Sheriff Randy Henderson told the commission that the numbers are not accurate. He also commented on the way Commissioner Deming brought forward this issue saying he could have come to him and they could worked together as a team. Sheriff Henderson and also notes that with the overall budget of his department, they not over budget, in fact have worked hard to make sure they are within their budget. .

Sheriff Henderson says that they started the year with a $20,000 bill because no one in his department or with county administration caught that an insurance payment for the new jail was due.

Deming also mentioned in his report that the sheriff has high paid staff working in the jail such as detectives and patrol officers. Sheriff Henderson says that is simply not true, in fact says no detectives or patrol officers have been working in the correctional facility since it opened.

In the end, they agreed to try to work together to bring some the cost of overtime, but not before the sheriff told Deming that he’s an elected official and that the county commission can tell him the numbers for his budget, but not how to spend that money. He also told Deming to stop trying to micro-managing his people.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The County Commission approved a zoning case for building a 150 ft communications tower for the purpose of providing high speed internet service within a five mile radius of 82nd and Pennington which would include the Highlands.

The commission also approved temporary notes for roughly $750,000 dollars for two items, one being purchasing a bulldozer for the county refuse department and the other for purchasing voting machines for the County Clerks office.

The county has or will have $700,000 next year for the purchase of the bulldozer, but still need around $150,000. The estimated cost for the voting machines is $600,000. The county will combine the two items and finance the money needed which comes to $750,000.

They commission also approved the contract for County Administrator Gary Meagher for next year which will give him a base salary of $121,400 with a monthly deferred compensation of $1,805.00.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — If the zoning and other issues can be overcome there may a future tenant in the old Medical Center building at 1125 N Main.

A public hearing is set for the next Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday Dec 20, regarding a proposal to put an adult day care center at the former medical complex. City zoning regulations prohibit such a center within a commercial district. The Commission has already held a study session to determine what can be done to accommodate the center which would operate during the day time only.

Currently there are 4,600 such facilities in the US, and the need for them is growing by the day. Kansas has just 14 of these centers which provide services such as therapeutic activities, meals, transportation, caregiver support groups, personal assistance, social services and rehab therapy, some which can be covered by insurance. About 80% of the centers have a professional nursing staff.

The centers in Kansas are quite expensive at this time, which is most likely caused by the low number of facilities. The average monthly cost for such a day care in Kansas is about $79 per day, or about $1,733 a month. Both are well above the national average.  

If approved by the planning commission the matter would go before the City Council Jan.  3. The planning commission meeting is set for Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the Hutchinson City offices.

PRATT, Kan. – The age old IRS scam is going around Pratt again. On Tuesday, a citizen received a call from one claiming to be with the IRS. The caller stated if $2,000 was not paid, the individual would be arrested. The demands were not met, the caller called again and threatened to have their driver’s license suspended and were notified officers were on their way to arrest them.

Fortunately no money was sent in this scam.

It is very important to just hang up on these callers. The Internal Revenue Service will never call. Anyone you do not know calling for money is a scam. Do not talk to strangers on the phone, at your door, or anywhere, it is not safe.

HARVEY COUNTY – A Newton woman was injured in an accident just before 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Harvey County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Volkswagen passenger car driven by Talea Carmen Montano, 28, was southbound in the 1800 block of North Main Street.

The vehicle left the roadway, struck a telephone pole guide wire and rolled.

Montano was transported to the hospital in Newton.

She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – A 47-year-old man was arrested early Wednesday morning in a domestic case made a first appearance in front of District Judge Trish Rose.

Howard White apparently got into an altercation with a family member who was apparently struck. Reportedly he was intoxicated and breaking things in the home according to statements made in court. Police were called to break things up.

When police arrived, he apparently was uncooperative with officers and is accused of kicking one officer in the knee multiple times while he was trying to take him into custody. That again based on statements in court.

Potential charges include battery – domestic violence, disorderly conduct, two counts of felony battery of a law enforcement officer and felony interference.

He did manage to get his bond lowered from over $11,000 to $5,000 and he’ll be back in court next week to see if the state has filed formal charges. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim in the domestic case.

The incident occurring around 2:30 a.m.