Kansas Klips
Resident death at Hutchinson Correctional Facility
HUTCHINSON — Hutchinson Correctional Facility (HCF) resident Juan Caballeros-Yescas died Wednesday, January 18, 2023. He was found unresponsive in his cell that morning. Staff began life-saving measures immediately and continued after emergency medical services arrived. Mr. Caballeros-Yescas was pronounced deceased by medical staff. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy. Caballeros-Yescas, 30, was serving a 270-month sentence, based on convictions in Sedgwick County, Kansas of First-Degree Murder, Aggravated Robbery, and three counts of Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon. Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the KDOC, the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is currently ongoing. The Hutchinson Correctional Facility is the state’s third largest facility. Serving only adult males the facility capacity is 1,788 residents. (KDOC News Release)
Winnie the grizzly dies at zoo
GREAT BEND — The four grizzly bears at Brit Spaugh Zoo in Great Bend have been spending the winter in their stalls since mid-November. During this time, the bears slow down and spend much of their time sleeping and are not very active. Zookeepers check them daily and offer food, and they have constant access to water. On Saturday, Jan. 14, keepers noticed Winnie, a 10-year-old male bear, was not as interested in his food as he normally is. Because it’s winter, that is not really abnormal. The following day, Winnie seemed to be more lethargic and less interested in eating. Keepers treated Winnie with electrolytes and some other types of food which he did consume in a small amount. On morning rounds Monday, it was discovered that Winnie had passed away sometime overnight. Zoo veterinarians performed a necropsy, and preliminary results indicate that he suffered from gastric torsion which is a life-threatening and often fatal condition. The zoo staff is devastated as they consider these animals to be a part of their family. (JCPost.com)
Reba McEntire surprises drama teacher with generous gift
EL DORADO — Reba McEntire is an inspiration to countless people. What may not be so well known about Reba is that she is a philanthropist who shows her fans and the rest of the world what it means to pay it forward. Recently, Reba teamed up with One Country to surprise one of her biggest fans with a generous gift. Together with the charitable giveaway company, Reba gave El Dorado, Kansas drama teacher Katie Banks-Todd a check for $10,000 and a night she’ll never forget. In a video message, Reba McEntire told Banks-Todd that the money would go to her school’s art and music department. Additionally, Reba gave the dedicated teacher tickets to her concert. In the video, Reba told the teacher that she heard about the good things she was doing to support kids in the arts. “We just love hearing about people like you. In fact, our friends at One Country loved it so much, they’re going to give you a check for $10,000 to support your local fine arts program.” Reba also invited Banks-Todd to be her guest at an upcoming concert. (Outsider)
Arrest made after chase, standoff in western Kansas
ELLIS — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges. Sunday evening, Jan. 15, police were alerted to a possible erratic driver that was reported to be driving at high rates of speed through residential areas in the city of Ellis. Officers located the vehicle in question, a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado, and attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle. But the driver, later identified as Clinton Evans, 40, of Ellis failed to yield to law enforcement and a pursuit ensued. Evans led officers on a brief pursuit that lasted approximately eight minutes. An Ellis County Sheriff’s Deputy was able to deflate all four tires on the suspect vehicle with a tire deflation device, ultimately bringing it to a stop on Old Highway 40. After several attempts were made to take Evans into custody, and his failure to comply, law enforcement formed an arrest team that was successful taking Evans into custody. Evans is being held in the Ellis County Jail on numerous charges in the incident. (HaysPost.com)
Man convicted of threatening to kill Kansas congressman
TOPEKA — A federal jury convicted a Kansas man last Thursday after he admitted in court that he threatened to kill U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner. Chase Neill was found guilty after acting as his own attorney and questioning the congressman on the witness stand. Neill also testified during the trial, and he told jurors he was a messenger from God and that he threatened LaTurner for ignoring his concerns about sorcery, wizards, extraterrestrials and a war for people’s souls. Federal prosecutors said Neill, 32, from Lawrence, fixated on LaTurner before leaving an after-hours voicemail with the congressman’s Topeka office that included, “I will kill you.” Neill’s trial comes amid a sharp rise in reported threats against elected officials and their families. Representing himself in court, Neill admitted that he left that message and others with more death threats the next day. But he told jurors that he was merely the messenger, telling LaTurner and other officials that they faced death by an act of God for attacking God’s creation. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
