Kansas Klips
TMP student dances during Super Bowl halftime show
HAYS—Thomas More Prep-Marian Senior Emma Basgall of Hays was selected to dance at the Super Bowl halftime show. Basgall, 18, had sent in a video audition in January and, after a series of callbacks, was selected to be one of the dancers in the star-studded halftime show that featured Usher. She had to sign a confidentiality agreement so that she couldn’t tell the community about her big news until after the game. Basgall has been dancing since she was two and has been involved in dance competitions with Jackie Creamer’s Dance Studio since she was five. She is now an instructor. Basgall was in Las Vegas for the two weeks leading up to the big game. She was next to the stage as Usher, Ludacris, and Lil Jon performed. Usher participated in all of the field rehearsals with the cast. Basgall said it was like an out-of-body experience with the dancers wearing earpieces to hear the music and cues from the field director. Ironically, because of her performance, she missed most of the game. The dancers were bused to the stadium during the first quarter and returned to their hotel right after the performance. They didn’t have seats. Basgall and her family watched the Chiefs clinch the title from their hotel room on TV.
Basgall’s dream is to work as a full-time dancer and will attend theTheater Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas next year. The Super Bowl broadcast was seen by 123.4 million people. (Hays Post)
Skeletal remains found in a wooded area near Kansas creek
LEAVENWORTH COUNTY—Just after 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 18th, subjects were walking along a creek bed in the 900 block of North Main Street in Lansing when they found skeletal remains.
They called 9-1-1, and Lansing Police Department officers responded to the area. The identity of the deceased person has not been confirmed. Identification may take longer than typical cases due to the condition of the remains. An autopsy has been scheduled. If you have information about this case, please get in touch with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) at 1-800-KS-CRIME. (Hays Post)
Collection of Barbie dolls stolen from Kansas home
SALINE COUNTY—According to Salina Police Department Captain James Feldman, a suspect stole a collection of Barbie dolls placed on a shelf in a Salina residence on Sunday, February 18th.
The unknown suspect stole 20 to 25 dolls, most from the Barbie Holiday Collection, valued at $600.00.
There was no forced entry observed. The home did not have surveillance cameras, so no video footage of the crime was available as evidence. SPD officers continue to investigate the burglary. (Hays Post)
Suspect surrenders after hostages taken in Northwest Kansas
THOMAS COUNTY—Just before 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 20th, the 9-1-1 Center in Thomas County received information of an ongoing incident of a possible armed intruder, according to a media release from the Sheriff’s Department. The situation was changed to a hostage-barricaded suspect. Law enforcement officers from the Colby Police Department, Thomas County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Highway Patrol, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation arrived on the scene. A perimeter was established, and a car with Texas plates was in the alley behind the home. While trying to establish contact with someone inside, one of the hostages was able to climb out the bedroom window. It was determined there were three female adult hostages still inside with two children. The hostage taker was a 41-year-old man who had driven from Texas to locate the individuals in the house. Around 10:38 a.m., the man eventually walked out of the house with the hostages and was taken into custody at the Thomas County Jail, where he is being held. The sheriff’s office had not released the suspect’s name or possible charges. (Hays Post)
Hays suspect arrested on multiple charges following alleged strangulation
ELLIS COUNTY—A Hays man, 44-year-old Timothy Don Walker, was apprehended following a report of an alleged domestic disturbance and strangulation on Tuesday, February 20th. The Hays Police Department received a dispatch at 11:19 a.m., directing them to a house on East 19th Street. Officers arrived at the scene and made contact with Walker. Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler said Walker allegedly assaulted a woman by gripping her neck and strangling her. Walker allegedly threatened to kill her and another man at the residence who had called the police. During the disturbance, Walker also allegedly punched and cracked the victim’s windshield and exposed his genitals to her. Scheibler said the victim allegedly escaped from Walker before police arrived at the scene at 11:23 a.m. When they did arrive, they attempted to de-escalate the situation in the backyard. By 11:35 a.m., Walker was in custody en route to the Ellis County Jail. He wasarrested on requested charges of aggravated domestic battery, criminal damage, and interference with law enforcement.
Scheibler said physical evidence aligns with the victim’s account that Walker choked her. The suspect and female victim had allegedly previously been in a relationship. Scheibler said he wants people to recognize the severity of strangulation and its prevalence within relationships. Officials hope a new program will reduce or even end murders related to domestic violence in Ellis County.
A partnership between domestic violence advocates, law enforcement, and the court system uses a lethality survey to get people for help for people who are in the most danger of a fatal domestic violence attack. You can find information and resources for domestic violence at the National Domestic Violence Hotline website as well as through Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, which provides advocacy services in all of northwest Kansas, Including Ellis County. You can walk into an Options office at 2716 Plaza, has 1480 West Fourth in Colby. You can call Options’ 24-hour helpline at 1-800-794-4624 or text HOPE to 847411. A live chat option or a virtual video conference with an advocate is available on the Options website at https://help4abuse.org/. (Hays Post)
