Kansas Klips
Police work to ID victim in fatal Kansas crash and fire
SALINE COUNTY—According to Salina Police Captain James Feldman, officers and local emergency services responded to a Toyota passenger vehicle fully engulfed in flames after it struck a support pillar under Interstate 135 at West Cloud Street and the Centennial Road Intersection just after 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 24th. The impact and fire damaged the vehicle so severely that officers found it difficult to determine many details at the scene. Officers transported the body to a Kansas City lab for an autopsy and identification. Feldman confirmed there was only one person in the vehicle. The extensive damage to the car destroyed the vehicle’s identification number (VIN), making it difficult to track down the owner. (Hays Post)
NWS confirms strength of tornado in southwest Kansas
FINNEY COUNTY—Investigators with the National Weather Service determined the Sunday tornado (March 24th) in Garden City had a preliminary rating of an EF1, with 90 mph winds. In addition to the confirmed tornado, the storm brought hail, funnel clouds, and several tornado warnings. The Garden City Police Communications Center received reports of storm damage, power outages, and funnel cloud sightings, with the City activating tornado sirens across Garden City. Police, Fire, and EMS personnel responded to assess damage reported involving homes, commercial, and industrial properties immediately east of U.S. Highway 83 and north of the Arkansas River to approximately Schulman Avenue. There were no injuries reported. The winds damaged transmission lines, and power was out for approximately 1,200 residents for two hours. The National Weather Service also issued tornado warnings on Sunday afternoon for Gove, Decatur, Sheridan, and Thomas Counties, with no additional reports of damage or injury. (Hays Post)
Dairy cattle in Kansas test positive for bird flu
TOPEKA—Milk in Kansas and Texas dairy cows has tested positive for bird flu, U. S. officials said Monday, March 25th. Officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the flu virus is the Type A H5N1 strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and to infect people occasionally. This comes one week after officials in Minnesota announced that goats on a farm with an outbreak of bird flu among poultry were diagnosed with the virus. It’s believed to be the first time bird flu—also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza—was found in U.S. livestock. The commercial milk supply is safe, and risk to people is low, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dairies are required only to allow milk from healthy animals to enter the food supply, and milk from sick animals is being diverted or destroyed. Pasteurization also kills viruses and other bacteria, and the process is required for milk sold through interstate commerce, the agency said. “At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health,” the USDA said in a statement. (Hays Post)
Child lands in ER after medical equipment, family car stolen
WICHITA—The van that was stolen from a Liberal family who was in Kansas City for their child’s medical treatment has been found. Pedro Arellano’s son, Pedro Arellano Jr., has been battling heart defects and respiratory issues caused by DiGeorge Syndrome since he was born. The van was found by police Friday morning, March 22nd, with extensive damage, and the medical supplies Pedro Jr. needs to survive were nowhere to be found. Pedro said his family travels six hours from Liberal to Kansas City every few weeks for his son’s medical needs. He said Pedro Jr. needed the medical supplies stolen from their car. The theft was why his son was in the emergency room later that day. “When it hits him, he has a hard time breathing, and so he needs breathing treatment to open his airways to his lungs,” said Arellano. The damage to the van was extensive. “They obviously took a joyride; there was some damage done to the vehicle, windshield, front end, and also the back window was busted out; it looks like they hit a pole or something,” said Pedro. Unsure what insurance will cover, they will rent a car to make Pedro Jr.’s next appointment in Wichita. Pedro said Ascension Via Christi donated oxygen tanks for them to make it back home, and Children’s Mercy Hospital supplied them with car seats.A GoFundMe has been set up for the family, and nearly $20,000.00 has been donated since the theft. (KSNW)
Kansas registered sex offender found dead in prison
EL DORADO—El Dorado Correctional Facility inmate, 39-year-old John Lewis Wardrup, died on Monday, March 25th, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections. Wardrup was found unresponsive in his cell. Staff and EMS administered life-saving measures but were unable to revive him. Wardrup originally served an 88-month sentence for Forgery and Attempted Rape and had been on post-release supervision. He was most recently serving time for violating conditions of supervision, plus an 18-month sentence, based on convictions in Sedgwick County, Kansas of Violation of the Kansas Offender Registration Act. He had been listed as a registered sex offender since 2014. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy. Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections, the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is currently ongoing. (Hays Post)
