Iola: Ex-minister on probation for sex with minor

A former minister has been placed on probation for two years for having sex with an underage girl.

Kyle Guenther, 37, former minister of Harvest Baptist Church, was sentenced Monday in Allen County District Court to 18 months in prison for each of two counts of having sexual intercourse with a minor.

Judge Daniel Creitz suspended the prison term, giving Guenther probation instead. Creitz also ordered Guenther to register as a sex offender.

The charges stemmed from a series of 15 incidents with a girl between November 1999 and March 2001. The girl, who was 14 when the incidents began, now lives with her parents in another state.

Topeka: Graves endorses Adkins

Gov. Bill Graves endorsed state Sen. David Adkins in his campaign for the Republican nomination for Kansas attorney general.

“David Adkins is the lawyer and leader with a solid record of being tough on crime,” Graves said. “He is the clear choice for attorney general.”

Graves and Adkins, R-Leawood, have worked together on several public policy issues. Graves appointed Adkins to chair the Kansas Youth Authority, which crafted a reform of Kansas’ juvenile justice code that is considered a model for other states.

Also seeking the GOP nomination for attorney general are Phill Kline and Charles McAtee.

Hutchinson: Social Security aid theft results in jail time

A woman was sentenced to two months in jail for stealing about $87,000 in Social Security money from people in a Salvation Army program.

Renita Hays, 33, pleaded no contest last month in Reno County District Court to four counts of felony theft.

Hays ran a program that pays bills for up to 60 so-called “protective payees” in a program run by the Salvation Army. The program is aimed at people incapable of handling their own money.

District Court Judge Tim Chambers on Friday ordered Hays to serve two months in jail, followed by probation. He also ordered her to repay about $87,000 to the program.