Felon gets five years for weapon, drug charges

Topeka ” A Lawrence man will serve five years in a federal prison for carrying a gun during a drug trafficking crime.

Joseph D. Vervynck, 23, received the sentence Thursday from U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson. On Aug. 28 Vervynck pleaded guilty to the charge.

U.S. Atty. for Kansas Eric Melgren said evidence showed Lawrence Police conducted a search of Vervynck’s residence on Jan. 22 and found a loaded pistol in a bedroom nightstand. They also found cocaine and marijuana in plain view, Melgren said.

Vervynck will serve three years of supervision after he is released from prison.

Ottawa couple indicted in Social Security fraud

Kansas City, Kan. ” A federal jury Thursday indicted an Ottawa couple on one count each of fraudulently receiving Social Security payments and 14 counts of embezzlement.

David Polsley, 48, and his wife, Kathryn Polsley, 48, were accused of failing to report the death of a Social Security beneficiary and receiving payments from July 2000 to July 2001.

The Kansas U.S. Attorney’s Office also alleges the couple embezzled $5,750 in Social Security payments from November 2000 to July 2001.

If convicted, the Polsleys could each be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison for fraudulently receiving Social Security payments. Each embezzlement conviction would carry a maximum of one year in prison.

Appeal rejected in car chase case

The man convicted of leading Lawrence Police on a dangerous car chase in September 2000 had his appeal rejected Friday by the Kansas Court of Appeals.

Billy Wayne Carter II was convicted of attempting to elude law enforcement, obstruction of official duty and battery on a law enforcement officer in the case.

The chase happened after a man called police, saying Carter had stabbed him with scissors. It ended with two officers struggling with Carter outside a trailer home until he released the scissors.

On appeal, Carter said prosecutors violated his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination by commenting on his refusal to talk to police after the incident. But the appeals court said the issue was raised by Carter’s attorney.

Carter is serving two years of probation for the conviction.

Lawrence broadcaster tapped for foundation

The Kansas Wildscape Foundation selected Hank Booth of Lawrence as its new executive director.

The foundation, with offices at Riverfront Plaza in Lawrence, is a private organization dedicated to creating outdoor opportunities for Kansans.

Booth, former president of the Kansas Association of Broadcasters, has been in broadcasting for more than 40 years. He will continue working for KLWN radio.

He begins at the foundation immediately and replaces Harlan Priddle, who will remain at the foundation to assist with development activities.

Organized in 1991, the foundation has raised $5 million to support its involvement in more than 30 projects. It recently won the Mott Award from the National Society for Park Resources.

City extends compost giveaway to Wednesday

There’s still time to get in on the city of Lawrence’s compost giveaway. The initial giveaway, which ends today, has been extended.

Compost will also be distributed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Nov. 23 at the composting facility in the 900 block of East Eighth Street.

“We’ve had a really good turnout ” about 200 people a day,” said Molly Mangerich, head of the city’s recycling division. “But there’s still a lot to give away. It’s amazing how much there is.”

A front-end loader will be available to load compost onto pickup trucks.

The compost is the byproduct of the more than 6,000 tons of grass clippings and leaves that city crews collect throughout the year.

The giveaway is intended for the private use of Lawrence residents, not for resale or commercial use.

Coalition plans meeting on wrongful executions

The Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty will have its annual meeting at 7 p.m. Sunday in the St. John’s School gym, 1208 Ky. Sean O’Brien, Kansas City defense attorney, will discuss executions of innocent people.

The coalition reports there have been more than 100 innocent inmates released from death rows nationwide. O’Brien will discuss the case of Joseph Amrine in Missouri and why he thinks systematic errors have led to wrongful convictions.

The meeting will also feature the film “Unreasonable Doubt.”

Girl injured in shooting

Topeka ” A gunshot fired Friday evening from outside an apartment struck a 12-year-old girl in the head as she sat on a couch, Topeka Police said.

The girl was taken to Stormont-Vail Health Care Center with life-threatening injuries, Lt. John Sidwell said.

Topeka Police were investigating to determine if the shooting was intentional or accidental. It occurred shortly before 6 p.m.

The girl’s mother said she was in another room in the home at 5231 S.W. 34th St. when she heard what sounded like a car backfiring outside, Sidwell said. She then found the girl on the couch wounded from a single shot to the head, he said.

The bullet came through an exterior wall, Sidwell said.

Indian taco sale today

The Morris Baptist Center next door to Haskell Indian Nations University will be selling Indian tacos from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the center, 146 Indian Ave. Profits from will help pay for remodeling the center’s kitchen.