Highways

12-year-old boy dies in single-car wreck

Oskaloosa — A 12-year-old McLouth boy was killed and his 16-year-old sister critically injured Thursday in a car crash northeast of Oskaloosa.

The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the boy as Ethan Nave, 12. The girl, Christina R. Nave, 16, was taken to KU Med, Kansas City, Kan., where Thursday night she was reported in critical condition.

The accident occurred about 8 a.m. on Fairview Road, 1.6 miles east of U.S. Highway 59.

A 1999 Chevrolet passenger car driven by Christina Nave was westbound, going around a curve when it went out of control, according to the Highway Patrol report. The car struck a bridge and overturned, landing in a ditch, the report said.

Ethan was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was taken to Barnett Funeral Home in Oskaloosa, but no funeral arrangements had been made, a representative there said.

Charity

Restaurant owner offers shelter to homeless man

A homeless man profiled in Thursday’s Journal-World has been offered indoor accommodations. Whether he accepts the offer remains to be seen.

“He’s thinking about it,” said Herman Leon, an advocate for Lawrence’s homeless and a friend of Robert Gilmore.

Leon met Wednesday afternoon with Gilmore, a 45-year-old homeless man who’s been sitting in front of Weaver’s Department Store for several months. He said Gilmore, wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags, spent Wednesday night outdoors despite sub-zero temperatures. He planned to spend Thursday outdoors as well.

Leon said Gilmore assured him that this morning he would consider a Lawrence restaurant owner’s offer of a place to stay.

Contacted by the Journal-World, the restaurant owner asked not to be identified.

“He’s a human being; I don’t want to see him freeze,” the restaurant owner said.

Police

Suspect in burglary leaves tracks in snow

Tracks in the snow left by a baby stroller stolen in a burglary Wednesday night took Lawrence Police directly to the suspect.

About 11:50 p.m. police were called to an apartment in the 2100 block of Haskell Avenue. A man and a woman who lived there found a window pried open, Lt. David Cobb said.

Besides the stroller, other items taken were a DVD player and several DVDs, compact discs, a Nintendo game and jewelry, Cobb said.

Police found tracks left by someone pushing the stroller and followed them to a home in the 1300 block of East 21st Terrace.

Police saw the stroller and found the suspect, a 45-year-old Lawrence woman, in the home. They arrested her and a couple who were in the house. The couple were later released.

Thursday the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office charged Audrey Butler, also known as Audrey Ferguson, 2100 Haskell Ave., with burglary and felony theft. Her bond was set at $2,750. Her next court appearance will be 2 p.m. Jan. 29.

Courts

Coach imitator convicted after sexual phone calls

A 42-year-old Leawood man was convicted in federal court Wednesday of making sexual phone calls to high school athletes across the Midwest — including Kansas — while posing as a college sports coach.

James Riccardi was found guilty after a six-day jury trial of two counts of possessing child pornography and two counts of using a telephone to attempt to persuade a child to engage in sexual activity.

In Lawrence, police investigated at least a dozen similar calls to athletes at Lawrence and Free State high schools. In at least one of those cases, the caller posed as a Texas A&M University recruiter and asked the athlete to spank his younger brother.

Riccardi faces up to five years in prison for the pornography charges and 15 years for the telephone convictions. Sentencing will be at 1:30 p.m. April 14.