Arkansas City: Police seek identity of fire victim

Authorities have yet to identify a person found dead after a weekend fire, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Department said Monday.

Arkansas City firefighters found the body in a mobile home southeast of the city after extinguishing the blaze Saturday morning. A neighbor had called police to report the fire.

The sheriff’s office is working with the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Arkansas City Fire Department to investigate the incident.

Cowley County Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Mueller said authorities had not determined what caused the fire or how the person died. Investigators have not ruled out foul play, he said.

Arkansas City Fire Marshal Randy Leach said an autopsy was scheduled for today.

Wichita: Salvation Army to close rehabilitation center

The Salvation Army plans to close its Wichita adult rehabilitation center, saying its operation has become too expensive.

The center, which has 55 beds for men with drug and alcohol problems, will close at the end of June. It is no longer accepting residents.

Those needing assistance may turn to the Salvation Army’s 110 centers operating nationwide, most likely in Kansas City, Mo., or Omaha, Neb.

Directors of halfway houses and addiction programs in Wichita said the closure would mean more people in their crowded programs and more homeless people.

Fellowship Club director Bob Righter said the halfway house was full with 50 residents, and he expected a waiting list to form when the Salvation Army center closed.

“There’s definitely a need for help and housing,” Righter said.

Wichita: Tax preparer convicted for fraudulent returns

An income tax preparer has been found guilty of preparing fraudulent returns, U.S. Atty. Eric Melgren announced Monday.

More than $460,000 in improper deductions were found during an examination of 104 of the 280 tax returns Lisa K. Haines prepared in 1998 and 1999.

Haines, 43, of El Dorado, was convicted Friday of 12 counts of preparing fraudulent tax returns.

Witnesses testified during the four-day trial that Haines manipulated income and deductions, resulting in increased refunds for her clients.