Perry Lake boat crash investigation nears end

Topeka — An investigation into last summer’s fatal boat collision at Perry Lake could be completed by the end of the week, according to Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks officials.

Since the Aug. 8 two-boat collision, investigators have been conducting interviews and waiting on laboratory test results. The test results have been received and one interview remains to be conducted, said Rob Ladner, law enforcement supervisor with Wildlife and Parks. A report will then be completed, he said.

The collision involved a motorboat that landed on top of a houseboat, killing Jane A. Marschand, 57, Mission, a houseboat passenger. Two other men on the houseboat were injured. No one in the motorboat was injured.

Once the investigation and the report are completed they will be forwarded to the Jefferson County attorney for review. No details about the investigation have been released.

Courts

Two students charged in school break-ins

Charges have been filed against two of the three teens arrested in connection with recent school break-ins.

Prosecutors are still considering whether to file charges against a third suspect, Dist. Atty. Christine Kenney said.

The charged boys, both 14, have court hearings scheduled for Dec. 5.

Each of the boys faces five counts of criminal damage, three counts of theft and three counts of burglary. Police arrested the teens, all Lawrence students, after linking them to recent vandalism and theft at Prairie Park School and South Junior High School, in addition to two unrelated incidents of automobile vandalism and burglary.

Hearing

Wreck victim’s family seeking restitution

A restitution hearing has been set for Jan. 16 for a Lawrence teen convicted of striking and killing a stranded motorist in September 2002 while driving under the influence of alcohol.

The amount being sought by the victim’s family is more than $98,000, said Tim Riling, attorney for defendant Ashleigh N. Juola.

Juola, who was 17 at the time of the wreck, pleaded no contest earlier this year to killing 24-year-old social worker Heather Coulter. The wreck happened Sept. 18, 2002, as Coulter stood by her stalled car at 19th and Iowa streets. She died several days later.

A test showed Juola had a blood-alcohol level of .12. The state’s legal limit is .02 for people younger than 21; it’s .08 for those 21 and older.

Winter

City crews to practice snow removal routes

A 60-degrees high is expected today, but that won’t keep city crews from hitting the streets in snowplows.

Thirty-seven employees from the Street Maintenance Division will inspect the city’s snow-removal equipment and travel their assigned routes during the annual walk-through. The practice begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Street Maintenance facility at 11th Street and Haskell Avenue.

Crews will review their snow-removal plan, which includes 10 additional miles of streets compared with last year.

Lawrence officials also are reminding residents of the city’s snow and ice removal ordinance, which requires a property’s owner or occupant to remove snow or ice on public sidewalks within 24 hours after the ice forms or the snowfall ends.

Property owners can be fined $20 per day for not complying. For more information on the law, call 832-7700.