Fireworks citation brings battery charge

A fireworks citation led to an explosive situation for a Eudora police officer.

The officer was citing a 24-year-old man who was illegally setting off fireworks Monday night in the 1100 block of Main Street in Eudora.

The man became angry and threw a firework at the officer, striking him in the face, according to police. The device was not lit at the time, and the officer wasn’t injured.

The man was arrested and booked into the Douglas County Jail on charges of battering a law enforcement officer.

Fireworks are only allowed to be set off in the city of Eudora from July 2 through July 4.

Police look for suspect accused of sodomy

Police are looking for a man accused of sodomizing a 31-year-old Lawrence woman.

Police spokesman Sgt. Dan Ward said the 38-year-old suspect threatened the woman and then forced her to perform a sex act.

The reported sexual assault happened shortly after 3 a.m. Friday. The suspect is the woman’s roommate.

According to police, he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the attack and left the residence after the assault. The victim was then able to call police for help.

Police are trying to locate the man for questioning.

The Journal-World generally does not identify suspects in sex crimes unless they’ve been convicted.

Highway Patrol updates report on fatal accident

The Kansas Highway Patrol is making some changes to its report on a Friday night traffic accident that killed a woman and injured two others in Jefferson County.

The initial accident report issued by the Highway Patrol listed the fatality victim, Carol L. Shull, 40, as having a Peru, Kansas, address. That report is being updated to show that she has a Perry address, Patrol spokesman Lt. John Eichkorn said.

The report also will show a different last name for the 5-year-old girl who was a passenger with Shull. The girl’s name is Breanna Heck, Eichkorn said.

The accident occurred on U.S. Highway 24 east of Perry when Shull’s eastbound vehicle collided with a westbound truck driven by James W. Parbst, 26, Kansas City, Mo.

Parbst was taken to University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan., but no information has been available about his condition. Breanna was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo., where she was in fair condition Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Grand jury indicts suspect on gun charges

An Oskaloosa man faces federal gun charges after a grand jury indictment was handed up earlier this month.

John P. Hargis, 33, is charged in U.S. District Court in Topeka with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of making a false written statement to get a firearm and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. The alleged crimes happened between Oct. 4 and Jan. 9.

Hargis faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison without parole on each count. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Fort Hays student pleads in beating death

Hays (ap) — The second of four Fort Hays State University students charged in the beating death of a classmate pleaded no contest Monday to a lesser charge.

Luis A. Llamas, 24, of San Diego, had faced a charge of second-degree murder and aggravated battery in the death of 18-year-old Clint W. Johnson. He pleaded no contest Monday to a single count of voluntary manslaughter and agreed to a sentence of seven years and five months in prison, prosecutors said.

Johnson, a freshman at Fort Hays State, was beaten with a baseball bat and died at a Wichita hospital two days later.