Franklin County sheriff investigating fatality

Ottawa – A one-vehicle accident Monday that killed a rural Overbrook girl is still being investigated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

The girl, Maddison Gray, 7, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred about 7:20 p.m. on a county road a half-mile south of Pomona, according to the sheriff’s office.

Two other passengers, a 6-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy, were taken by ambulance to Ransom Memorial Hospital in Ottawa, where they were treated and released, a statement released Tuesday by the sheriff’s office said. The driver, identified as Clarence Gray, 51, Ottawa, also was taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released.

Clarence Gray was driving a 1995 Toyota SUV south on Colorado Road when the vehicle left the road and struck a bridge rail. It then rolled onto its top and back onto its wheels before coming to a stop just south of the bridge.

Clarence Gray is Maddison’s father.

Ottawa University

Committee formed for presidential search

Ottawa University has formed a committee to help with its upcoming presidential search, officials announced Monday.

The committee will be chaired by Patricia Wolf, an Ottawa alumna in Scottsdale, Ariz., who is vice chairwoman of the university’s board of trustees. The committee will recommend a new president to the board, aided by Academic Search Consultation Service of Washington, D.C.

John Neal, president of OU since 2000, announced earlier this year he will leave June 30 to become president of Maryville University in St. Louis. Jim Billick, vice president for academic affairs, will act as interim president.

Police

Indecent exposure incident reported

Lawrence Police are investigating a report that a man exposed himself to two children Sunday evening at a car wash.

A 35-year-old Lawrence man told police that around 5:30 p.m., he was washing his vehicle at Raco car wash, 2828 Iowa, while his 4-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy stood outside the vehicle and waited. The man is the children’s legal guardian.

At one point, the man briefly lost sight of the children, and found them in the next car-wash stall talking with an unknown man. After he collected the children and asked what they were doing, he learned the man had exposed himself to them, said Sgt. Dan Ward, a Lawrence Police spokesman.

The suspect was described as a white male in his early 30s with a dark complexion and dark, curly hair. He was about 5 feet 10 inches tall and 210 pounds and was wearing a dark blue sweat shirt and yellow sweat pants. His vehicle was described as a newer, gold-colored, possibly two-door car.

Police are asking anyone with information about the crime or who recognizes the description to call Crime Stoppers at 843-TIPS or the Lawrence Police Department at 832-7509.

State guide lists endangered species

A pocket guide about Kansas’ threatened and endangered wildlife species is available from the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita.

The guide includes text and color pictures of 62 species – three plants and 59 animals – on the list. Also featured are a small range of maps showing Kansas counties where the species are known to be.

Color images used in the book were made by several photographers, including Suzanne L. Collins and Garold Sneegas, both of Lawrence.

The book is sponsored by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Westar Energy Green Team and The Nature Conservancy.

Free copies of the book are available from the nature center at 6232 E. 29th North, Wichita, 67220.