Body found in lake ID’d

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that it had identified the body of the white male pulled from the Slough Creek area of Lake Perry on Thursday.

Leslie Carroll Bentley, who was found floating about 30 feet off the Lake Perry shoreline Thursday evening, had been missing since May 5. Bentley was 62.

Sheriff’s officers had spent much of the week searching for Bentley after his car was found abandoned Sunday near Perry Lake. He was last seen on Thursday when he set off to return to his home in Oklahoma. The search for Bentley included officers combing Perry Lake by boat and a helicopter search by the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Capt. Randy Carreno of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said there was no indication of foul play and that the cause of death would be announced as soon as it had been determined. The autopsy on Bentley was conducted in Shawnee County.

Art

Outdoor sculptures arrive for exhibit

The sculptures that will be featured in this year’s Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition, began arriving in Lawrence on Friday.

City workers will help install the eight pieces next week for the city’s 18th annual downtown art event.

There will be an opening reception for the artists and a guided tour of the sculptures on June 11. The reception will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Arts Center. The tour will follow.

Artists from across the country compete to have their works displayed. This year’s exhibition includes works by two Lawrence artists: Dave Werdin-Kennicott and Jan Gaumnitz.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had two local artists in the show,” said Jeff Ridgway, a member of the Lawrence Arts Commission and an organizer for the exhibition.