Riley County Police have arrested a Manhattan man in connection to a weekend homicide investigation

Officers have charged 29-year-old Erick Sanchez with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and criminal threat in connection to the death of 36-year-old Mark Rickenbaker. Sanchez was brought into custody just after 8 p.m. Monday and remains jailed in Riley County on a $1 million bond.

Police began their investigation a little after midnight on Saturday in the 800 block of Colorado Street for a reported welfare check. Officers located Rickenbaker suffering from serious injuries. He died later at a local hospital from his injuries. An investigation has determined Rickenbaker was involved in an altercation before police arrived.

Further details surrounding his death have not been provided.

Rickenbaker had a lengthy criminal history, including most recently a 2022 conviction in Riley County for aggravated battery and criminal possesion of a weapon by a felon.

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Debris in the roadway is being blamed for causing a crash that injured one person Monday afternoon on Interstate 70 in Geary County.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 53-year-old Neal Wheatley of Chapman was driving eastbound in his 2019 Dodge Caravan near mile post 292 when he braked suddenly to avoid a ladder spotted in the right lane. As he braked, his van was rear-ended by a 2015 Subaru Outback, driven by 42-year-old Kyle Olson, of Yorktown, Virginia.

Wheatley was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Junction City with minor injuries. Olson had no apparent injuries.

Police say Wheatley was not wearing a seat belt

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A 54-year-old Overland Park man died and a passenger was seriously injured Tuesday morning in a two-vehicle crash south of Deep Creek Road.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the crash occurred around 11:08 a.m. Dec. 2 on K-177 near mile marker 101. Troopers say a 2005 Ford Super Duty driven by 17-year-old Avery Gene Lindsey of Manhattan was traveling north in the right lane when it approached a 2012 Hyundai Accent ahead of it, also traveling north. The Ford rear-ended the Hyundai, sending both vehicles off the roadway.

The KHP reports the pickup came to rest on the west shoulder, while the car ended up in the east ditch.

The driver of the Hyundai, identified as James Edgar Echols of Overland Park, died from his injuries at the scene. His passenger, 52-year-old Nakeenya Marie Echols of Las Vegas, was taken to Via Christi with suspected serious injuries. Seat belt usage for the driver was unknown, while the passenger was not wearing a seat belt.

Lindsey was not injured in the crash, according to the Patrol, and was wearing a seat belt.

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A 29-year-old Alma woman was taken to the hospital Saturday afternoon after strong winds pushed her vehicle off the roadway in Wabaunsee County.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the crash occurred around 2:25 p.m. Nov. 29 on Southtown Road, just north of K-99. Troopers say the driver, identified as Chestina N. Randles, was traveling north when a gust of wind blew her 2015 Dodge Durango off the road. The SUV went about 20 feet down an embankment and landed on its passenger side.

Randles was transported to Stormont Vail Hospital with suspected minor injuries. She was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

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A Pottawatomie County woman was hospitalized following a crash on Interstate 70 in Topeka Monday afternoon.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 62-year-old Beverly Jones of Emmett was in a pickup when she left the onramp from SW Gage Blvd onto I-70 and failed to navigate the curve. Her truck veered off the roadway, striking a Lexus, driven by 50-year-old Monica Gillen of Silver Lake. Both vehicles became disabled after the crash.

Jones was taken to St. Francis Hospital with a possible injury and a complaint of pain. Gillen had no apparent injuries.

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Three semi tractors were involved in an injury crash early Friday morning on the Kansas Turnpike in Lyon County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported the collision occurred around 5:12 a.m. Nov. 21 on I-35 at mile marker 119.8. Troopers said the first vehicle, a 2007 semi driven by 22-year-old Jacob Alan Diamond of Hastings, Michigan, was disabled in the median and across both driving lanes when a second semi made contact.

Investigators said the trailer of the second vehicle, a 2024 semi driven by 52-year-old Samuel Leonardo Belle of Phoenix, Arizona, became draped over a barrier wall with the rest of the truck stretched across the northbound lanes and right shoulder. A third semi, driven by 60-year-old Robert Alan Wynn of Leon, was unable to stop and struck the trailer before coming to rest on its wheels.

Wynn was transported to St. Francis Hospital with possible injuries and complaints of pain. Belle also reported possible injuries but was not transported. Diamond was not injured, according to the patrol.

All drivers were reported to have been wearing seat belts. The crash remains under investigation by the Kansas Highway Patrol.

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Three seriously hurt in Highway 24 crash north of Manhattan

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The post The KMAN 5-Minute Morning Show: Multiple injured in Riley County crash Monday + more local news & sports appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

Five people were injured Monday morning in a four-car crash west of Lasita Road on U.S. Highway 24 in northern Riley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash happened around 8:30 a.m. when a Nissan Sentra driven by 20-year-old Ella Thalmann of Palmer rear-ended a Ford Focus stopped to turn left, driven by 61-year-old Brian Shane of Alta Vista. The impact pushed Thalmann’s car into a westbound Dodge Ram driven by 33-year-old Trevor Clark of Manhattan.

Thalmann, along with Brian and Jacque (Jackie) Shane, were all seriously injured in the crash. All three were transported to hospitals in Manhattan and Topeka. Two others, 21-year-old Paden Taylor and 23-year-old passenger Martin Dylan, both of Clay Center sustained only minor injuries.

Clark and his passenger, 26-year-old Cameron Cooper of St. George, were not hurt. The crash remains under investigation.

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Troopers with the Kansas Highway Patrol’s Troop C responded Tuesday to a serious injury crash near the Chapman interchange on Interstate 70, temporarily closing access into Chapman via Rain Road.

According to the KHP crash log, the incident occurred at approximately 2:28 p.m. when an eastbound Chevrolet Impala exited I-70 at mile marker 286 and failed to yield at a stop sign. A Peterbilt semi-truck traveling through the intersection struck the Impala on the driver’s side.

The driver of the Impala, 88-year-old Jerry Ray May of Colorado, sustained suspected serious injuries and was transported to Wesley Medical Center. A passenger, Brent Cooper May, 56, also of Colorado, suffered minor injuries. Both were wearing seat belts.

The semi-truck driver, identified as 20-year-old Collin William Gfeller of Chapman, was not injured.

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The Kansas Highway Patrol is reminding motorists to slow down as they make their way to K-State football games this fall.

According to Trooper Ben Gardner with Troop C, one driver was clocked traveling 112 mph in a 75 mph zone over the weekend on Interstate 70 in Geary County. That’s 37 miles over the speed limit and a ticket of $408.

Gardner says with another K-State home game this weekend, it’s more important to arrive safely than rushing to the game.

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Several construction projects will impact gameday travel this fall.

In Geary County, traffic on I-70 is reduced to one lane in both directions head-to-head between exit 297 and mile marker 300, for an ongoing pavement replacement project. In addition, the two new roundabouts being installed on US 24 at the K-13 and K-113 intersections will impact gameday traffic from the north throughout the season, while construction on Anderson Avenue will impact traffic in town both to and from the games.

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