Butler County

Former deputy district attorney Kevin O'Connor will announce Wednesday that he plans to run for Sedgwick County District Attorney.  He will run against Marc Bennett, who is the current deputy district attorney. O'Connor worked in the district attorney's office for 17 years before resigning in 2009.  He said he left because he no longer felt comfortable working for District Attorney Nola Foulston. Since leaving the office, O'Connor has worked as a special prosecutor for Butler County and the Attorney General's Office.

Two people are hospitalized after a crash in Butler County Tuesday morning.  Butler County Sheriff's Deputies tell us it happened around 7:30 in the 12000 block of SW Butler Road. Officials tell us, a car, driven by a 16-year-old from Derby was stopped in the northbound lane of traffic waiting to make a left turn into a private drive when his car was struck from behind by another car driven by a 36-year-old woman from Wichita. The first car was pushed into the southbound lane, where it was struck by a pickup driven by a 39-year-old from Douglass.

The only kind of traffic Leroy Penner sees near the intersection of Northwest 180th and Indianola is the occasional tractor.  But recently, there was an exception. "My wife was saying something about ... 2:30 in the morning we had a vehicle come through here,” Penner said. Just a mile south of Penner's home, officers were tipped-off to a field full of marijuana plants. "This is the biggest bust we've had in the last few years,” Penner said. Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet says the camp was set-up like the camp Marion county deputies found.

Update: Valley Center police said Wednesday that 20 year-old Brian E. Carr was arrested early Wednesday morning in Butler County for the bank robbery that occurred at Emprise Bank in Valley Center, Kansas on 9-12-2011.  He is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on a Federal Arrest Warrant Complaint. Valley Center Police are working with the FBI and with the assistance of officers from Sedgwick County, Butler County and the Andover Police department were able to quickly identify and arrest Mr. Carr without incident.

The Butler County Sheriff's Department indentifies the two people killed in a deadly crash in Butler County. Seventy-nine year old Mahmoud Alayan ran a stop sign crashing into the motorhome. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His daughter, 47-year-old Hafia Alayan, was in the vehicle with him. She also died at the scene. Both victims are from Wichita. The driver of the motorhome, a man from Derby, refused treatment. ------------------ Original Story, August 30 A crash Wednesday morning kills two people in Butler County.

Firefighters have put out two grass fires in Butler County.  The first was at SW 50 th and SW Fulton. Towanda crews worked on this fire. The second grass fire was about five miles south of the first fire. Augusta firefighters extinguished this second fire.  

Butler County Emergency Medical Services announced Friday they have created a Butler County Public Responder Network (BCPR) and they're making CPR training a top priority. The BCPR network will offer free training for CPR and use of an Automated External Defibrillator. The training will also be offered to students at Butler County schools. Cardiac Arrest that occurs out of the hospital affects 50,000-100,000 people per year. Unfortunately, only about 6% of people survive on average.

Authorities release new information about an explosion that killed a propane worker and injured two others.  It happened last week at Global Propane in Butler County. Fire officials say 40 year-old Jeffrey Burnham was refueling a tank when the hose he was using broke away and started flailing around sprewing propane.  That hose made contact with something - possibly the ground or a wall - which caused a spark that ignited the gas. Two other employees tried to help Burnham and pull him to safety.  They suffered burns.  Burnham died from his injuries.  Eyewitness News will have additional information this afternoon.  Look for continuing updates on air and online.