Cowley County

An Arkansas City man is killed after an accident in Cowley County Sunday. It happened right around midnight just southeast of Arkansas City. Authorities say49-year-old  Bret Clark was southbound in a grass field when he lost control of his jeep and rolled. Clark was not wearing a seat belt. He was taken to an Ark City hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities in Cowley County are investigating after tree trimmers discovered remains on a road northwest of Winfield. The sheriff's office was called to the scene south of 146th road Monday afternoon. The area was cordoned off while officers searched the scene for evidence. A forensic anthropologist and KBI are assisting with the investigation. Police said foul play is not suspected at this time. The case remains under investigation.  

The Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas opens a new one-stop workforce center in Cowley County. The new center is located in the Community National Bank Building at 108 E. 12th in Winfield. According to the Workforce Alliance, the center will help connect people looking for jobs with resources to find and keep a job. That includes assistance with resumes and job searches as well as information about training and further education. Cowley County used to have a workforce center, but it closed in December of 2009.

A meat packing plant in Cowley County has recalled more than 7 tons of ground beef products after lab tests detected E. coli. The Arkansas City Traveler says Creekstone Farms Premium Beef confirmed Wednesday that it had recalled 14,148 pounds of ground beef. The company says the tainted meat was produced Feb. 22 and shipped to Missouri, Iowa, Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. Creekstone and the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service say they have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of the questionable meat.

Cowley County is hosting a two-day job fair this week. The fair boasts more than 300 open positions that need to be filled. Many of those jobs are at the Rubbermaid plant in Winfield. Other employment opportunities include manufacturing positions, plastic mold technicians, firefighters, EMT and Paramedics, RN, waste water tech and others. The March 5th job fair ran until 1:00 in Winfield. On March 6, the Arkansas City Job Fair will take place at the Cowley College Wright Room, 215 S 2nd St, from 3:00-7:00pm.

Cowley County authorities are looking into whether skeletal remains found earlier this month belong to a former hospital patient.  Tree trimmers found the remains in the 7000 block of 146th Road, northwest of Winfield, March 11. A hospital-issued wristband was located nearby. A man's name, Adam Miller, was printed on the wristband. It was dated Sept. 9. Police said a man in the picture was in the Arkansas City and Winfield area at the time, but he is not believed to be a resident in the area.

Cowley County authorities are searching for suspects accused of robbing a newspaper delivery man, armed. It happened in the 300 block of Williams St. in Rock around 4:15 a.m. Wednesday. The 51-year-old man managed to call 911 to report that he had been robbed. The victim said two men with a gun told him to lie on the ground. They then took his wallet and cell phone and drove off in a red sports car. The suspects are believed to be white men in their 20s. The sheriff's office said one suspect is described as being 6' to 6'5" tall, last seen wearing a plaid, flannel jacket or coat and blue jeans.

A Wichita man has been booked into the Cowley County jail in connection to a series of burglaries. Gerald Smith, 63, was arrested in Sedgwick County Tuesday, and transported to the Cowley County jail. The Arkansas City Traveler reports he has been charged with residential burglary, theft and criminal damage to property. Authorities said Smith is facing similar charges in other jurisdictions. Smith remains behind bars on $65,000 bond. The case remains under investigation.

Authorities release the name of a child killed in a multi-vehicle wreck in Cowley County. Four-year-old Jonathan Coberley of Arkansas City was killed when an SUV collided with another SUV Saturday afternoon just north of Arkansas City. His father was taken to a Wichita hospital in critical condition. A passenger in the other SUV was taken to the hospital in serious condition.  KHP is investigating the crash.

A Wichita man has been booked into the Cowley County jail in connection to a series of burglaries. Gerald Smith, 63, was arrested in Sedgwick County Tuesday, and transported to the Cowley County jail. The Arkansas City Traveler reports he has been charged with residential burglary, theft and criminal damage to property. Authorities said Smith is facing similar charges in other jurisdictions. Smith remains behind bars on $65,000 bond. The case remains under investigation.

An Arkansas City man accused of sexually abusing children has been sentenced to more than 21 years in prison. A Cowley County judge sentenced Jerry Mills to 262 months behind bars in connection to charges of rape, sodomy and indecent liberties with a child. Mills entered an Alford plea, which is pleading guilty without admitting guilt, in March. Prosecutors dropped seven charges in exchange for the plea deal. His victims reported Mills touched them inappropriately "too many times to count.

A reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for starting the Island Park fire in Winfield. Crime Stoppers of Cowley County is offering up to a $1,000 reward.  The fire broke out just before 10 p.m. March 14. The playground is a total loss. Click here to view photos of the fire It is the second time the playground has burned to the ground. Anyone with information can call the Winfield Police Department at 620-221-5555 or Crime Stoppers at 620-221-7777.

Cowley County authorities are looking into whether skeletal remains found earlier this month belong to a former hospital patient.  Tree trimmers found the remains in the 7000 block of 146th Road, northwest of Winfield, March 11. A hospital-issued wristband was located nearby. A man's name, Adam Miller, was printed on the wristband. It was dated Sept. 9. Police said a man in the picture was in the Arkansas City and Winfield area at the time, but he is not believed to be a resident in the area.

Cowley County authorities are searching for suspects accused of robbing a newspaper delivery man, armed. It happened in the 300 block of Williams St. in Rock around 4:15 a.m. Wednesday. The 51-year-old man managed to call 911 to report that he had been robbed. The victim said two men with a gun told him to lie on the ground. They then took his wallet and cell phone and drove off in a red sports car. The suspects are believed to be white men in their 20s. The sheriff's office said one suspect is described as being 6' to 6'5" tall, last seen wearing a plaid, flannel jacket or coat and blue jeans.

Authorities in Cowley County are investigating after tree trimmers discovered remains on a road northwest of Winfield. The sheriff's office was called to the scene south of 146th road Monday afternoon. The area was cordoned off while officers searched the scene for evidence. A forensic anthropologist and KBI are assisting with the investigation. Police said foul play is not suspected at this time. The case remains under investigation.  

Cowley County is hosting a two-day job fair this week. The fair boasts more than 300 open positions that need to be filled. Many of those jobs are at the Rubbermaid plant in Winfield. Other employment opportunities include manufacturing positions, plastic mold technicians, firefighters, EMT and Paramedics, RN, waste water tech and others. The March 5th job fair ran until 1:00 in Winfield. On March 6, the Arkansas City Job Fair will take place at the Cowley College Wright Room, 215 S 2nd St, from 3:00-7:00pm.

11 Sedan, KS (Chautauqua County) 6:30pm CST The talk will be held at the VFW located at 520 W. Walnut.         13 Eureka, KS (Greenwood County) 6:30pm CST Talk will be held at the Eureka High School Auditorium.     20 Lincoln, KS (Lincoln County) 6:30pm CST The talk will be at Lincoln High School located at 701 E. North St.     21 Salina, KS (Saline County)

Update: Authorities in Cowley County arrest a suspect in Monday mornings shooting in El Dorado.  A 23-year-old man was shot in the head inside a home.   Cowley County authorities made the arrest after receiving a report of a stolen vehicle  Deputies located the vehicle and a chase developed. The suspect then abandoned  a car and foot chase started west of Winfield.  Several agencies were involved in the search.  The Kansas Highway Patrol used its plane to search for him.  Both KHP and the Cowley County Sheriff's Department used K-9 units to aid in the search.

An Arkansas City man is killed after an accident in Cowley County Sunday. It happened right around midnight just southeast of Arkansas City. Authorities say49-year-old  Bret Clark was southbound in a grass field when he lost control of his jeep and rolled. Clark was not wearing a seat belt. He was taken to an Ark City hospital where he was pronounced dead.