Cowley County

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is issued a public health advisory for Eight Mile Creek in Butler and Cowley counties.  Samples of the water have been submitted for testing. The City of Rose Hill's main wastewater pump station shut down Sunday, June 24, due to equipment failure. This caused a release of untreated wastewater to a tributary of Eight Mile Creek. The City of Rose Hill was able to restart the pump station and stop the release of wastewater. The health advisory extends through the portion of Eight Mile Creek from Southwest Butler Road north of Rose Hill in Butler County to where the creek enters the Walnut River in Cowley County.

A former Kansas school worker accused of child molestation will stand trial.  Rick Pendland appeared in Cowley County court Friday. After hearing evidence against Pendland, a judge bound him over for trial on five charges.  Pendland is a former Garden City, Wichita and Arkansas City school employee. ___________________________________ September 29, 2012 A former Kansas school worker who was wanted on child sex crimes is in custody. Arkansas City police say Rick Pendland was arrested in Wichita on Wednesday.

William Carson, a man accused of killing his wife, has died according to Cowley County Attorney Chris Smith as reported by NewsCow.com. Carson had been found mentally unfit to stand trial in the murder of his wife and was in Texas for mental health treatment.  It's unclear how he died. ------------------------------- Original Story 62-year-old William Carson faced charges of second degree murder.  Police say he killed 68-year-old Terry Carson after an argument.

One person is dead, another hurt after a crash south of Winfield Wednesday morning.  According to KSOK in Arkansas City, the crash happened just after 6:00 at 71st Road and US 77. KSOK reports a truck left the roadway and crashed. The Cowley County Sheriff's office says their preliminary investigation indicates the truck was headed south on 71st, when it missed a curve in the road and drove into a row of trees. A woman in her 50s was pronounced dead at the scene.  The driver, a man in his 40s, was rushed to a Wichita hospital for treatment.

Two more victims have come forward to make sexual abuse allegations against an Arkansas City man. There are now 6 people accusing 50-year-old Jerry Mills of abusing them. Mills is now charged with 19 counts including multiple counts of Rape and Agg Indecent Liberties with a Child. Mills appeared in a Cowley County courtroom Thursday where a judge raised his bond to $200,000. He is still in custody. Before he is released, Mills will have to go before a judge - with his attorney and the monitoring company.

Update: Cowley County Officials have identified the body as the 63 year-old pilot, Jerris Lynn Riffel, from Denton, TX. He was flying northbound in a single engine plane when the crash occurred. ---- Emergency crews are on the scene of a plane crash in Cowley County. 911 dispatchers tell Eyewitness News the plane was found near 111th and 62nd Road, northeast of Winfield, between Udall and Atlanta. Kansas Highway Patrol says the plane is registered out of Texas but took off from northern Kansas.

After hours of searching overnight, two campers in Cowley County are found safe. The two girls were missing from Camp Horizon east of Ark City Friday after they went for a hike in a heavilly wooded area and did not return. Law enforcement, including Cowley County Sheriff's Deputies, a K-9 unit from Winfield, an area tracking team and a Kansas Highway Patrol helicopter assisted in the search. The girls were eventually found unharmed.

Authorities arrest 31 people in a months-long drug investigation. The arrests involved the possession, sale and distribution of drugs in Cowley County. Authorities are still looking for 18 people. The charges involve everything from prescription drugs to meth, marijuana to crack. Investigators say no one was hurt while making the arrests. The Cowley County Drug Task Force led the investigation with the help of the Cowley County Sheriff's Office, the Winfield Police Department, Ark City Police Department, the KBI and the Southern Kansas SWAT Team.

"We're about where we thought we would be, except for a couple of day delay. " John Blankenship is in the homestretch. He started cutting his Cowley County wheat about a week and half ago, and it's really been hit or miss when it comes to his yields. "I haven't had any wheat that's really been worse than I thought it would be, which is surprising because it's been very dry since last fall. " He's says he's been getting anywhere from the low 30's the mid 60's when it comes to bushels per acre - or just below average to well above.