Investigation

Update: Wichita police say they've received dozens of phone calls from people saying salespeople had come to their homes.  The salespeople may have been actually selling vacuum cleaners, but they don't have a license and police still think they are connected to the burglaries. The Reno County Sheriff's Office also contacted Wichita police with possible names and descriptions of those believed to be involved in the case, but it's not known if any arrests have been made. ----- A warning from Wichita Police about a recent crime trend involving thieves posing as door-to door salesmen.

The Colby postmaster and another post office employee are on paid leave while an internal investigation is conducted.   Eyewitness News has learned the Post Office Inspector General is looking into a possible violation regarding procedures regarding the external first class measurement system. This is the system used to independently measure the delivery time of mail. A spokesperson for the post office would not release any other information on the matter. For now, the Colby post office is being managed by the Goodland postmaster.

SYRACUSE, Kan. (AP) - Law enforcement officers are investigating the death of a 31-year-old man from Syracuse. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office says Christopher E. Barr died Wednesday morning shortly after an altercation at his Syracuse home. The Garden City Telegram reports that officials say a suspect is in custody. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is helping with the investigation. --- Information from: The Garden City Telegram, www.gctelegram.

The Lane County Sheriff says two people found dead at a Dighton home were brothers. On January 6, deputies received the report of a shooting at a home in the 300 block of N. Central in Dighton. When they arrived, investigators say they found the bodies of 44-year-old Raymond Sanchez, Jr., and 37-year-old Ricky D. Sanchez. Investigators say they are still investigating, but they do not believe anyone else was involved in the incident. The Lane County Sheriff's Department is being assisted by the KBI, Kansas Highway Patrol, Scott County Sheriff's Office, Lane County EMS and the Lane County Attorney's Office.

Police in Salina are investigating the death of an 18-month-old girl. According to officials who spoke with Eyewitness News the girl was found unresponsive at her home in the 600 block of Gypsum Avenue on Monday. Police say a call to 911 was made just after 3:40 in the afternoon.  The girl died Tuesday night at Wesley Medical Center. Police say Bre'Elle Jefferson had injuries, but investigators are not saying if they contributed to her death.

A second story patio collapses while several people are gathered to celebrate a birthday. It happened around 2:45 Sunday morning, in the 3100 block of E. Conamore in Wichita. Police say 6 people were gathered on an outdoor patio area, built onto the second story of a home.  Police say the patio collapsed for an unknown reason. A 24-year-old man was transported to Wesley Hospital with a skull fracture and a brain bleed.  A 22-year-old woman suffered a broken ankle, and another man in his 20's had a possibly dislocated shoulder.

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.

On Monday, the City of Wichita suspended the license of Wichita roofer Tin Lu. The Board of Code Standards and Appeals voted to suspend the license of Lu who works under the name of America Midwest Construction. South Wichita resident Catherine Harris is out more than $30,000 and the repairs to her home to fix Lu's work could cost much more. Harris sued Lu and won, but she hasn't seen any money. She called FactFinder 12 Investigators earlier this year concerned that Lu still had a license.

Federal prosecutors sentence a Dodge City woman to a year in prison for lying to a grand jury. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Petra Garcia-Martinez pleaded guilty to one count of perjury and one count of making a false statement to federal investigators. They say Garcia-Martinez admitted to giving false testimony to a grand jury investigating the Nortenos gang in May of 2011. Investigators say the grand jury was questioning Garcia-Martinez about her knowledge of her brother's affiliation with the gang in Dodge City.

The Dickinson County Sheriff's Department is investigating the possibility of an "allegations of misconduct" between a former Solomon teacher and a student. The teacher at Solomon Elementary School was suspended and the Hays Post is reporting the teacher resigned in late October. Authorities say the allegations of misconduct involve a high school student.  All the schools in Solomon are connected. The sheriff's department says the investigation is on-going.

Each day, we comb through pages upon pages of crime reports from the Wichita Police Department.  Below is a quick glance at some bits and pieces from those sheets and information from the daily police briefing. Aggravated Sexual Assault - A 31-year-old female reports she was walking home from her brother's house near 19th and north Santa Fe around 3:20 a.m. Saturday. She said she was approached by 3 men in a pickup truck. The suspects offered her a ride, she declined, and the truck drove away.

A family pet has died after a fire broke out in a Valley Center home. Crews were called to the scene in the 5800 block of east 109th North around 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters found thick smoke and flames showing from the mobile home upon arrival. Neighbors said two people have been living in the home, but they were not home at the time of the fire.  Click here to see photos of the fire Authorities said one dog died from smoke inhalation. Other dogs and puppies were also home at the time, but are expected to be okay.

State fire investigators say a fire at a mobile home in central Kansas is suspicious. Fire crews were called to the mobile home in the Barton County town of Pawnee Rock Monday. When they arrived, they found the mobile home fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters from Pawnee Rock and Great Bend were able to get the fire under control. Investigators say there were no utilities hooked up to the home. No one was hurt. The Kansas Fire Marshal's office is assisting with the investigation.

Wichita police are trying to sort through the details of an attempted kidnapping Friday night.  A 17-year-old is in custody.  At this time, he's being held on unrelated charges. A lot of different details were reported over the weekend.  Eyewitness News is clarifying some misinformation.  Here's the latest information from police.  Investigators say three girls reported being approached by a teenager in a truck near Edgemoor and Harry Friday night.  The girls were walking from Quik Trip when it happened.

The Hays Police Department is investigating a sexual assault. According to police, the woman reported the incident last Thursday. According to the police report, the incident actually happened two weeks earlier on April 17th. Police say the victim reported being approached by two men in the early morning hours in the 500 block of E. 5th Street.  No other information about what happened was released. The first suspect is described as a white male in his thirties, average height and medium to large build.

The Garden City Police department is working with the school district after a report of threats found on social media. School resource officers at Horace J. Good Middle School notified authorities after noticing the post Wednesday. Police said the post contained vague threats towards the school. Certain students were also allegedly bully the poster. Classes remain in session while police and officials from U.S.D. 457 investigate. No arrests have been made.

Wichita police are investigating after video of a 13-year-old getting punched showed up on YouTube.  The teen told police he was punched twice in the face while walking home from school Monday. It happened in the 2300 block of East Mount Vernon.  Police say a parent called in the attack.  During the investigation, police found that the incident was posted to YouTube.  They booked the suspect into the juvenile detention facility.

This Wednesday at 10 p.m., FactFinder 12 Investigator Melissa Scheffler does a different kind of “Does It Work.” We continue our investigation into guns in schools by testing a bulletproof backpack and a bulletproof shield for an existing backpack. See how they stand-up against several rounds at a law enforcement range.

Wichita police say a former Final Four Wichita State men's basketball player is under investigation for rape.  The player is no longer on the team because he's out of eligibility. Police aren't releasing the name, but say the investigation involves allegations from a 20-year-old female, who is not a student.  Police say the investigation stems from an incident at a teammate's home over the weekend. "It appears that there was some sort of get together over at this residence and during that time frame, late Saturday/early Sunday, is when it was reported that it happened," said Lt. Doug Nolte with the Wichita Police.

We have seen a lot of photos in the past few days, but there might be clues in those snapshots that the average person would not notice. Eyewitness News wanted to know why investigators are not releasing more information. "For an investigation to be good, we shouldn't know and we can't know," said former FBI agent Dan Jablonski. Jablonski says giving the public too much information right now could hurt the investigation. After 28 years in the Bureau, he thinks the Boston explosions were an act of revenge.