TOPEKA, Kan. – Free training sessions on Kansas open government laws will be offered next month in Topeka and Johnson County, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government have announced.

“Open access to the functions of government is important to self-government,” said Attorney General Derrick Schmidt said. “As our office investigates complaints of violations of open government laws, most often we find the violations were inadvertent and can be avoided through better education. I encourage public officials, candidates for public office, staff, members of the media and the public to participate in these training sessions to learn more about how these laws work.”

The sessions will be held at 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, at Johnson County Public Library, Monticello Library, 22435 W. 66th St., Shawnee, Kan.; and 9 a.m-12 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, at Memorial Hall Auditorium, 120 SW 10th Ave., Topeka, Kan.

OTTAWA, Kan. – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation arrested an Ottawa Police Department sergeant Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, on charges of battery and criminal threat.

Tuesday morning an incident was reported to the OPD involving a sergeant of the department, Steven E. Burkhart, 38, of Ottawa, Kan. OPD requested the KBI investigate the allegation, which reportedly occurred at the sergeant’s home on Monday, Sept. 3.

At approximately 5:18 p.m. Sept. 4, Burkhart was arrested in the vicinity of Eighth Street and Ash Street in Ottawa. He was transported to the Franklin County Jail, where he was booked for battery and criminal threat.

A KBI press release said the investigation is ongoing, and no more information will be released about the case at this time.

With the Labor Day holiday weekend upon us, the Kansas Highway Patrol will be working additional hours to help keep Kansas roads safe, and to help decrease the number of impaired motorists on the state’s roadways.

KHP will participate in the annual Special Traffic Enforcement Program campaign, with funding from the Kansas Department of Transportation. The agency will also be participating in the Operation C.A.R.E. (Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort) Labor Day Enforcement, which runs through Monday, Sept. 3, 2018.

“As the summer travel season comes to a close, the Kansas Highway Patrol will be out working to ensure our travelers make it to their destinations safely,” said KHP PIO, Lieutenant Adam Winters. “As you celebrate the upcoming Labor Day weekend, we urge anyone who may be drinking to get a sober driver arranged ahead of time. If you are traveling and suspect another motorist may be impaired, please give us a call, and we will check on them.”

If you’re traveling for the Labor Day holiday, KHP offers the following tips:

• Check your vehicle’s condition, including tires, fluid levels, and mechanical equipment.
• Check road conditions at www.kandrive.org to look for construction or delays on your route.
• Allow plenty of time to arrive at your destination.
• Always designate a sober driver beforehand if you will be consuming alcohol.
• Buckle up and make sure your children are in the appropriately-fitted child safety seats.
• Have an emergency kit in your vehicle with essentials such as water, flashlights, chargers, blankets, and non-perishable food.

Anyone traveling on the state’s roadways who needs assistance can call KHP for assistance at *47 (*HP), or if on the Kansas Turnpike, call *582 (*KTA).

ALLEN COUNTY, Kan. – In the early morning hours of Aug. 26, 2018, the Kansas Highway Patrol was contacted by the Allen County Sheriff’s Office after a body was found on U.S. Highway 54. The KHP’s Critical Highway Accident Response Team was activated to assist in the investigation.

Investigation determined that at around 1:50 a.m., a pedestrian died in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 54 at milepost 344.3, or approximately two miles west of Moran, Kan. The deceased subject was identified as Billy Lee Montgomery, 26, a white male from Springfield, Mo.

The investigation has determined that prior to Montgomery’s body being found, just after midnight, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office had contact with Montgomery, who at that time had been walking on U.S. Highway 169.

KHP is asking for anyone who may be familiar with Montgomery, or who may have seen him or anything suspicious in the area of U.S. 54 or U.S. 169, to contact investigators. Anyone who has seen or heard anything regarding this incident is asked to call KHP Trooper Brett Goins at 620-431-2100.